Total-Physical-Response

TotalPhysicalResponseBackgroundProcedureApproachAdvantagesandDisadvantages12345Design1.Background•1.1Definition:TotalPhysicalResponse(TPR)isalanguageteachingmethodbuiltaroundthecoordinationofspeechandaction;itattemptstoteachlanguagethroughphysical(motor)activity.•1.2Developmentandtraditions:TPRwasdevelopedbyJamesAsheranditdrawsonseveraltraditions,includingdevelopmentalpsychology,learningtheory,andhumanpedagogy,aswellasonlanguageteachingprocedures.•1.3Developmentalsense:Asherseessuccessfuladultsecondlanguagelearningasparallelprocesstochildfirstlanguageacquisition.Asherfeelsthatadultsshouldrecapitulatetheprocessesbywhichchildrenacquiretheirnativelanguage.•1.4Ashershareswiththeschoolofhumanisticpsychologyaconcernfortheroleofaffective(emotional)factorsinlanguagelearning.Amethodthatisundemandingintermsoflinguisticproductionandthatinvolvesgamelikemovementsreduceslearnerstress,andcreatesapositivemoodinthelearner,whichfacilitateslearning.2.ApproachApproach•2.1TheoryofLanguageTPRreflectsagrammatical-basedviewoflanguage.Heviewstheverb,andparticularlytheverbintheimperative,asthecentralmotifaroundwhichlanguageuseandlearningareorganized.•2.2TheoryoflearningAstimulus-responseviewThe“tracetheory”ofmemoryinpsychologyItholdsthatthemoreoftenorthemoreintensivelyamemoryconnectionistraced,thestrongerthememoryassociationwillbeandthemorelikelyitwillberecalled.Retracingcanbedoneverbally(e.g.,byroterepetition)and/orinassociationwithmotoractivity.Combinedtracingactivities,suchasverbalrehearsalaccompaniedbymotoractivity,henceincreasethepossibilityofsuccessfulrecall.Inaddition,Asherhaselaboratedanaccountofwhathefeelsfacilitatesorinhibitsforeignlanguagelearning.Forthisdimensionofhislearningtheoryhedrawsonthreeratherinfluentiallearninghypotheses:a.Thereexistsaspecificinnatebio-programforlanguagelearning,whichdefinesanoptimalpathforfirstandsecondlanguagedevelopment.b.Brainlateralizationdefinesdifferentlearningfunctionsintheleft-andright-brainhemispheres.c.Stress(anaffectivefilter)intervenesbetweentheactoflearningandwhatistobelearned;thelowerthestress,thegreaterthelearning.•Thebio-programAsher’sTotalPhysicalResponseisa“NaturalMethod”,inasmuchasAsherseesfirstandsecondlanguagelearningasparallelprocesses.1.Childrendeveloplisteningcompetencebeforetheydeveloptheabilitytospeak.2.Children’sabilityinlisteningcomprehensionisacquired.3.Onceafoundationinlisteningcomprehensionhasbeenestablished,speechevolvesnaturallyandeffortlesslyoutofit.Paralleltotheprocessoffirstlanguagelearning,theforeignlanguagelearnershouldfirstinternalizea“cognitivemap”ofthetargetlanguagethroughlisteningexercises.Listeningshouldbeaccompaniedbyphysicalmovement.Speechandotherproductiveskillsshouldcomelater.Asherbasestheseassumptionsonhisbeliefintheexistenceinthehumanbrainofabio-programforlanguage,whichdefinesanoptimalorderforfirstandsecondlanguagelearning.•BrainlateralizationAsherseesTPRasdirectedtoright-brainlearning.Heholdsthatthechildlanguagelearneracquireslanguagethroughmotormovement-aright-hemisphereactivity.Right-hemisphereactivitiesmustoccurbeforethelefthemispherecanprocesslanguageforproduction.Similarly,theadultcanproceedtolanguagemasterythroughright-hemispheremotoractivities,whilethelefthemispherewatchesandlearns.•ReductionofstressAnimportantconditionforsuccessfullanguagelearningistheabsenceofstress.Thekeytostress-freelearningistotapintothenaturalbio-programforlanguagedevelopmentandthustorecapturetherelaxedandpleasurableexperiencesthataccompanyfirstlanguagelearning.Byfocusingonmeaninginterpretedthroughmovement,ratherthanonlanguageformsstudiedintheabstract,thelearnerissaidtobeliberatedfromself-consciousandstressfulsituationsandisabletodevotefullenergytolearning.3.Design3.1Objectives•ThegeneralobjectivesofTPR:toteachoralproficiencyatabeginninglevel.•Comprehensionisameanstoanend,andtheultimateaimistoteachbasicspeakingskills.•ATPRcourseaimstoproducelearnerswhoarecapableofanuninhibitedcommunicationthatisintelligibletoanativespeaker.•Specificinstructionalobjectivesarenotelaborated,forthesewilldependontheparticularneedsofthelearners.3.2SyllabusThetypeofsyllabusAsherusescanbeinferredfromananalysisoftheexercisetypesemployedinTPRclasses.Thisanalysisrevealstheuseofasentence-basedsyllabus,withgrammaticalandlexicalcriteriabeingprimaryinselectingteachingitems.TPRrequiresinitialattentiontomeaningratherthattotheformofitems.Grammaristhustaughtinductively.Asheralsosuggeststhatafixednumberofitemsbeintroducedatatime,tofacilitateeaseofdifferentiationandassimilation.AcoursedesignedaroundTotalPhysicalResponseprinciples,however,wouldnotbeexpectedtofollowaTPRsyllabusexclusively.3.3LearningActivities•Imperativedrills—themajorclassroomactivityinTPR,whicharetypicallyusedtoelicitphysicalactionsandactivityonthepartofthelearners.•Conversationaldialoguesaredelayeduntilafterabout120hoursofinstruction.•Otherclassactivitiesincluderoleplaysandslidepresentations.3.4Learnerroles–listenerandperformer•Theylistenattentivelyandrespondphysicallytocommandsgivenbytheteacher.•Learnersarealsoexpectedtorecognizeandre