TEACHER DEVELOPMENT TOP #16: Choral Response Teaching Method

INTRODUCTION
Ask a one-word answer to the class at large; volume of answer will suggest degree of comprehension. Very useful to ‘drill’ new vocabulary words into students.
WHAT IS CHORAL RESPONSE TEACHING TECHNIQUE? (CRTT)
CRTT is a teaching/learning practice in which a teacher asks and students answer in chorus. These chorus answers are very common in all levels of teaching. Even a University student needs to practice some choral responses when he wants to have a high command of any foreign language like English Language.
HOW IS CRTT CONDUCTED?
CRTT is conducted by the teacher and the students as respondents. It is a noisy practice sometimes whereby a teacher initiates it by asking questions to students. In response, the students have to answer the questions in chorus as instructed by the teacher. Most of these questions are one-word answer questions.
However, some chorus answers involve full sentences. For example, a teacher may have pictures which show people doing different activities. Thus, when a teacher shows a picture of someone sweeping the floor, the class will respond by saying: ‘He/she is sweeping the floor’
WHEN IS CRTT APPLIED?
CRTT can be applied anytime during the class lesson because its main purpose is to check the understanding of the students about the subject matter they are learning. Remember that the high volume of the responses means there is understanding of the subject matter. But if the volume is low, the teacher knows that the matter has not been understood well by the students.
The choice of when to use this technique depends on the students’ understanding of the lesson. Sometimes the teacher may apply it to help students understand the lesson.
WHERE IS CRTT APPLIED?
CRTT is applied in the following contexts:
SETTING: In the classroom or outside the classroom. This technique is suitable in both classroom setting and outdoor settings as well. Sometimes, it is advised that if the lesson is going to be noisy, students can be taken outside for free space and practice.
RELEVANT TOPICS: The relevant topics in which CRTT can be used are many. The choice of applying this technique depends on the class level and the nature of the topic. In most cases, listening and speaking lessons involve a lot of CRTT drills especially in lower Secondary School classes of Form I and II respectively.
WHY IS CRTT IMPORTANT?
CRTT has the following benefits:

• To practice speaking and listening skills more accurately.
• To understand the degree of comprehension to students.
• To exercise new vocabulary words into students.
• To understand pronunciation challenges to students.
• To exercise the stiff tongues of students

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