Are any of these ineffective teaching methods still part of your practice? Time to reconsider.

So many of us teach the way we were taught. We may not even realize were doing it. And that
means certain practices get passed down year after year without question, methods that are
such a normal part of the way we do school, we perpetuate them without realizing there are
better alternatives.
Today Im going to roll out five of these for your consideration: five teaching practices used every
day that are not backed by research. In many cases, these practices are not only ineffective, they
can be downright harmful.
A few caveats before I start: First, I have used every single one of these methods. Every one. Im
going to tell you why I used them, and why I would avoid them in the future. Second, I dont
believe in all or nothing when it comes to teaching. An argument could be made for the
occasional use of any of these, even #3. The point is that in most cases, better options exist. You
dont necessarily have to give up any of these methods entirely. But if you want to see better
results, replacing them with more powerful strategies will get you there a lot quicker.
1. Popcorn Reading
A.K.A.: Round-Robin Reading, Volunteer Reading
What it is: A teacher wants her class to read a texta short story, a chapter in a textbookso
she has each student take a turn reading out loud while the others follow along silently.
Sometimes students read in seat order; other times the teacher selects students at random to
keep everyone on their toes. And in some variations, kids actually call out the word popcorn at
the end of their turn and choose the next person to read. (I never knew this part. Honestly, I
always thought the term came from the image of different students reading around the room
looking like a pot of kernels popping to life, one at a time.)
Why I did it: I used popcorn reading occasionally as a language arts teacher, when we were doing
a whole-class novel, to get through the text. I didnt do it a lot, but I definitely did it. Heres
why: (1) It consumed class time. Sure, in theory I wanted to pack as much high-quality instruction
into a class period as possible, but some days I just wanted to fill the time. (2) It kept students
quiet and controlled. Interactive, engaging activities can be loud and messy, but an activity like
popcorn reading lets you convince yourself youre accomplishing something. (3) It covered the
material. Because everyone is ostensibly looking at and listening to the text, it stands to reason
that everyone is digesting it in some way. (4) It allowed me to hear my students reading, acting
as a kind of formative assessment for fluency.
What the research says: If the Internet was a yard, and articles that criticize Round Robin were
dog poop, your shoes would be a mess. The main criticism of this strategy is that it simply does
nothing to improve student comprehension or reading skills. On top of that, it embarrasses
students whose read-aloud skills are behind those of their peers, offers only a tiny window of
time for each student to actively read, and often reduces comprehension, as students who are
not reading tend to check out when its not their turn. Plus, listening to their classmates read at
varying levels of skill can actually teach students to read more poorly as they begin to pick up
the habits of their peers. When I was a student, I hated popcorn reading. My comprehension
plummets when I listen to something read out loud, rather than reading quietly to myself, so any
time a teacher had us do Round Robin, I knew I would have to re-read the whole thing later.
What to do instead: Consider where you want students to end up. If you are working with
younger kids and want to build fluency and proper expression, try a teacher read-aloud, a choral
reading, or a method known as FORI (fluency oriented reading instruction). If you are working
with older students and want them to eventually be able to do rigorous, challenging reading on

