Total Phisycal Respons Methods
The
teaching of English as foreign language for
country like Indonesia takes rather
differently from the teaching of Indonesian as a mother tongue. It is because students to
some extent have had special concept of their native language that is different from
the English. Children
who are studying their mother tongue have not barriers. Their minds are empty of the
formulation of any languages. But for the students who are studying a foreign
language, their mind is full of other language, the concept of which does not appear
to be adequate for this new language. For all their similarities of the
language, the native language and the one have many differences in sound,
writing system, and structure. As
the teacher, the duty is to satisfy the students to produce the best result for
them. He should know what approach and method, which is appropriate to bring
the lesson.one of many method that ussualy use by teacher in their lessons is Total
Physical Respons (TPR). TPR is a teaching-learning strategy developed by Dr.
James Asher, a professor of psychology at San Jose State University, where the
students understand the new language first before they have to speak it, or
write it, or read it - just as a child learns language the first time. 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. Total Physical Response (TPR) is a language teaching
method built around the coordination of speech and action; it attempts to teach
language through physical (motor) activity.TPR has seven characteristics first, The
teacher directs and the students “act” in response,second, Understanding
of the spoken language must be developed in advance of speaking,third, Understanding
and retention is best achieved through movement of the students’ bodies in
response to commands,fourth, Listening and physical response skills are emphasized
over oral production,fifth, Students should never be forced o speak before they are
ready As the target language is internalized, speaking will be emerged
naturally,sixth, Grammar and vocabulary are emphasized over other long
areas. Spoken language is emphasized over written language,seventh, Whenever
possible, humor is injected into the lessons to make the learners more
comfortable in learning languages. TPR is linked to
the “trace theory” of memory in psychology which holds that the more often or
the more intensively a memory connection is traced, the stronger the memory
association will be and the more likely it will be recalled. Retracing can be
done verbally (e.g., by rote repetition) and/ or in association with motor
activity. Combined tracing activities, such as verbal rehearsal
accompanied by motor activity, hence increase the probability of successful
recall. Asher’s emphasis on developing comprehension skills
before the learner is taught to speak links him to movement in foreign language
teaching.ashers believe that : Comprehension abilities precede productive
skills in learning a language, The teaching of speaking should be delayed until
comprehension skills are established, Skills acquired through listening
transfer to other skills, Teaching should emphasize meaning rather than form,
Teaching should minimize learner stress.Total physical response has several
benefits first, Successful with children and adults learning any
language.second, Three strong features: High-speed understanding of any target
language,Long-term retention,Zero stress!.Third, Another unusual feature:
enjoyable for teachers as well as students! but also thos method has several
weakneses such as ; The language input is basically restricted to the
imperative since it is fairly difficult to give instructions without using
imperatives. Due to its principal use of the imperative, it is of
limited utility to the learner.Students are not generally given the opportunity
to express their thoughts in a creative way. It is quite
difficult to see how this approach could extend beyond beginner level.The
relevance of TPR activities to real world learner needs is questionable. Unlike
the L1 environment where the child is surrounded by native speakers, here the
language learning environment is only the classroom.The assumption that the L2
learner will be able to learn the language like the L1 learner is false. This
is because for the L1 learner, there is more to the language learning than just
responding to commands, It is not a convenient method for someone who needs to
learn a language within a short period of time. It is a childish method to use
for advanced learners.
teacher roles The teacher plays an active and direct role
in TPR. “The instructor is the director of a stage play in which the students
are the actors” (Asher 1977: 43). It is the teacher who decides what to teach,
who models and presents the new materials, and who selects supporting materials
for classroom use. The teacher is encouraged to be well prepared and well
organized so that the lesson flows smoothly and predictably. Asher recommends
detailed lesson plans: “It is wise to write out the exact utterances you will
be using and especially the novel commands because the action is so fast-
moving. There is usually not time for you to create spontaneously” (1977:47).
Classroom interaction and turn taking is teacher rather than learner directed.
Even when learners interact with other learners it is usually the teacher who
initiates the interaction. The general objectives of TPR are to teach oral
proficiency at a beginning level. Comprehension is a means to an end, and the
ultimate aim is to teach basic speaking skills. A TPR course aims to produce
learners who are capable of an
uninhibited communication that is intelligible to a native speaker.
Specific instructional objectives are not elaborated, for these will depend on
the particular needs of the learners. Whatever goals are set, however, must be
attainable through the use of action- based drills in the imperative form. The
types of syllabus Asher uses can be interfered from an analysis of the exercise
types employed in TPR classes. This analysis revealsthe use of sentencebased
syllabus, with grammatical and lexical criteria being primary in selecting
teaching items. Unlike methods that operate from a grammar- based or structural
view of the core elements of language, TPR requires initial attention to
meaning rather than to the form of items. Grammar is thus taught inductively.
Grammatical features and vocabulary items are selected not according to their
frequency of need or use in 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. Imperative drills are the major classroom activity in
TPR. They are typically used to elicit physical actions and activity on the
part of the learner. There is generally no basic text in TPR course. Materials
and realia play an increasing role, however, in later learning stages. For
absolute beginners, lessons may not require the use of materials, since the
teacher’s voice, actions, and gestures may be 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.and this methods has similiarities in the typical
features with direct methods such as;
target language/some mother tongue,teacher centered,low sress environment, vocabulary
is practiced by using new wordsin context,student are not taught grammar expicitely.
The majority of class time in TPR lessons is spent doing
drills in which the instructor gives commands using the imperative mood.
Students respond to these commands with physical actions. Initially, students
learn the meaning of the commands they hear by direct observation. After they learn
the meaning of the words in these commands, the teacher issues commands that
use novel combinations of the words the students have learned.
Instructors limit the number of new vocabulary items
given to students at any one time. This is to help students differentiate the
new words from those previously learned, and to facilitate integration with
their existing language knowledge.instructors suggests that students can learn
between 12 and 36 words for every hour of instruction, depending on their language
level and class size.
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. Conversational dialogues are delayed
until after about 120 hours of instruction. Asher's rationale for this is that
"everyday conversations are highly abstract and disconnected; therefore
to understand them requires a rather advanced internalization of the target
language". Other class activities include role plays and slide
presentations. Role plays center on everyday situations, such as at the
restaurant, supermarket, or gas station. The slide presentations are used to
provide a visual center for teacher narration, which is followed by commands,
and for questions to students, such as "Which person in the picture is the
salesperson?". Reading and writing activities may also be employed to
further consolidate structures and vocabulary, and as follow-ups to oral
imperative drills.There is little error correction in TPR. Asher advises
teachers to treat learners' mistakes the same way a parent would treat their
children's. Errors made by beginning-level students are usually overlooked, but
as students become more advanced teachers may correct more of their errors. This
is similar to parents raising their children; as children get older parents
tend to correct their grammatical mistakes more often.
Total physical response lessons typically use a wide
variety of realia, posters, and props. Teaching materials are not compulsory,
and for the very first lessons they may not be used. As students progress in
ability the teacher may begin to use objects found in the classroom such as
furniture or books, and later may use word charts, pictures, and realia.