RoundRobin Variations

RoundRobin is one of the simplest and most commonly used Kagan Structures. In its basic form, teammates take turns talking. RoundRobin is a terrific structure for the teacher to infuse active engagement into just about any part of the lesson. Before the lesson, the teacher may ask, “What do you know about this subject?” In the middle of the lesson, the teacher may state “Summarise an important point.” At the end of the lesson, the teacher may ask, “What is the most important thing you learned?” Every student gets an opportunity to talk in a non-threatening team environment and to learn from teammates’ ideas and opinions. RoundRobin is a powerful structure. But did you know, there are many variations of RoundRobin you can use?

Learn the RoundRobin variations and when to use each, and you will extend the power of an already powerful structure:

Single RoundRobin:

1. Teacher assigns a topic or question.

2. In teams, students respond orally each taking a single turn at responding.

Use for: Single RoundRobin is used primarily to ensure that each teammate gets a turn to share. It may be used for simple teambuilding content such as “What did you do that was fun over the weekend?” or it may be academic content such as “How do you think the story will end?”

A Single RoundRobin is the best for sharing student work when teammates may have a different amount of material to cover such as a written student story or poem.

Timed RoundRobin:

1. Teacher assigns a topic or question and announces a time limit (eg. 1 minute each).

2. In teams, students respond orally each taking a single turn at responding for the allotted time.

Use for: Timed RoundRobin ensures equal participation. Each student is allotted the same predetermined amount of time. It is best used when there is a lengthy response such as, “Describe your hypothesis and how you plan to test it.” It is great for current events, book reports, and other reports because it equalises teammate share time. Timed RoundRobin is helpful for management since all teams finish at the same time.

Continuous RoundRobin:

1. Teacher assigns a topic or question with multiple possible responses.

2. In teams, students respond orally each taking a turn contributing one idea.

3. After all teammates have responded, students respond again contributing another idea. Continuous RoundRobin resumes for multiple turns.

Use for: Continuous RoundRobin is useful when there are many items and the students are generating an oral list. “Name prime numbers.” “What are all the possible causes (or consequences) of that historical event?”

AllWrite RoundRobin:

1. Teacher assigns a topic or question with multiple possible responses.

2. In teams, students respond orally each taking a turn contributing one idea.

3. All teammates record the shared idea on their own papers.

Use for: AllWrite RoundRobin results in a written record for each student. For example, if the students are generating a list, each student has their own paper and pencil and as they name each item, each student writes it down. Students can use their lists for later independent work. The difference between AllWrite RoundRobin and RoundTable Consensus is that with AllWrite RoundRobin each student writes on her/his own paper whereas in RoundTable Consensus there is one paper and pencil passed around the group and each student in turn records an idea once the team has reached consensus.