Ahmad Zakaria bin Mazlan

Kiu Shih Chieh

Tamilarasu a/l Rajendran

Total Physical Response

is a language teaching method built around the coordination of speech and action

attempts to teach language through physical (motor) activity

originally developed by James Asher, an American professor of psychology, in the 1960s

is based on the theory that the memory is enhanced through association with physical movement.

is linked to the trace of theory of memory, which holds that the more often or intensively a memory connection is traced, the stronger the memory will be.

Total Physical Response (TPR)

1. Childhood language acquisition theoriesChildren are exposed to huge

amounts of language input before speaking. Language learners can also benefit from following this “natural” progression from comprehension to production, instead of the more normal situation where learners are asked to produce instantly.

The Theory behind TPR

2. The right brain/left brain divide When language is taught by lecturing or

explaining, the cynical left brain is targeted and the information is kept in short term memory.

When language is taught actively through movement, the right brain “believes” the information and retains it, in the same way that skills such as swimming or riding a bicycle are remembered long term

The Theory behind TPR

3. Lowering stress and the affective filterStudents learn more when they are relaxed.TPR helps reduce the affective filter because it

is less threatening than traditional language activities. Students do not have to produce language. Mistakes are unimportant and easily (and painlessly) corrected by the teacher. Language is remembered easily and long-term.

The Theory behind TPR

Theory of learningused with a beginning class or kindergarten

the analogous of this method is as same as with the baby’s process to speak.

In this method, the students will want to speak after ten to twenty hours of the teacher’s instructions, although some students may take longer. Student should no be encouraged to speak until they are ready.

Characteristics of TPR

Theory of languageIn this method, the area of language are

emphasized in grammatical structures and vocabulary.

These are embedded within imperatives which are single words and multi word chunks.

The spoken language is emphasized over written language.

Students often don’t learn to read the commands they have already learn to perform until after ten hours of instruction.

In learning language, this method refers to the right hemisphere of the brain, the part which control nonverbal behavior.

Objectives or goalsThis method is believed making the students

enjoy their experience in learning to communicate in a foreign language.

TPR was developed in order to reduce the stress people feel when studying foreign languages and encourage the students to persist in their study beyond a beginning level of proficiency.

Activities typeThe first step, the instructor issues commands to a

view student, then performs the actions with them. second step, these same students demonstrate that

they can understand the commands by performing them alone.

The teacher next recombines elements of the commands to have students develop flexibility in understanding unfamiliar utterances.

After learning to respond to some oral commands, the students learn to read and write them when students are ready to speak, they become the ones who issue the commands.

After students begin speaking, activities expand to include skits and games.

The Rule of the Teacher and The Students In total physical response method, the teacher

is the director of all students’ behavior. The students are imitations of the teacher’s

nonverbal model. At some point (usually after ten to twenty

hours of instructions) some students will ready to speak.

At that point there will be a role reversal with individual student directing the teacher and the other students.