Total Physical Response (TPR)

TOTAL PHYSICAL RESPONSE

Background Total Physical Response (TPR) is a method developed by Dr. James J. Asher, a professor emeritus of psychology at San Jos State University, to aid learning second languages. The method relies on the assumption that when learning a second or additional language, language is internalized through a process of codebreaking similar to first language development and that the process allows for a long period of listening and developing comprehension prior to production. Students respond to commands that require physical movement. TPR is primarily intended for ESL/EAL teachers, although the method is used in teaching other languages as well. The method became popular in the 1970s and attracted the attention or allegiance of some teachers, but it has not received generalized support from mainstream educators. According to Asher, TPR is based on the premise that the human brain has a biological program for acquiring any natural language on earth - including the sign language of the deaf. The process is visible when we observe how infants internalize their first language. It looks to the way that children learn their native language.Communication between parents and their children combines both verbal and physical aspects. The child responds physically to the speech of their parent. The responses of the child are in turn positively reinforced by the speech of the parent. For many months the child absorbs the language without being able to speak. It is during this period that the internalization and code breaking occurs. After this stage the child is able to reproduce the language spontaneously. With TPR the language teacher tries to mimic this process in class. The method also promises double efficiency in terms of rate of learning, according to several studies in the literature and referenced in the above book.

Characteristics of TPR

a) The teacher directs and the students act in response. The instructor is the director of a stage play in which the students are the actors. b) Listening and physical response skills are emphasized over oral production. c) The imperative mood is the most common language function employed, even well into advanced levels. Interrogatives are also heavily used. d) Students are not required to speak until they feel naturally ready or confident enough to do so. e) Grammar and vocabulary are emphasized over other long areas. Spoken language is emphasized over written language. f) Whenever possible, humor is injected into the lessons to make the learners more enjoyable in learning languages. Form of Total Physical Response TPR can be used to practice and teach various things. It is well suited to teaching classroom language and other vocabulary connected with actions. It can be used to teach imperatives and various tenses aspects. It is also useful for storytelling According to Richard and Rodgers (2001: 76) there are some activities which are done by the teacher and students in teaching learning process, as follows: a) Imperative drills are the major classroom activity in Total Physical Response. They are typically used to elicit physical actions and activity on the part of the learners. In this sense, students play main roles as a listener and a performer. They listen attentively and respond physically to commands by the teacher. Students need to respond both individually and collectively. b) Conversational dialogues. It is possible to make a conversation dialogues but they are delayed until after about 120 hours of instruction. They are encouraged to speak when they feel ready to speak. c) Playing a role (role play) and slide presentations. Role plays center on everyday situations, such as at the restaurant, supermarket, kitchen, hotel, or gas station. In

role plays, the teacher (instructor) will be a director of a stage play and the students are the actors/actress. The teacher decides what will be learned, who will be role and show the material of learning. Slide presentation uses OHP or LCD can be used by the students to construct the situation or to convey abstract meaning. d) Reading and writing activity to add students vocabulary and to train students arranging the sentence based on tenses, etc. each time the teacher writes a command, she acts it out. The students copy the sentences from the blackboard/whiteboard into the notebooks According to the form of TPR above, it can be concluded that there are four forms of TPR (Imperative drill, Conversational dialogue, Role play and Slide presentation, Reading and writing). Teacher can apply these activities to students. Teacher also can use slide presentation to support him in teaching learning and process. Principles of Total Physical Response Before applying the TPR method for teaching a foreign language, in this case, it is English, a teacher should understand its principles well so he will be able to use it properly in the teaching learning process. Asher as the developer of TPR elaborates the principles of this method, they are: a) Second language learning is parallel to first language learning and should reflect the same naturalistic process. b) Listening should develop before speaking. c) Children respond physically to spoken language, and adult learners learn better if they do that too. d) Once listening comprehension has been developed, speech develops naturally and effortlessly out of it. e) Delaying speech reduces stress. The Teacher and Learners Role in TPR

In the teaching learning process using TPR method, the learners and the teacher play different roles, as follows: a) Learners Role Learners in TPR have the primary roles of listeners and performers. They listen attentively and respond physically to commands given by the teacher. Learners are also expected to recognize and respond to novel combinations of previously taught items. They are requires to produce novel combinations of their own. Learners monitor and evaluate their own progress. They are encouraged to speak when they feel ready to speak-that is, when a sufficient basis in the language has been internalized (Richard and Rodgers 2001: 76). b) Teacher Role In the teaching learning process using TPR method, teacher plays an active and direct role. It means that teacher is the one who decides what to teach, who models and presents the new material, and who selects supporting materials for classroom use. Teacher is encouraged to be well prepared and well organized so that the lesson flows smoothly and predictable. c) Material Role Materials and realia play an increasing role, in later learning stages. For absolute beginners, lessons may not require the use of materials, since the teachers voice, actions and gestures may be a sufficient basis for classroom activities. Later, the teacher may use common classroom objects, such as books, pens, cups, furniture. As the course develops, the teacher will need to make or collect supporting materials to support teaching points. These may include pictures, realia, slides, and word charts.

Classroom Usage In the classroom the teacher and students take on roles similar to that of the parent and child respectively. Students must respond physically to the words of the teacher. The activity may be a simple game such as Simon Says or may involve more complex grammar and more detailed scenarios. TPR can be used to practice and teach various things. It is well suited to teaching classroom language and other vocabulary connected with actions. It can be used to teach imperatives and various tenses and aspects. It is also useful for story-telling. 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. According to its proponents, it has a number of advantages: Students will enjoy getting up 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 his new language. Of course, as a TPR class progresses, group activities and descriptions can be used which continue the basic concepts of TPR into full communication situations.

