Information asked about Total Physical Response

[ElsdeBruin]

Dear All,

My superior asked me to use more Total Physical Response during my lessons. I don’t have any experience with it and I wonder how the past tense, future tense and other grammar items are taught by using TPR. As it is an emergent method I’m a bit wary but also curious. Are there any detrimental effects on the pupils? If I decide to implement TPR into my lessons, it is going to be a major constituent. It would be great if you can talk overtly about it and no to ham up your experiences, only in this way I can make a good decision. At the moment my lessons are rather mundane and I’m looking forward to supersede the dull parts and make it more vivid.
Manifold information is available on the internet. So much that I can’t see the wood from the trees.
I’m looking forward to bump heads on this item.

Thanks very much in advance

Kind regards
Els de Bruin

[riverkid]

Originally Posted by ElsdeBruin

Dear All,

My superior asked me to use more Total Physical Response during my lessons. I don’t have any experience with it and I wonder how the past tense, future tense and other grammar items are taught by using TPR. As it is an emergent method I’m a bit wary but also curious. Are there any detrimental effects on the pupils? If I decide to implement TPR into my lessons, it is going to be a major constituent. It would be great if you can talk overtly about it and no to ham up your experiences, only in this way I can make a good decision. At the moment my lessons are rather mundane and I’m looking forward to supersede the dull parts and make it more vivid.
Manifold information is available on the internet. So much that I can’t see the wood from the trees.
I’m looking forward to bump heads on this item.

Thanks very much in advance

Kind regards
Els de Bruin

Let me suggest that you do have a great deal of experience with TPR, Els, if I may call you Els.

Do you have children, nieces, nephews? No child is ever taught language by any method other than TPR. We'd never ask a child/baby to "get the ball" without having a ball present and a ball tossed. Yet teachers try to teach language without context or an expected physical response.



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Total Physical Response


Theory of learning


Asher's language learning theories seem similar to those of other behavioral psychologists. There are three principles he elaborates;


* Second language learning is parallel to first language learning and should reflect the same naturalistic processes
* Listening should develop before speaking
* Children respond physically to spoken language, and adult learners learn better if they do that too
* Once listening comprehension has been developed, speech devlops naturally and effortlessly out of it.
* Adults should use right-brain motor activities, while the left hemisphere watches and learns
* Delaying speech reduces stress.

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Your supervisor only said more. Language lessons should try to use as much real context as is possible, especially at the beginning of language. Where there is context, a ball thrown, a student, any student doesn't have to puzzle out so much. They can concentrate on the sounds; as was noted, listening comes first.

Think about it a bit and maybe we can all discuss it more.

[Soup]

In TPR activities, children follow instructions without saying anything. The instructions start with simple imperatives and movement. For example, the teacher says "March!" and does a marching action. The children march, first imitating the teacher, then doing the action on their own. The simple commands progress to a set of instructions: "Stand up. Go to the window. Turn around and clap five times."
Source Content Frame

Click here: http://www.pearsonlongman.com/young_...in-primary.pdf

You may also want to read this, LANGUAGE LEARNING article--TPR: Still a Good Idea, by Stephen Krashen, and you should try these,

TPR Activities (Video!)

TPR with lots of junk (Object Manipulation)

[ElsdeBruin]

Thank you very much for all the interesting information on TPR

Kind regards,
Els de Bruin