Total physical response is a language teaching method developed by James
Asher, a professor emeritus of psychology at San José State University.
It is based on the coordination of language and physical movement. In TPR,
instructors give commands to students in the target language, and students
respond with whole-body actions. The method is an example of the
comprehension approach to language teaching. The listening and responding
serves two purposes: It is a means of quickly recognizing meaning in the
language being learned, and a means of passively learning the structure of the
language itself. Grammar is not taught explicitly, but can be learned from the
language input. TPR is a valuable way to learn vocabulary, especially idiomatic
terms, e.g., phrasal verbs. Asher developed TPR as a result of his
experiences observing young children learning their first language. He
noticed that interactions between parents and children often took the form
of speech from the parent followed by a physical response from the child. Asher
made three hypotheses based on his observations: first, that language is
learned primarily by listening; second, that language learning must engage the
right hemisphere of the brain; and third, that learning language should not
involve any stress. Total physical response is often used
alongside other methods and techniques. It is popular with beginners and with
young learners, although it can be used with students of all levels and all age
groups. Background
James Asher developed the total physical response method as a result of his
observation of the language development of young children. Asher saw that most
of the interactions that young children experience with parents or other adults
combine both verbal and physical aspects. The child responds physically
to the speech of the parent, and the parent reinforces the child’s responses
through further speech. This creates a positive feedback loop between the
parent’s speech and the child’s actions. Asher also observed that young children
typically spend a long time listening to language before ever attempting to
speak, and that they can understand and react to utterances that are much more
complex than those they can produce themselves.
From his experiences, Asher outlined three main hypotheses about learning
second languages that are embodied in the total physical response method. The
first is that the brain is naturally predisposed to learn language through
listening. Specifically, Asher says that learners best internalize language when
they respond with physical movement to language input. Asher hypothesizes that
speech develops naturally and spontaneously after learners internalize
the target language through input, and that it should not be forced. In Asher’s
own words: A reasonable hypothesis is that the
brain and the nervous system are biologically programmed to acquire
language, either the first or the second in a particular sequence and in a
particular mode. The sequence is listening before speaking and the mode
is to synchronise language with the individual’s body.
The second of Asher’s hypotheses is that effective language learning must engage
the right hemisphere of the brain. Physical movement is controlled
primarily by the right hemisphere, and Asher sees the coupling of movement with
language comprehension as the key to language acquisition. He says that
left-hemisphere learning should be avoided, and that the left hemisphere
needs a great deal of experience of right-hemisphere-based input before
natural speech can occur. Asher’s third hypothesis is that
language learning should not involve any stress, as stress and negative emotions
inhibit the natural language-learning process. He regards the stressful nature
of most language-teaching methods as one of their major weaknesses. Asher
recommends that teachers focus on meaning and physical movement to avoid
stress. The main text on total physical response
is James Asher’s Learning Another Language through Actions, first
published in 1977. Principles
Total physical response is an example of the comprehension approach to language
teaching. Methods in the comprehension approach emphasize the importance of
listening on language development, and do not require spoken output in the
early stages of learning. In total physical response, students are not
forced to speak. Instead, teachers wait until students acquire enough language
through listening that they start to speak spontaneously. At the beginning
stages of instruction students can respond to the instructor in their
native language. While the majority of class time in
total physical response is spent on listening comprehension, the ultimate
goal of the method is to develop oral fluency. Asher sees developing listening
comprehension skills as the most efficient way of developing spoken
language skills. Lessons in TPR are organized around
grammar, and in particular around the verb. Instructors issue commands based
on the verbs and vocabulary to be learned in that lesson. However, the
primary focus in lessons is on meaning, which distinguishes TPR from other
grammar-based methods such as grammar-translation.
Grammar is not explicitly taught, but is learned by induction. Students are
expected to subconsciously acquire the grammatical structure of the language
through exposure to spoken language input, in addition to decoding the
messages in the input to find their meaning. This approach to listening is
called codebreaking. Total physical response is both a
teaching technique and a philosophy of language teaching. Teachers do not have
to limit themselves to TPR techniques to teach according to the principles of the
total physical response method. Because the students are only expected
to listen and not to speak, the teacher has the sole responsibility for deciding
what input students hear. Procedure
The majority of class time in TPR lessons is spent doing drills in which
the instructor gives commands using the imperative mood. Students respond to
these commands with physical actions. Initially, students learn the meaning of
the commands they hear by direct observation. After they learn the
meaning of the words in these commands, the teacher issues commands that use
novel combinations of the words the students have learned.
Instructors limit the number of new vocabulary items given to students at
any one time. This is to help students differentiate the new words from those
previously learned, and to facilitate integration with their existing language
knowledge. Asher suggests that students can learn between 12 and 36 words for
every hour of instruction, depending on their language level and class size.
While drills using the imperative are the mainstay of total physical response
classes, teachers can use other activities as well. Some typical other
activities are role plays and slide presentations. However, beginners are
not made to learn conversational dialogs until 120 hours into their course.
There is little error correction in TPR. Asher advises teachers to treat
learners’ mistakes the same way a parent would treat their children’s. Errors
made by beginning-level 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.” Teaching materials
Total physical response lessons typically use a wide variety of realia,
posters, and props. Teaching materials are not compulsory, and for the very
first lessons they may not be used. As students progress in ability the teacher
may begin to use objects found in the classroom such as furniture or books,
and later may use word charts, pictures, and realia.
There are a number of specialized TPR teaching products available, including
student kits developed by Asher and an interactive CD-ROM for students to
practice with privately. Research
Asher conducted a large number of scientific studies to test and refine
his hypotheses and the teaching practices in total physical response.
When testing children and adults learning Russian, Asher and Price found
that the adults outperformed the children.
Reception According to the Routledge Encyclopedia
of Language Teaching and Learning, TPR is often criticized as being only
suitable for beginning students. However, the encyclopedia goes on to
note that there are several publications available about how to use TPR with
intermediate and advanced students. According to its proponents, total
physical response has a number of advantages: Students enjoy getting out
of their chairs and moving around. Simple TPR activities do not require a
great deal of preparation on the part of the teacher. TPR is aptitude-free,
working well with a mixed ability class, and with students having various
disabilities. It is good for kinesthetic learners who need to be active in the
class. Class size need not be a problem, and it works effectively for children
and adults. However, it is recognized that TPR is
most useful for beginners, though it can be used at higher levels where
preparation becomes an issue for the teacher. It does not give students the
opportunity to express their own thoughts in a creative way. Further, it
is easy to overuse TPR-- "Any novelty, if carried on too long, will trigger
adaptation." It can be a challenge for shy students. Additionally, the nature
of TPR places an unnaturally heavy emphasis on the use of the imperative
mood, that is to say commands such as sit down and stand up. These features
are of limited utility to the learner, and can lead to a learner appearing rude
when attempting to use their new language. As a TPR class progresses,
group activities and descriptions can extend basic TPR concepts into full
communication situations. Because of its participatory approach,
TPR may also be a useful alternative teaching strategy for students with
dyslexia or related learning disabilities, who typically experience
difficulty learning foreign languages with traditional classroom instruction.
Influence Teachers who use TPR typically use it
together with a variety of other activities and techniques. It is most
often used for introducing new vocabulary. This is in line with Asher’s
recommendations for using the method. Blaine Ray, a Spanish language teacher,
added stories to TPR to help students acquire non-physical language creating
the foundation of the method known as Teaching Proficiency through Reading and
Storytelling built on Stephen Krashen's theories of language acquisition.
See also "Where are your keys?"
Notes References
External links Official site