Total Physical Response 1

TOTAL PHYSICAL RESPONSE METHOD

Rhina Arely Bentez Diaz

Elmer Jorge Guardado. Mat. October 23rd, 2013

Total Physical Response Method

Total Physical Response 2 Introduction: This is one of the method in which teachers and students put in practice words with movements at the same time, it includes a series of activities given by teachers and then made them by students, where the comprehension part start working in a way in which students are entertained and interested in learning what word belongs to each movement and what movement belongs to certain words. Through the development of this research paper you will learn and understand how this method work and which are the kind of techniques, and tools that teachers will need in order perform the class by applying this method. It is important to know that teachers work with different methods for every class and the should know how to handle all of them because there are different kind of students, different levels, and each of them has different characteristics, so this kind of method is applied to those students who are beginning, but also can be applied to students with an intermediate level but the teacher has to know when and how it is going to be developed. Aims: To provide information about Total Physical Response Method. To understand how this method works in the classroom. This research focuses on following questions: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. What is Total Physical Response method? What are the principles of TPR? What are the characteristics of TPR? What activities are implemented in this method? What are the advantages and disadvantages of TPR?

Total Physical Response Method

Total Physical Response 3 1. What is total physical response method?

When Teachers are teaching a second language they use this method to make the students learning process turns easier, especially those students who do not have a preknowledge about a certain topic, this method makes them to comprehend in a better way the language about any topic. Total physical response is a really useful method and here is a definition about it:

Total Physical Response (TPR) is a language-teaching method built around the coordination of speech and action; it attempts to teach language through physical (motor) activity. Developed by James Asher, a professor of psychology at San Jose State University, California, it draws on several traditions, including developmental psychology, learning theory, and humanistic pedagogy, as well as on language teaching procedures proposed by Harold and Dorothy Palmer in 1925. Let us briefly consider these precedents to Total Physical Response. (Richards J.C. & T.S. Rodgers, 1897)

So, total physical response method is basically used with students who are beginning to learn the target language, in this case English language, they are following some commands or instructions that teachers give to them and they are learning some words by performing the action. This really interesting and funny at the same time, when teachers apply this method, students learn in an entertaining way through repeating some actions and movements after the teacher does and also it helps to memorize easily many words. This method can be related with Pavlovs theory which has to do with the stimulus-response learning, where students learn through certain kind of stimulus apply by the teacher and then he or she gets the response from his or her students.

Total Physical Response Method

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According to the trace theory of memory in psychology, the more often and intensively a memory is traced, the stronger the memory association will be and the more likely it will be recalled. The retracing can be verbal through repetition and/or in association with motor activity. This clearly reminds us of the behavioristic psychology which holds a Stimulus-Response model of learning. The stimulus in the TPR method is verbal and the response is physical. In this respect TPR has many similarities to the Direct Method. (Michael Hutagalung, 2009)

2. What are the principles of TPR?

Every teacher should know that all methods focus on principles, but the question is: what is a principle? Basically, a principle is the one which shows or reflects the purpose of using the method and how each chosen technique works in classes, so it helps to the teacher to reach aims that he or she set when planning the class.

Here are the principles of TPR method:

Meaning in the target language can often be conveyed through actions. Memory is activated through actions. Memory is activated through learner response. Beginning foreign language instruction should address the right hemisphere of the brain, the part which controls nonverbal behavior. The target language should be represented in chunks, not just word by word.

The students understanding of the target language should be developed before speaking. Students can initially learn one part of the language rapidly by moving their bodies. The imperative is a powerful linguistic device through which the teacher can direct student behavior.

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Students can learn through observing actions as well as by performing the actions themselves.

It is very important that students feel successful. Feelings of success and low anxiety facilitate learning. Students should not be made to memorize fixed routines. Corrections should be carried out in an unobtrusive manner. Students must develop flexibility in understanding novel combinations of target language chunks. They need to understand more than the exact sentences used in training. Novelty is also motivating.

