TOTAL PHYSICAL RESPONSE (TPR)

ENGLISH TEACHING METHODOLOGY

ORIGIN AND BACKGROUND

TOTAL PHYSICAL RESPONSE

ORIGIN

It was developed by James Asher in

the 70s. He drew from a variety of

areas, including psychology, learning

theory and humanistic pedagogy.

BACKGROUND

TPR is a method of teaching

language using physical movement to

react to verbal input in order to reduce

student inhibitions and lower their

affective filter.

BACKGROUND

TPR works by having the learner respond to

simple commands such as “Stand up”, “Close

your book”, “Go to the window and open it”.

It is based on the assumption that the

coordination of speech and action will boost

language learning; aims to teach language

through physical activities.

FEATURESTOTAL PHYSICAL RESPONSE

FEATURES Focus on meaning, which is interpreted by

movement, and aural comprehension.

Seated in a semi-circle

Great deal of listening and acting

Major classroom activity: Imperative drills

Directing a performance in which the students

are actors

FEATURES Teacher always uses the target language

Overcoming the fear of speaking, stress-free

environment

Ultimate aim: To teach basic speaking skills

Concrete materials and realia are used

Syllabus: Sentence-based syllabus with

primary grammatical and lexical criteria

STRONG POINTSTOTAL PHYSICAL RESPONSE

STRONG POINTS

Reducing stress, fear of speaking

Students enjoy moving around the

classroom

No disadvantages for academically

weaker students

STRONG POINTS

Train students to react to language,

not to think too much about it

Not preparing long hours

Effective for both adult and young

learners

Facilitating long term retention

WEAK POINTTOTAL PHYSICAL RESPONSE

STRONG POINTS

Challenging for shy students

Best suitable for beginners

Rude and appropriate language of the

learner