Total Physical Response

Total Physical Response is a language teaching method which is based on the assumption that the coordination of speech and action will boost language learning. It was developed by James Asher in the 70s. e drew from a variety of areas! including psychology! learning theory and humanistic pedagogy. According to the trace theory of memory in psychology! the more often and intensively a memory is traced! the stronger the memory association will be and the more li"ely it will be recalled. The retracing can be verbal through repetition and#or in association with motor activity. This clearly reminds us of of the behavioristic psychology which holds a $timulus%Response model of learning. The stimulus in the TPR method is verbal and the response is physical. In this respect TPR has many similarities to the &irect 'ethod. (rom developmental Psychology Asher draws the parallel! he contends e)ists! between first language ac*uisition and +nd language learning. ,hildren get language through a series of commands from their parents to which they react physically. It-s only later that they can produce verbal responses . cf Jean Piaget wor"s/. Asher contends that humans are endowed with a sort of bio program which follows this process of language learning and that! when teaching a +nd language! we must follow the same process so that learning can be successful. Asher in this respect adheres to a naturalistic method of language learning .cf 0rashen-s 1atural Approach/. 2anguage learning must focus on comprehension and the teaching of spea"ing must be delayed until comprehension s"ills are established. Asher also thin"s that the s"ills ac*uired through listening transfer to other s"ills and that meaning precedes form. Asher-s method relies on three assumptions about language. (irst Asher thin"s that a lot of the grammatical structures of language and many vocabulary items can be learned from the s"illful use of the imperative form. In his view! verbs in the imperative are primordial forms upon which language learning can be organi3ed. ,ommand drills can be a vehicle to the internali3ation of a lot of language structures and vocabulary. Another TPR assumption about language is the one that distinguishes between abstractions and non%abstractions. According to Asher! abstractions are not necessary to teach language to beginners. 4n the other hand! non%abstractions can help build a detailed cognitive map and grammatical structure of language. The third assumption about language states that language can be internali3ed not only as single items but also as wholes or chun"s. This is an idea that will be later developed by 'ichael 2ewis .5667/ in his 2e)ical Approach. Relying on humanistic pedagogy! TPR also stresses the importance of a stress free environment. In fact! second language learning often causes a lot of stress and an)iety. owever! if teachers focus on meaning transferred into physical activity rather than on abstract language forms students are freed from stress and an)iety.
Features of TPR

In a nutshell! here are the most salient features of the TPR8

The coordination of speech and action facilitates language learning. Grammar is taught inductively. Meaning is more important than form. Speaking is delayed until comprehension skills are established. Effective language learning takes place in low stress environment. The role of the teacher is central. S/he chooses the appropriate commands to introduce vocabulary and structure. The learner is a listener and a performer responding to commands individually or collectively. Learning is ma imi!ed in a stress free environment.

TPR Activities

Activities in the TPR method rely on action based drills in the imperative form. In fact the imperative drills are introduced to elicit physical#motor activity on the part of the learners. The use of dialogs is delayed. Typical classroom activities include8

"ommand drills #ole plays on everyday situations $at the restaurant% at the movies &' Slide presentations to provide a visual center for teacher(s narration% which is followed by commands or )uestions #eading and writing can also be introduced to further consolidate grammar and vocabulary and as follow ups

Criticism *sher doesn(t really give a detailed account of his distinction between abstractions and non+abstraction. ,or e ample% as #ichards and #odgers $-./01 //' state% are tense% aspect and so forth abstractions% and if so% what sort of detailed cognitive map could be constructed without them2 T3# deals with only the beginning stages of language learning

T3# syllabus and the utterance and the sentences within it are )uestionable as far as their communicative relevance is concerned

Advantages 4hen used in association with other methods and techni)ues% T3# can yield tremendous results. ,or many teachers T3# represents a useful set of techni)ues and is compatible with other approaches to language teaching.

The focus on comprehension is another appealing feature of T3#.

The method is compatible with new approaches to language learning as it stresses the importance to meaning rather than form. Learning highly benefits from T3#(s emphasis on stress reduction.

Suggestopedia
The origin of Suggestopedia

$uggestopedia is a language teaching method developed by the 9ulgarian psychologist! :eorgi 2o3anov .see picture on the right./ 2i"e ,ommunity 2anguage 2earning and the $ilent ;ay 'ethod! $uggestopedia is an innovative method that promises great effective language learning results. 2o3anov claimed that by using this method one can teach languages appro)imately three to five times as *uic"ly as conventional methods. The name of $uggestopedia is from the words <suggestion= and <pedagogy.= It is a set of learning recommendations derived from $uggestology! which 2o3anov describes as <a science > concerned with systematic study of the nonrational and#or non%conscience influences= that human beings are constantly responding to. The method also draws from insights from yoga and the $oviet psychology. (rom yoga it draws the importance of rela)ation of mind for ma)imum retention of material. (rom $oviet psychology 2o3anov too" the idea that <all sudents can be taught a given sub?ect matter at the same level of s"ill.= Jac" ,. Richards and Theodore $. Rodgers .56@A/ The main features of suggestopedia are8

The use of music to rela learners. The furniture% decoration and the arrangement of the classroom. Teacher(s authority. The teacher plays a central role and he/she is the source of all information.

In the classroom

The arrangements and the physical atmosphere in the classroom are paramount for ma"ing sure that the students feel comfortable and confident. The use of various techni*ues including art and music! are used by the trained teachers. In the beginning! the lesson based on $uggestopedia used to consist of three phases 8 deciphering! concert session .memori3ation sBance/! and elaboration. 2ater! it has developed into four phases as lots of e)periments were done8 introduction! concert session! elaboration! and production.cf 2o3anov-s siteweb/.
-. Introduction: The teacher teaches the material in 5a playful manner6 instead of analy!ing Le is and grammar of the te t in a directive manner.

7. Concert session (active and passive): in the active session% the teacher reads with special intonation as selected music is played. 8ccasionally% the students read the te t together with the teacher% and listen only to the music as the teacher pauses in particular moments. The passive session is done more calmly. 9. Elaboration: The students sing classical songs and play games while 5the teacher acts more like a consultant :. Production: The students spontaneously speak and interact in the target language without interruption or correction. Criticism:

$uggestopedia has been criticised for a number of reasons8

;t is not a practical method as teachers face the problem of the availability of music and comfortable chairs. Lo!anov refers in a number of occasions to the importance of memori!ation% e cluding any reference to comprehension and creative problem solving. ;n fact language is not only about the power of the mind to memori!e. ;t(s about understanding% interacting and producing novel utterances in different unpredictable situations.

Advantages

In spite of all these disadvantages! some tenets of $uggestopedia have been accepted and adapted by teachers worldwide.

Through Suggetopedia we learn to trust the power of the mind. 4e also learn that deliberately induced states of rela ation can be valuable at times in the classroom. 4e can also benefit from the use of music to get students sit back and rela .

These are some of the contributions of $uggestopedia that teachers may weigh and adapt to different situations.