1. Total Physical Response Eileen Nieves Yanaira Santiago Amy Marty EDUC 350 - Theories and Principles of Teaching English as a Second Language Prof. Marta Dávila Pérez

2. Introduction Developed by James Asher in the late 1960’s, a professor of psychology at San Jose State University, California. Total Physical Response (TPR) is a language teaching method built around the coordination of speech and action. TPR is based on the theory that memory is enhanced through association with physical movement and it attempts to teach language through physical (motor) activity. It draws on several traditions, including developmental psychology, learning the­ory, and humanistic pedagogy, as well as on language teaching proce­dures proposed by Harold and Dorothy Palmer in 1925.

3. Theory of Language James Asher developed the total physical response method as a result of his observation of the language development of young children. There are three main hypotheses about learning second language using total physical response. 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. He also says that speech develops naturally and spontaneously after learners internalize the target language through input, and that it should not be forced.

4. Effective learning must engage from the right hemisphere of the brain which is used for physical movement, acting, drawing, and targets sports and activities. He sees the coupling of movement with language comprehension as the key to language acquisition. The left side of the brain can be described as the source of logical thinking. It is used when analyzing, talking or discussing. 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.

5. Theory of Learning Asher's language learning theories are reminiscent of the views of other behavioral psychologists. For example, the psychologist Arthur Jensen proposed a seven-stage model to describe the development of verbal learning in children. The first stage he calls Sv-R type learning, which the educational psychologist John DeCecco interprets as follows: In Jensen's notation, Sv refers to a verbal stimulus—a syllable, a word, a phrase, and so on. R refers to the physical movements the child makes in response to the verbal stimulus (or Sv). The movement may involve touching, grasping, or otherwise manipulating some object.

6. Although it is not clear why, children respond to words about four times faster than they respond to other sounds in their environment at a very young age. This position presented by Jensen is very similar to Asher's view of child language acquisition as although psychologists and linguists have either abandoned or rejected them, Asher still sees a stimulus-response view as providing the learning theory underlying language teaching pedagogy. In addition, Asher has elaborated an account of what he feels facilitates or inhibits foreign language learning. For this dimension of his learning theory he draws on three rather influential learning hypotheses: The Bio Program Brain Lateralization Reduction of Stress

7. THE BIO-PROGRAM Has three central processes: Children develop listening competence before they develop the ability to speak. At the early stages of first language acquisition they can understand complex utterances that they cannot spontaneously pro­duce or imitate. Asher speculates that during this period of listening, the learner may be making a mental "blueprint" of the language that will make it possible to produce spoken language later. Children's ability in listening comprehension is acquired because children are re­ quired to respond physically to spoken language in the form of parental commands, Once a foundation in listening comprehension has been established, speech evolves naturally and effortlessly out of it. As we noted earlier, these principles are held by proponents of a number of other method proposals and are referred to collectively as a Comprehension Approach.

8. Design – Technique and Activities Basic Steps in TPR 1. Select the commands you are going to teach. Write each command on a separate card. 2. Gather any equipment, props, or pictures you will need to set the context or illustrate the meaning of the commands. 3. If you are working with a group, select two or three students for the demonstration.

9. 4. Teach the commands. a. Show and read the first command aloud as you model the action. As you do this, use gestures and facial expressions to help the students understand what you want them to do. b. Show and read the same command aloud as you do the action with the students. Do the action with the students several times, and give the command each time you do the action. c. Show the card and/or give the command without modeling it. Gesture for the students to carry out the action. d. Model the action again as you say the command if the students have difficulty carrying out the command. Always be ready to help out if necessary. e. Finally, review all the commands in random order.

10. Examples of Activities Simon Says Charades Songs Here We Go ‘Round the Mulberry Bush Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes Wheels on the Bus A Stroll around the Classroom Mime Role Plays

11. Suggestions Go slowly. If you go too fast, students are likely to become confused and tense and make mistakes. They will learn best if they are relaxed and feel comfortable with the activity. Do not try to teach too many commands at one time. Since you will also be reviewing previously taught vocabulary, introduce no more than 4 to 6 new commands. Tell students that it is ok to watch each other if they are unsure how to respond to a particular (There is no such thing as “cheating” in a TPR activity). Provide whatever support the students need in order to be successful.

12. TPR activities should not be used to test students. They are supposed to ensure that students don’t fail. If students are not successful in carrying out a command, you have either gone too fast, included too much material, or asked them to do something you did not adequately teach and model. When the students feel confident with the word or phrase you can then ask the students to direct each other or the whole class. Students who are not used to such things might find it embarrassing. This can be the case initially but if the teacher is prepared to perform the actions, the students feel happier about copying.

13. References Bowen, T. (2000-2015). Teaching approaches: total physical response. Retrieved September 7, 2015, from One Stop English: http://www.onestopenglish.com/support/methodology/teaching- approaches/teaching-approaches-total-physical-response/146503.article British Council. (2004, January). Total physical response - TPR. Retrieved September 8, 2015, from Teaching English: http://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/article/total-physical-response-tpr BusyTeacher.Org. (2007-2015). TPR Tricks: 5 Fabulous Ways to Use Total Physical Response in the ESL Classroom. Retrieved September 09, 2015, from Busy Teacher: http://busyteacher.org/4246-tpr-tricks-5-fabulous-ways-to-use-total-physical.html