Language learning is more effective when it is fun. Spoken language should be emphasized over written language. Students will begin to speak when they are ready. Students are expected to make errors when they first begin speaking. Teachers should be tolerant of them. Work on the fine details of the language should be postponed until students have become somewhat proficient. (Diane LanserFreeman, 2008)

3.

What are the characteristics of TPR?

Every method is applied in different ways; first of all, the teacher has to know the characteristics of his or her students, what they already know (pre-knowledge), what they need to learn and also, he/she has to know the characteristics of the method that is going to be applied. In a nutshell, here are the most salient features of the TPR:

The coordination of speech and action facilitates language learning. Grammar is taught inductively. Meaning is more important than form.

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Speaking is delayed until comprehension skills are established. Effective language learning takes place in low stress environment. The role of the teacher is central. S/he chooses the appropriate commands to introduce vocabulary and structure.

The learner is a listener and a performer responding to commands individually or collectively.

Learning is maximized in a stress free environment. (Michael Hutagalung, 2009)

These characteristics show the importance of learning through physical responses, and how the comprehension approach takes place as the most important factor. It is interesting how students can learn through memorizing words and movements that correspond to each word; it is also said that teachers care the most of how students understand the language that how they speak it or write it, after doing these kind of activities for a time, they are going to produce the language by themselves, and this method facilitate their learning process.

4.

What activities are implemented in this method?

Imperative drills are the major classroom activity in TPR. Other class activities include role plays and slide presentations. Conversational dialogues are delayed until after almost 120 hours of instruction. (Ignorantdavinci, 2009)

A typical TPR activity might contain instructions such as "Walk to the door", "Open the door", "Sit down" and "Give Maria your dictionary". The students are required to carry out the instructions by physically performing the activities. Given a supportive classroom environment, there is little doubt that such activities can be both motivating and fun, and it is also likely that with even a fairly limited amount of repetition basic instructions such as these could be assimilated by the learners, even if they were unable to reproduce them accurately themselves. (Tim Bowen, 2013) Total Physical Response Method

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The teacher plays an active and direct role in Total Physical Response. "The instructor is the director of a stage play in which the students are the actors". It is the teacher who decides what to teach, who models and presents the new materials, and who selects supporting materials for classroom use. The teacher is encouraged to be well prepared and well organized so that the lesson flows smoothly and predictably. Asher recommends detailed lesson plans: It is wise to write out the exact utterances you will be using and especially the novel commands because the action is so fast-moving there is usually not time for you to create spontaneously".

Classroom interaction and turn taking is teacher rather than learner directed. Even when learners interact with other learners it is usually the teacher who initiates the interaction. Teacher who use TPR believe in the importance of having their students enjoy their experience in learning to communicate in a foreign language. In fact, TPR was developed in order to reduce the stress people feel when studying foreign languages and thereby encourage students to persist in their study beyond a beginning level of proficiency.

There is little error correction in TPR. Asher advises teachers to treat learners mistakes the same way a parent would treat their childrens. Errors made by beginninglevel students are usually overlooked, but as students become more advanced teachers may correct more of their errors. This is similar to parents raising their children; as children get older parents tend to correct their grammatical mistakes more often. According to Asher, TPR lesson plans should contain the detailed commands that the teacher intends to use. He says, It is wise to write out the exact utterances you will be using and especially the novel commands because the action is so fast-moving there is usually not time for you to create spontaneously. (Wikipedia Foundation, 2013)

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5.

What are the advantages and disadvantages of TPR?

TPR has some advantages and disadvantages. Its advantages include:

It is a lot of fun. Learners enjoy it, and this method can be a real stirrer in the class. It lifts the pace and the mood;

1. It is very memorable. It does assist students to recognize phrases or words;

2. It is good for kinesthetic learners who are required to be active in the class;

3. It can be used both in large or small classes. In this case, it is no matter to have how many students you have as long as you are prepared to take the lead, the learners will follow;

4. It works well with mixed-ability classes. The physical actions get across the meaning effectively so that all the learners are able to comprehend and apply the target language;

5. It is no need to have a lot of preparation or materials using the TPR. In this regard, as long as you are competent of what you want to practice (a rehearsal beforehand can help) it will not take a lot of time to get ready; 6. It is very effective with teenagers and young learners; and

7. It involves both left and right-brained learning;

Total Physical Response Method

Total Physical Response 9 In addition to such advantages, TPR has disadvantages. Among them are:

1.

