.

1. TPR
Total Physical Response
Techniques and Principles in Language Teaching
Practice II
Naomi García – Mariano Félix Hartfiel
2015

2. Total Physical Response
- James Asher
• Fast, least stressful;
• No native language interaction;
• Imperatives
- Swedish Class, Beginners, 30 5th students

3. Observations and Principles
1- Teacher
gives a
command
and performs
it;
Meaning conveyed
through actions,
chunks, memory –
response;
2- Students
say nothing;
3- Commands
quite quickly;
4- Teacher
issues
commands
to the
volunteers
Language
developed before
speaking;
Learning through
response;
Direct students’
behaviour –
imperatives

4. Observations and Principles
5- Teacher
directs
students;
6- New
commands;
7- Change in
order;
8- Error:
repetition +
acting
Students learn
through
observing;
Success;
Not
memorizing;
Unobtrusive
correction;

5. Observations and Principles
9- New
commands
(not heard
before);
10- Laughter;
11-Writing
on the
board;
12- Students
speaking;
13- Errors;
Flexibility and
novelty;
Fun makes
effectiveness;
Little emphasis
on writing;
Begins when
ready;
Expected;
tolerance

6. TPR
• Goals: - To make students enjoy experience;
- To reduce amount of students’
stress by encouraging them;

7. TPR
• Role of the teacher: initially, director; then
imitator;
• Role of the student: imitator; then director
(after 10-20 hours)
Roles are reversed.

8. TPR• Teaching/ learning process characteristics:
- Modeling;
- Demonstration of understanding by
performing;
- Recombination for flexibility (humorous);
- Reading and Writing;
- Students issue commands.

9. TPR• Nature of student/ teacher interaction:
Teacher whole group/ individuals.
Verbal Non- verbal
Then, vice versa
• Nature of student/ student interaction:
Work together- Learn by watching, able to
demonstrate it, issue commands.

10. TPR
• Feelings
Stress reduced by: speaking when ready, no
corrections;
Language enjoyable, not much modeling or
rushing;
Success and anxiety facilitate learning;

11. TPR
• Areas of language emphasized: Vocabulary
and Grammar – Imperatives;
• Skills: Listening and Speaking

12. TPR
• Role of students’ native language:
To introduce TPR.

13. TPR
• Evaluation: teacher knows by watching
More formal: commanding individual students

14. TPR• Errors:
Expected, teacher’s tolerance (major errors
only), unobtrusively.
Minor error when students are advanced.

15. TPR
• Recommendations for this approach’s usage:
- Use a variety of activities;
- Plan in advance;
- Make students feel successful;
- Do not be too fast;
- Wait for students to be ready.