their own, schedule regular periods of silent reading scaffolded with a KWL chart or an
anticipation guide, or have students do reciprocal teaching in small groups.
Learn More:
11 Alternatives to Round Robin (and Popcorn) Reading, by Todd Finley, Edutopia
A Literacy Spring Cleaning: Sweeping Round Robin Reading out of Your Classroom, by Katherine
Hilden and Jennifer Jones, Reading Today
2. Giving Students Prepared Notes
What it is: When a teacher delivers content (often via lecture), he provides students with a
handout that contains pre-written notes on that content. In many cases, this takes the form of
notes pages that can be generated automatically from a PowerPoint presentation.
Why I did it: As a college instructor, I usually delivered some portion of my content via
PowerPoint (I would approach this differently now, but thats another subject for another time).
Because I wanted students to pay attention to what I was saying, rather than scrambling to write
everything down, I just gave them notes straight from the PowerPoints and made the slideshows
available online as well. This system, I felt, made it easy to catch up students who had missed
class, and it prevented students from missing important points made during the lecture.
What the research says: Since reading Make It Stick this past summer, I realize I was doing my
students a big disservice by making things so easy for them. The books authors, who pull
together years of brain research, maintain that when no effort is required in the learning process,
learning doesnt last very long. They cited one study where students were allowed to copy notes
word-for-word on some material, but made to rephrase other material in their own words. When
tested later, students did a far better job of recalling the latterthe material they had to put into
their own words. Although its more convenient to provide notes for students, the lack of effort
inherent in this arrangement handicaps them.
What to do instead: Teach note-taking skills. Its going to be slow, but in the end, it will be worth
it. Provide students with a variety of options for note-taking methods. Let them try a few and
decide whats right for them. Allow students to compare notes with each other, discuss them,
and revise them. Another powerful way to support students in their note-taking is to provide
them with pre-lecture diagrams, visual structures that help them understand the relationship
between the concepts youre about to teach.
Learn more:
Teaching Students to Take Better Notes: Notes on Notetaking, from the University of NebraskaLincoln Office of Graduate Studies
Why Students Should be Taking Notes, by Maryellen Weimer, Faculty Focus
No-recess-for-you
3. Whole-Class Punishments
What it is: The teacher punishes the whole class for some behavior infraction committed by only
some students. Often, this takes the form of a lost privilege, like recess.
Why I did it: I cant even count how many times I did this. I would promise some kind of reward to
the class, something along the lines of If everyone works quietly for the next ___ minutes, Ill
give you five minutes of free time at the end of the period. Then, as middle school kids tend to

do, around half the class would fool around or get too noisy, and Id announce that they had lost
their free time. I did it because it was faster and easier than trying to figure out exactly who
caused the disruptions; I knew it wasnt everyone, but there were too many to count. Also,
honestly, I often issued the threat of whole-class punishment hoping I wouldnt have to enforce it.
I wanted to motivate them, to get them to behave in order to earn the reward. When it didnt
work and I had to crack down, I hoped the memory of the loss would get them in line the next
time.
What the research says: In looking for research on the effectiveness of whole-class punishment, I
came up empty-handed. Theres plenty of public opinion against the practice, but no formal
research. (If readers of this post are aware of any, please post a link in the comments.) Still,
some parallels can be drawn: Research on economic sanctionswhere the government of one
country penalizes another, often by withholding necessary resources from the whole country
has shown it to be largely ineffective, often creating new problems. Another study on collective
punishment concluded that it is fairly ineffective at best and strongly counterproductive at worst
in shaping group behavior. Even though specific research on whole-class punishment is lacking,
its hard to argue with common sense: Many of us have been that kid who tries to behave but
gets punished along with the class. Or maybe its our own child who has been put in that
position. Even if youre the one who causes the trouble, the weight of ruining it for everyone
certainly wont lead to healthier relationships with your peers.
What to do instead: The best way to deal with a rowdy class is prevention: If you have a lot of
days when your whole class feels chaotic, this is symptomatic of a larger problem. It may be that
your directions arent clear. Your students might be bored. You might need to build more
opportunities for interaction and movement into your lessons. Or it might be time to re-establish
clear behavior guidelines and consequences. When small disruptions do come up, its best to
deal with them quickly before they grow into bigger problems; to achieve this, the Distract the
Distractor method worked well for me. And on days when things did get out of hand, I started
using a notebook strategy that got my emotions under control and allowed me to accurately
pinpoint where the trouble was coming from. The two articles below offer other productive
methods for dealing with large-scale disruption.
Learn more:
How to Handle Whole-Class Misbehavior, by Michael Linsin, Smart Classroom Management
Positive, Not Punitive, Classroom-Management Tips, by Larry Ferlazzo, Edutopia
Learning-styles
4. Using Learning Styles to Plan Instruction
What it is: Because we were taught that every learner is either visual, auditory, or kinesthetic
learning best through seeing things, hearing things, or experiencing things, respectively
teachers may attempt to differentiate instruction by separating students into groups based on
these tendencies. Other learning styles models also exist, each one offering labels to define how
students process information. Once a student has been labeled with one particular learning style,
the teacher attempts to adjust her teaching style to reach students through their identified
learning mode.
Why I did it: This one I didnt really do too much. What I did instead was beat myself up for not
doing it. I was aware of learning styles, yes, and Id even heard of diagnostic tools, tests you
could give students to figure out what their style was. You could then take those results and plan
instruction that perfectly fit each students preferred learning mode. I thought this was
something I was supposed to be doing, but I never quite got around to it, and I felt bad about it.

