TOTAL PHYSICAL RESPONSE

WHAT IS TOTAL PHYSICAL RESPONSE (TPR)?

It is a language teaching method that combines speaking with action and proposes
teach the language through physical activity.

Developed by:
JAMES ASHER
Professor of Psychology at San Jose State University, California

What are the goals of the teachers?

WHO USES THE TPR?
Reduce stress in people while studying a foreign language and, therefore,
encourage them to continue their studies, reaching the level of competence.
Importance of students enjoying the educational experience at the time of
to communicate.

What is the role of the teacher?

Initially, the teacher is the one who directs all of the student's behavior.
students are imitators of the teacher's non-verbal model.
After about 20 hours of class in which the students are 'ready to speak'.
That's when the roles are reversed, with the students leading the teacher and his
companions.

CHARACTERISTICS OF THE TEACHING-LEARNING PROCESS

First phase:
MODEL: teacher's instructions

Second phase:
Students demonstrate that they can understand the instructions and that they can
do them alone.
The teacher combines instructions so that students can develop a
flexibility in understanding unknown sentences

What are feelings and emotions like?

The TPR was created to reduce stress for the

students.
Students speak when they feel
ready.
Forcing them to speak earlier would create anxiety.
When they start to talk, their expression doesn't
it will be perfect.
Create fun situations to reduce the
stress.

WHAT AREAS ARE EMPHASIZED?

Vocabulary and grammar are the areas they focus on the most. These are interconnected.
the use of the imperative (commands and instructions).
Understanding spoken language must come before its production. Spoken language is
emphasizes writing. Students do not read orders they have learned until
About 10 hours have passed since the class.

HOW IS THE EVALUATION?

Teachers know immediately whether students understand or not what is being discussed.
seeing through simple observation.
An exam can be one in which the teacher gives orders to each student to
this carried out a series of actions.

HOW DOES THE TEACHER RESPOND TO ERRORS?

When the student starts to speak, errors are expected (it is inevitable). The teacher must
be tolerant and only correct the most serious mistakes.
Even those mistakes must be corrected discreetly. When students acquire
At a higher level, the teacher can adjust the smallest errors.

ADVANTAGES OF THE METHOD

It's fun, especially for the little ones.
Helps to remember.
It is a good activity for those students who learn better through the
actions and the observation, and
for those who prefer to be on the move.
It can be used in classes with any number of students.
Both hemispheres of the brain are worked on.
It is easy to prepare.
Focusing on listening allows students to engage in the acquisition of the
language without being in an environment that promotes anxiety.

DISADVANTAGES OF THE METHOD

- It is not designed for the comprehensive method. It represents a set of ideas more
a complete method.
As students progress further, it becomes more difficult to give other commands.
It is more useful for first and second year students.
Very little emphasis on precision.
Students can feel embarrassment.
It can become very repetitive.

Total Physical Response (TPR)

Taking advantage of the learning I am doing with the Total Physical Response method or Response
Total Physics, below I present an analysis of the method that seems very interesting and very
significant for its use in the learning of foreign languages with preschool children.

The Total Physical Response (TPR) method was developed by James Asher, a psychology professor at the
California State University, San Jose, in the 1960s. This method incorporates theories of the
developmental psychology, humanistic pedagogy, as well as language learning. The main idea
Behind the TPR method, it is based on the principle of creating psychomotor associations to
facilitate language learning. The educator presents the language in the form of commands, which
they are made evident and modeled by the teacher and are fulfilled by the students individually
or by groups.
To learn a second language like English, it is important that the educator's class is
compatible with the human brain. It is very important that the class takes place in an environment
constructivist, which treats the learning process as a social process. For learning
successful in the English language, there are certain aspects that must be taken into account, such as the factors
emotional and physical effects on students.

Concept:

The Total Physical Response (TPR) method corresponds to a physical activity, which is ideal for working on.
with boys and girls from a very early age. This method highlights the importance of the skill
auditory in the child and it is from this point that children begin to acquire the necessary vocabulary to
then move on to work on linguistic skills based on commands.

Characteristics of TPR:

Among the characteristics of this method, three important aspects can be found such as:
approach, design and content.

Contents:

The method consists of five contents:

Exercises: with imperatives, they are used to obtain a physical response from the students.

The role of the students: to listen and act. To recognize new combinations of elements.

The role of the educator: it is active and direct. Decides what to teach, presents the model and the materials.
new and select supporting materials.

Materials: there is no textbook. Materials and objects play an important role.

Teaching strategies of the method:

To work with this method, it is important that the teacher of the second language education, in
In this case, English must know the important aspects through which it must be worked.
method to achieve effective and quality learning, preschool children learn better
when they hear vocabulary that they are internalizing in their minds, because they are learning phonemes and
sounds, then moving on to the stage of speaking what has been learned. The following is mentioned
of the techniques that the educator must work with this method:

The educator explains the commands, as well as performs the action himself.
The educator gives the command, and therefore, the educator and the students carry out the action.
The educator gives the command, but only the students perform the action.
4. The educator tells a student the moment when they pass commands.

5. The roles of the educator and the student are reversed. The educator gives orders to the students and the
students give orders to the educator.