Students who are not used to such things might find it embarrassing. This can

be the case initially that if the teacher is prepared to perform the actions, the students feel happier about copying. In addition, the students are in a group and do not have to perform for the whole class. This pleasure is reserved for the teacher;

2.

It is only really suitable for beginner levels. Whilst, it is clear that it is far more

useful at lower levels because the target language lends itself to such activities even though it can successfully be applied at Intermediate and Advanced levels. In this respect, it is essential to adapt the language, accordingly. For example, when teaching 'ways of walking' (stumble, stagger, and tiptoe) to an advanced class and cooking verbs to intermediate students (whisk, stir, and grate), TPR can be employed;

3.

It is not flexibly used to teach everything, and if used a lot, it would become

repetitive. This method is a fun way of changing the dynamics and pace of a lesson used in conjunction with other methods and techniques. To sum up, TPR should best be combined with others since it needs much energy so that learners do not feel tired of learning language; and

4.

Although the use of TPR in the classroom has often been effective, it does have

its flaws. One of this method flaws is that when a teacher uses TPR in their lesson, they will have trouble teaching abstract vocabulary or expressions. As a remedy, the teacher can write the word on cards with a picture if applicable. Another flaw is that TPR can be ineffective if the teacher uses it for a long period of time without switching it with other activities that help teach the target language. Since TPR is made up of mainly of commands, it tends to neglect narrative, descriptions, and conversation forms of language. (Bahasa Dan Seni, 2005)

Total Physical Response Method

Conclusion: It is concluded that, through the development of the topic you could see that the use of Total Physical Response method in the classroom is pretty important because it facilitates the learning process, and the teacher uses a series of activities in which the students play different roles, following intrusions that help to their comprehension part. As it has been said, the comprehension approach focuses on the importance of how students understand the language before they speak it, so through the performance of activities that follow this method, they are going to learn better by doing movements and saying words at the same time, so they are not going to get bored so easy, but they are going to develop their understanding area, and after some time they are going to reproduce the language by themselves. Teachers have to be aware on what they are doing, and also they have to know when it is the time to do a switch, so they are ready to make their students start to reproduce the language with any problem, after working with physical response activities.

Total Physical Response Method

Bibliography
Bahasa Dan Seni. (2005, August 2nd). Widodo Teaching Children. Retrieved october 19, 2013, from Widodo Teaching Children: http://sastra.um.ac.id/wp-content/uploads/2009/10/TeachingChildren-Using-a-Total-Physical-Response-TPR-Method-Rethinking-Handoyo-Puji-Widodo.pdf Diane Lanser-Freeman. (2008). Techniques and Principles in language teaching. In D. Lanser-Freeman, Techniques and Principles in language teaching (pp. 111,112,113). Oxford: Oxfod University Press. Michael Hutagalung. (2009, july 28). My English Pages. Retrieved october 3rd, 2013, from My English Pages: http://myenglishpages.com/blog/total-physical-response/ Richards J.C. & T.S. Rodgers. (1897). Approaches and Methods in Language Teaching. United Kindom: Cambridge University press. Tim Bowen. (2013, May 21). One Stop English. Retrieved october 3rd, 2013, from One Stop English: http://www.onestopenglish.com/support/methodology/teaching-approaches/teachingapproaches-total-physical-response/146503.article Total Physical Response. (n.d.). Retrieved 0ctober 16, 2013, from http://www2.vobs.at/ludescher/total_physical_response.htm#Types of learning and teaching activities Wikipedia Foundation. (2013, 29th August). Wikipedia. Retrieved october 20, 2013, from Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Total_physical_response#Principles

Total Physical Response Method