To be fair, I was always mindful of the need to present information in different ways. One case in
point: As someone who has a lot of trouble following spoken instructions, I have always tried to
include written instructions as well. Still, I never really felt competent in this area.

What the research says: Researchers in a 2008 study set out to find evidence that matching our
teaching style to our students learning style results in greater learning gains. They looked at
study after study and ultimately found nothing. No proof that this practice has any impact at all.
Since then, other studies have confirmed these findings. Although personal experience may tell
you that you do, in fact, learn better through different modalities, this is actually just a
preference. There is no research that supports the idea that you actually learn better through
that modality. And attempting to label students and narrow our teaching strategies with them
can ultimately limit them, making them believe they are only capable of learning in one way.

What to do instead: Provide a variety of learning experiences to all students. Instead of spending
time on learning styles inventories and stressing about how to evenly divide instructional time
between the different groups, plan your instruction to reach all students through different
pathways: Teaching students to recognize text structures will help them develop mental models
for understanding challenging texts. Using culturally responsive teaching strategies will help
students from all backgrounds absorb material more fully. The minds eye strategy has students
visualize rich vocabulary in a text before they read it. And the concept attainment model requires
students to begin constructing concepts before you even tell them what they are. In the same
way that eating a variety of foods helps ensure you get all the nutrients you need, using a variety
of instructional strategies will help you reach every student.
Learn more:
Learning Styles & the Importance of Critical Self-Reflection, TED Talk by Tesia Marshik
Matching Teaching Style to Learning Style May Not Help Students, by David Glenn, The Chronicle
of Higher Education
pairings
5. Differentiating by Having Advanced Students Help Struggling Students
A.K.A. Peer Tutoring
What it is: The teacher plans a lesson aimed at his middle group of learners. Then, to provide
extra assistance to students who need it and extra challenge for students who grasp the material
quickly, the teacher plans to have students who finish the assigned task early help those who are
behind.
Why I did it: It just made so much sense. I couldnt be everywhere to help all the students who
needed it, and my more advanced kids were just sitting around with nothing to do (red flag!!), so
it seemed like an obvious solution. The kids who needed help got it, and the advanced kids got to
learn the material really well by teaching it to someone else. Easy-peasy. Two birds killed with
one stone. Differentiation, yes?
What the research says: No. Not differentiation. Although mixed-ability groups and tutoring can
benefit the students who need the help to some degree, these arrangements do very little for the
advanced student. In order to receive appropriate challenge, high-ability or gifted students need
regular opportunities to be grouped with like-ability peers. Having advanced students do this kind

of tutoring doesnt necessarily do them any harm, but if this practice is overused, it takes the
place of true differentiated instruction, offering learning experiences that would challenge these
students at an appropriate level.
What to do instead: Its perfectly reasonable to have higher-ability students help other students
occasionally; all students should share their unique gifts with their peers. Just dont call this
differentiation. To meet the needs of all learners, try strategies recommended by Carol Ann
Tomlinson in her book, The Differentiated Classroom, including learning stations, tiered
assignments, orbital studies, and learning agendas, where students are given a list of tasks to
complete in whatever order they want over a period of several weeks, much like the kind of
personalized agendas given to students in Montessori classrooms.
Learn more:
My View: Ten Myths about Gifted Students and Programs for Gifted, by Carolyn Coil, CNN Schools
of Thought
What It Means to Teach Gifted Learners Well, by Carol Ann Tomlinson, National Association for
Gifted Children