Total Physical Response

Total Physical Response

The Comprehension Approach: A general approach that has to be takes into account in foreign language instruction. It is important because it gives listening comprehension. In 1960s and 1970s research gave rise to the hypothesis that language learning should start first with understanding and later proceeds to production. Of course, the student’s speech will not beperfect, but gradually speech will become more target-like.

Methods:

There are several methods being practiced today that have in common an attempt to apply these observations to foreign language instruction. One such method is Krashen and Terrell’s Natural Approach.

• The Natural Approach: It shares certain features with the Direct Method. The students listen to the teacher using thetarget language communicatively from the beginning of instruction. They do not speak at first. The teacher helps her students to understand her by using pictures and occasional words in the student’s native language and by being as expressive as possible.

If the teacher uses language that is just in advance of student’s current level of proficiency, while making sure that her input iscomprehensible, acquisition will proceed “naturally”. When the atmosphere of the classroom is good, a low affective filter is created. The low affective filter is kept low as well by the fact that students are not obligated to speak; they speak when they are ready to do.

• Winitz and Reed’s self-instructional program and Winitz’ The Learnables: In this method the students listen totape-recorded words, phrases and sentences while they look at accompanying pictures. The meaning of the message is clear from the context the picture provides. Stories illustrated by pictures are also used as a device to convey abstract meaning.

• Lexical Approach: It was developed by Michael Lewis. It is concerned with student production and more concerned that students receive abundant comprehensibleinput. Students are encouraged to notice multi/word lexical items such as “I see what you mean” and “Take your time. There’s no hurry”. In this way, the phrasal lexicon of students can be developed.

• James Asher’s Total Physical Response: This method attempts to center attention to encouraging learners to listen and respond to the spoken target language commands of their teachers. In otherwords, TPR is a language teaching method built around the coordination of speech and action; it attempts to teach language through physical (motor) activity.

It shows how the principles of the Comprehension Approach are put into practice. Asher reasoned that the fastest, least stressful way to achieve understanding of any target language is to follow directions uttered by the instructor (withoutnative language translation.)

It allows students to react to language without thinking too much, facilitates long term retention, and reduces student anxiety and stress.


Learning about TPR through the usual way of observing a class in which it is being used.

1. The teacher enters the room and introduces the method they will use to study English. She explains using the nativelanguage. “You will not speak at first. Rather, you will just listen to me and do as I do. I will give you a command to do something in English and you will do the actions along with me. I will need four volunteers to help me with the lessons.” She tells the other students to listen and to watch.
2. In English the teacher says “Stand up.” As she says it, she stands up and she signals for the fourvolunteers to rise with her. “Sit down” and all of they sit down. The teacher and the students do the commands together several times according to the teacher’s commands.
3. The teacher gives the commands and they all perform the actions together.
4. The teacher gives these commands again, changing their order and saying them quite quickly.
5. Once again the teacher gives the commands; this...