Choral Responses
October 14, 2019
Verbal responses are nothing new in elementary school math classes. Traditionally, teachers would address skill work through flash card fact recitation, encouraging students to answer basic addition, subtraction, multiplication, or division problems as fast as they could. The teacher’s intention, presumably, was to stimulate the brain through intensive focus. With time and practice, they reasoned, basic operational facts would burn into their students’ memory.
A generation or two of subsequent research and shifting school norms has rendered flash card practice almost extinct. Academics have “proved” its ineffectiveness, and some children feel anxious when pressured to answer problems quickly, especially in front of their classmates. Determined to improve on the failed methods of old, many teachers mistakenly eliminate verbal fluency from math lessons, because they associate students calling out answers with the pitfalls of randomized flash card practice.
Today’s best educators recognize the flaws of past approaches, without disvaluing all of their components. While finding this balance, they often realize that some of their goals are similar to teachers that came before them. To reach their targets, they simply need to reshape older methods - retaining the activity’s best aspects, while improving their deficiencies. Elementary school children often enjoy talking and showing off what they know. Both of these natural inclinations can be positively channeled through choral fluency.
Call-response drills provide efficient practice, while bolstering student focus. In the process, children are immersed in an often-overlooked learning modality that opens more neural pathways to the topics they’re studying. Flash card recitation attempted to harness this power, but usually fell short for two reasons - problems were presented randomly and only addressed simple operations, leaving other fluency topics untouched.
Mathematical eloquence consists of far more than computational skills. To develop it, students must also master language. Internalizing any vocabulary requires an individual to practice unfamiliar words in natural context. Doing so is challenging with math terminology, because many terms are rarely used or heard outside of math class. Since curricular workbooks don’t provide enough repetition to achieve this, teachers must build it into their lessons.
Oftentimes, the mind and voice are the most efficient practicing tools, especially for younger students who are still developing written dexterity. This is because the brain triggers verbal responses far more quickly than the hand can write. Unlike other educational tools, choral responses require no material distribution or management. They simply necessitate students looking at a teacher and maybe a board.
The method is only meaningful, however, if children are highly engaged. To stimulate universal participation, teachers carefully sequence questions, so that all children will confidently answer several problems correctly before feeling challenged. When students feel self-assured, they’re more likely to participate and take risks. This requires teachers to hold all students accountable without stigmatizing individuals. Establishing this balance is challenging but achievable.
