An overview of the language teaching method called Total Physical Response (TPR)

1. Reported by:
Kevin Castro & Kathleen Ching

2. WHAT IS TOTAL PHYSICAL RESPONSE?
 TPR is a language teaching method in which
learners listen to instructions in the target
language, and carry out a sequence of physical
actions.
 This is based on the belief that second
language is learned most effectively in the early
stages if the pressure for production is taken
off the learners.

3. PRINCIPLES IN WHICH TPR WAS BASED
 James Asher, the proponent of
this method, derived three
principles from his beliefs about
the nature of first language
acquisition.
1. Stress comprehension rather
than production
2. Obey the “here and now” principle
3. Comprehension by listening to
and carrying out instructions
couched in the imperative

4. CRITICAL ELEMENTS IN LANGUAGE ACQUISITION
1. Listening skill is far in advance of speaking.
2. Children acquire listening skill in a particular
way
3. Listening skill may produce a “readiness” for
the child to speak.

5. CLAIMS IN WHICH TPR WAS BASED
 Asher claimed that the fastest and least
stressful way to achieve understanding of any
target language is to follow directions uttered
by the instructor (without native language
translation).

6. KEY COMPONENTS OF TPR
 Movement as memory enhancer
 Use of imperatives as the method of instruction

7. MAIN PRINCIPLES OF TPR
 Meaning in the target language can often be
conveyed through actions. Memory is activated
through learner response. The target language
should be presented in chunks, not just word
by word.
 The students’ understanding of the target
language should be developed before
speaking.

8. MAIN PRINCIPLES OF TPR
 Students can initially learn one part of the
language rapidly by moving their bodies.
 Imperatives are powerful linguistic device
through which the teacher can direct student
behavior.
 Students can learn through observing actions
as well as by performing the actions
themselves.

9. MAIN PRINCIPLES OF TPR
 It is very important that students feel
successful.
 Students should not be made to memorize
fixed routines.
 Corrections should be carried out in an
unobtrusive manner.
 Students must develop flexibility in
understanding novel combinations of target
language chunks.

10. MAIN PRINCIPLES OF TPR
 Language learning is more effective when it is
fun.
 Spoken language should be emphasized over
written language.
 Students will begin to speak when they are
ready.

11. MAIN PRINCIPLES OF TPR
 Students are expected to make errors when
they first begin speaking. Teachers should be
tolerant of them. Work on the fine details of the
language should be postponed until students
have become somewhat proficient.

12. FEATURES OF TPR
YES NO
Comprehensible input
Language as meaning
Language as structures and vocabulary
Language learning: association of Conscious reflection and analysis of
stimulus-response through physical action linguistic structures
Unconscious acquisition Conscious learning
Silent period
Immediate production
Input before output
Deductive learning and explanation of
Inductive learning
structures
Teacher as leader in the classroom Learners are active participants in learning
process
Activities designed to reduce affective filter Stressful situations leading to anxiety
Use of imperatives

13. THEORIES INCORPORATED IN THE METHOD
 Childhood language acquisition theories
 Natural order hypothesis
 The right brain – left brain divide (“brain
switching”)
 Lowering stress and affective filter

14. PHASES OF TPR INSTRUCTION
Modeling by the instructor
 T. says command and performs action
 T. says command; students and T. perform action
Demonstration by the learner
 T. says command, students perform action
 T. says commands in a random order and random combination,
students perform action

15. LEARNERS’ ROLES
 Listeners and performers
 Imitators of the teacher’s nonverbal model
 Monitor and evaluate their own progress

16. TEACHER’S ROLES
 Director of all students’ behaviors
 Decides what to teach
 Serves as model of the target language
 Presents the new material
 Selects supporting materials for classroom use

17. SOME STRATEGIES IN USING TPR
 Role Reversal
 Students command their teacher and classmates to
perform some actions.
 Asher says that students will want to speak after
ten to twenty hours of instruction, although some
students may take longer.
 Students should not be encouraged to speak until
they are ready.

18. SOME STRATEGIES IN USING TPR
 Action Sequence (or Operation)
 The teacher gives three connected commands.
Example: The teacher tells the students to point to
the door, walk to the door, and touch the door.
 As the students learn more and more of the target
language, a longer series of connected commands
can be given, which together comprise a whole
procedure.

19. SOME STRATEGIES IN USING TPR
 Action Songs
 Storytelling
 Use of novel utterances

20. FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
How do you cope with abstraction without using translation?
A: Abstractions are simply vocabulary items that can
be incorporated in several different ways. It is
recommended to delay first the teaching of
abstraction until a large amount of structure in the
TL has been assimilated with concrete vocabulary
items.

21. FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Is any homework assigned?
A: Usually not, but this does not mean that it is
inadvisable. Through trial-and-error, each instructor
discovers what mix of activities produces the best
results.

22. FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Are there any teacher preconceptions which could block the
successful application of this strategy?
A: There are three: (1) illusion of simplicity, (2)
tendency to be over-ambitious for students, and
(3) narrow tolerance for errors in speaking

23. FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
What about the transfer of learning from listening
understanding to reading for people who cannot read in
their native language?
A: The transfer will probably be zero. Apparently it is
necessary to have prior skill in the orthography of
one’s native language before there is transport
from listening skill in the second language to
reading and writing.

24. FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
How can imperative improve pronunciation?
A: The students, during a long time period of silent
acting when the teacher utters a command, are
internalizing a model of the target language which
helps the students monitor and self-correct the
individual’s own speech.

25. FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Can production be taught?
A: Production can be shaped, but not directly taught.
There are three reasons for the radical conclusion
that production cannot be taught:
1. In first language acquisition, speech always
lags behind listening comprehension
2. Puberty is a critical factor which determines
whether one will achieve near-native
pronunciation in L2
3. Individual differences

26. FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Do you correct mistakes that students make in production?
A: Yes, but since we operate on a developmental
theory to explain production, our feedback is
modeled after the feedback which parents give to
children learning their first language.

27. FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
How does this method compare and contrast with the Silent
Way?
A: Both methods use commands to manipulate the
students’ behavior. One difference is the point in
training when students produce spoken language.
In the Silent Way, an attempt is made to fine tune
pronunciation immediately. In TPR, there is a delay
in production until students indicate readiness to
speak.

28. ASSESSING TPR: ADVANTAGES
 It is a lot of fun. Learners enjoy it, and this
method can be a real stirrer in the class. It lifts
the mood of the class.
 It is very memorable. It does assist students to
recognize phrases or words.
 It is good for kinesthetic learners who are
required to be active in the class. It also taps
the visual and auditory skills of the learners.

29. ASSESSING TPR: ADVANTAGES
 It can be used both in large or small classes. In
this case, the class size does not matter that
much. As long as you are prepared to take the
lead, the learners will follow.
 It works well with mixed-ability classes. The
physical actions get across the meaning
effectively so that all the learners are able to
comprehend and apply the target language.

30. ASSESSING TPR: ADVANTAGES
 There is no need to exert a lot of time for the
preparation of materials using the TPR.
 It involves the use of both left and right brain in
learning.

31. ASSESSING TPR: LIMITATIONS
 Students who are not used to such things might
find it embarrassing.
 It is only suitable for beginner levels. This method
holds stronger in teaching non-abstract vocabulary
items and is unsuccessful in teaching abstracts
which are acquired at advanced levels.
 It gives priority to receptive skills, mainly listening,
at the expense of productive skills.
 Very less effort is expected from the learner.

32. ASSESSING TPR: LIMITATIONS
 It assumes that stress hinders the process of
language acquisition denying the fact that positive
stress, as explained in some literature, is
considered sometimes crucial in learning
processes.
 Grammatical features and vocabulary items are
selected not according to their frequency of need
or use in the target language situations, but
according to the situations in which they can be
used in the classroom and the ease with which
they can be learned.

33. ASSESSING TPR: LIMITATIONS
 The method is time consuming. Learning a
single vocabulary item, for example, would
require the demand or imperative of the
teacher, the students' demonstration, and
teacher's feedback. It usually involves the
whole class participating in learning one single
item. Yet, the results would be expected to be
more fruitful and lasting than it is with other
methods.

34. REFERENCES
Asher, J. (1979). Learning Another Language through Actions. Los Galos, CA:
Sky Oaks Productions.
Neupane, G. (2008). Act, Don’t Explain: Total Physical Response at Work.
Journal of NELTA, 13 (1-2), 80-86.
Nunan, D. (2009). Second Language Teaching and Learning. Pasig City:
Cengage Learning.
Adelman, B., Price, E., and Silver, M. (2003). Total Physical Response: A
Curriculum for Adults. St. Louis, MO: English Language and Literacy Center.
Widodo, H. (2005). Teaching Children Using a Total Physical Response (TPR)
Method: Rethinking. Bahasa Dan Seni, 33 (2), 236-248