Application of TPR in the Classroom School Grade Level English Skill Level Time Allocation Skill/Aspect Material Media/instruments Guidance Book: Smart Steps Pieces of small blank paper Papers of exercise Steps of Activities Pre-Activities: Greeting the students and asking them to greet their friends beside them Checking the attendance list Reviewing the previous material about Past Tense Brainstorming the students: Tell the students about Class-Yes rule. The teacher says Class and the students respond it by saying Yes Indroducing the topic that is discussed i.e. Simple Present Tense : : SMP Muhammadiyah 6 Palembang : Seventh of Junior High School : Elementary : 2x40 minutes : Grammar : Simple Present Tense :

Seating arrangement : Orderly rows

Whilst Activities Giving a command to the students: Open your book and find the page discussing Simple Present Tense. Students open their books and find the page Asking the students to write the formula on a piece of paper Students write it on a piece of paper

Asking a half of students to show the formula and read it to their friends beside them. Asking the rest to repeat it aloud Performing gestures of Simple Present Tense formula by using fingers. Subject is formed by using left thumb and index finger forming crescent-like (C) and the right ones are in the opposite (), they form S when united. Verb is formed by using middle and index finger forming V. Obeject is formed by using thumb and index finger forming circle (O). Plus is formed by using both right and left index fingers forming cross (+).

Asking the student to imitate the gestures together. Performing Teach-OK rule. When the teacher says Teach, the students respond it by saying Ok. Then, they teach the gestures each other, among the friends beside them.

Presenting emoticons on the white board. When the students imitate the gestures correctly and fluently, the smiley emoticon is given to them and they say Oh, yeah!. But when they cannot imitate it correctly and fluently, the sad emoticon is given to them and they say Oh, no!.

Giving exercises in the form of completion to the students. They should complete it with the correct form of verb. Asking them to sum the exercise papers.

Post Activities: Questioning the students about their obstacles in learning Simple Present Tense by the method Asking the students to conclude the material Assigning the students to make some sentences with the formula of Simple Present Tense and think of the gestures to be performed. Telling the students about the next material

Assessment: a. Technique : Written Test b. Form : Completion c. Instruments : Complete the blank spaces with the correct verbs! 1. Susan ... pempek every day. 2. He breakfast at 6.30 a.m. 3. We English three times a week 4. Because sport is really necessary, he doing exercises in the morning. 5. Mother ... some rice every morning 6. I always ... some books in the library. 7. My parents always ... some pocket money before going to school. 8. I always ... my bedroom in the morning Answer Key: 1. eats 2. has 3. study/learn 4. likes Assessment Guidance 1. For drill I, each correct answer is scored by 2. 3. The maximal score for the completion test is 8 x 2 = 16 4. The maximal score is 10 5. Student Score = (Obtained Score : Maximal Score) x 10 Assessment Column No. I Description Correct answer, correct grammar Correct answer, incorrect grammar Incorrect answer/unanswered Skor 2 1 0 5. cooks 6. read 7. give 8. clean

Strengths (after application) It is fun and easy. Simple TPR activities do not require a great deal of preparation on the part of the teacher. However, some other more complex applications might. It is inclusive working well with a mixed ability class. It is good for kinaesthetic learners who need to be active in class. It is a good tool for building vocabulary. It is memorable. Actions help strengthen the connection in the brain. Class size need does not become a problem. It is successful with children and adults learning any language. Second, it has the following three strong features, they are: o High-speed understanding of any target language. o Long-term retention. o No stress It is enjoyable for teachers as well as students

Weaknesses (after application) Whilst it can be used at higher levels, TPR is most useful for beginners. It is also at the higher levels where preparation becomes an issue for the teacher. Students are not generally given the opportunity to express their own thoughts in a creative way. It is easy to overuse TPR. The teacher may find that it is limited in terms of language scope. Certain target languages may not be suited to this method. It can discourage shy students.

A FINAL ASSIGNMENT OF TEFL 2 Total Physical Response (TPR)

A Paper by: ARISANDY Student Registration Number: 2008.111.146 Class: 6G Lecturer: Fadlun, M.Pd. English Education Study Program Language and Art Education Department

FACULTY OF TEACHER TRAINING AND EDUCATION PALEMBANG PGRI UNIVERSITY 2011

PREFACE

Praise and gratitude of the writer turning to God, The Almighty for His blessing and His mercy so that this TEFL 2 final assignment can be completed on time by the writer. The writer realizes there are still many shortcomings and mistakes contained in this paper in terms of grammar, the formulation, the structure and performance. But the writer has been doing his best to achieve the comprehensive understanding of the short story. The writer does not forget to thank the parents who have been so helpful in terms of funding. The writer realizes without the assistance this paper will not be resolved. And also the writer would like to thank Ibu Fadlun, M.Pd. as our honourable lecturer who has given us a lot of inputs in terms of TEFL 2 material. Finally the writer would like to thank my friends who have provided inputs and suggestions for this paper. The writer hopes this paper could provide a practical and useful information for anyone who reads it.

Palembang, June 20, 2011

The writer

Motto: Give a man fish, you feed him for a day Teach a man how to fish, you feed him for a lifetime

REFERENCE

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Total_Physical Response.com in May 2011 www.tprsource.com/asher.htm in May 2011 www.statemaster.com/encyclopedia/Total-Physical-Responsein May 2011