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This method proposes to teach the student a second language through the
physical activity. TPR was developed by J. Asher, a psychology professor from
the State University of San José, California.

Professor Asher bases this method on memory theory in

psychology. According to this theory, if the person performs a movement or repetition
verbal, the brain connection becomes stronger.

It establishes that when the child learns their first language, they receive commands or
indications in your family and first respond physically, not linguistically

Asher points out that the same can be done to learn a second language.
language. Through movement and especially using the imperative,
The student is going to manage to appropriate the code of that second language.

Grammar is learned inductively. Greater importance is given

learn the meaning of phrases and their grammatical organization.

The exercises are more based on the stimulus-response model. The students
they do not have much influence over the content of what they learn. They
They just have to follow the teacher's instructions.

1. TOTAL PHYSICAL RESPONSE (TPR) J. Asher

2. This method is related to an approach in language teaching called
of 'comprehension approach'. It is called this way because, unlike other methods
that focus, from the beginning, on the speaking ability, he emphasizes the
listening comprehension.
3. Total Physical Response (TPR) is a
teaching method for languages that combines speech with action and proposes
teaching the language through physical activity
4. The TPR is primarily designed for teachers who teach English as
an additional language and therefore as a method in the teaching of others
languages.
5. The method appears to be based on structuralist assumptions of language.
Asher considers the verb, especially the verb in the imperative, as the element
linguistic around which the use and learning of the language are organized.
6. According to Asher, TPR is based on the premise that the human brain
is biologically programmed to learn any natural language.
including sign language for the deaf. The process is visible when
we observe how babies internalize language.
7. It addresses the way children learn their mother tongue. The
communication between parents and children combines verbal and motor skills. The
the child responds physically to the verbal commands of the father. The teacher tries to
imitate this process in class.
8. One of the premises of this approach is the pleasurable learning of the language.
It is expected that the student truly feels happy while learning. For that,
many fun activities are used and physical movement is a great
resource to help in understanding. Many of the structures are learned
and practiced through commands.
9.ROLES Student Students have little influence over the content of
learning, its basic roles consist of listening attentively and responding
physically to the professor's commands.
10. Professor: He plays an active role as he directs the actions that are carried out.
the learners. It is he who decides the content, presents the models,
select the supporting materials and direct the interactions. Is responsible for
to provide the best possible exposure to the language so that learners can
to assimilate the basic rules and develop oral skills at their own pace
natural, correcting few errors at the beginning.
11.METHOD Auditory comprehension MODEL: The teacher gives the instruction and the
act, modeling behavior. ACCOMPANY: The teacher gives the instruction
both the teacher and the student perform the action. WAIT: The teacher gives the
instruction and briefly wait for the students to take the initiative and the
modelen.COMMAND: The teacher gives the instruction and the students carry it out.
action.
12. Oral REVERSE ROLE: Ask one of the students to take on the role of teacher.
and the instructions to their classmates. Reading The teacher
shows the learned instructions in writing and reads them; the students
They will respond by taking action. READING: The teacher will show the instruction.
in writing, without reading it. The students will respond by reading it and performing
the action.
13. Writing COMBINE: The students write their own instructions in their
notebooks. (Using what they learned previously). They present them to the class, and the
class responds by performing the action.
14. ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES Due to its approach, the TPR method can be
used as an alternative to teach students with dyslexia or some
problem related to learning, those who commonly experience
difficulties in learning other languages with traditional instruction.
15. According to its proponents, it has a number of advantages. Students
They will enjoy spending time outside of their chairs. The TPR activities are simple.
and do not require special preparation from the teacher. TPR does not require
aptitude and works well with classes of students with mixed abilities. He is good
for synesthetic students who need to always be active in class.
The class size shouldn't be a problem and effectively works with
children and adults.
16. However, it is recognized that the TPR is more useful for beginners, although
it can be used at higher levels where the preparation becomes
something more complicated for the instructor. This method does not provide a way to the
student to express their thoughts in a creative way. Furthermore, it is
simple to overuse TPR. "Any novelty, if carried for a long time,
It will require adaptation. It can be a challenge for shy students.
17.. AACTIVITIES Simon says (variant): The teacher indicates
actions (clap, jump, raise your hand, etc.) and performs them while the
children. In a second step, the teacher indicates the actions, but does not perform them, only
the children will do it. In a final variation, the teacher can trick the children
performing an action different from the one indicated. Those who make a mistake can
to be eliminated. All students like to be the last. It is advisable that they do not
always be the same to maintain the motivation of the group.
18. What's the time Mr. Wolf. Traditionally in Spain, this game has been called
One, two, three, little English chick. This game can be used to review the time and it
can be adapted to different levels of education. The one that acts as the wolf and puts on
facing the wall while the rest of the group is about ten meters away from him. All
they simultaneously shout 'What's the time Mr. Wolf' at the wolf who is turned away from the
wall and can answer for example 'four o'clock' while turning around
quickly. The group has been advancing, and it will remain motionless when it turns around
Wolf. Whoever moves is eliminated, or the entire group goes back to the starting point.
game. This will continue until the wolf says "dinner time" and runs away
after the group to catch one, who will be the next wolf.