Using Total Physical Response in ESL
Using total physical response in the ESL classroom can be a great way to supplement your students’ learning, even while teaching online! Photo by Yan Krukau.
The use of total physical response in ESL (English-as-a-second-language) is a bit of a controversial topic.
Proponents of the approach argue that it is the most akin to the natural language acquisition process for babies when learning their first language. Opponents argue that it only encompasses a small part of language learning and isn’t very effective for language learners past a certain age.
In this article, we’ll explore the definition of total physical response, its origins, its pros and cons, and a strategy for using it in your classroom, complete with examples and activities.
Article Content:
1.) TPR Meaning
2.) Total Physical Response Strategy
3.) Total Physical Response Activities
A.) for Young Learners in the Physical Classroom
B.) for Young Learners in the Digital Classroom
C.) for Older Learners in the physical Classroom
D.) for Older Learners in the digital classroom
TPR Meaning
We’ve already established that TPR stands for total physical response.
James Asher, a psychologist and the person who developed TPR, defines it like this:
“The parent utters a direction and the child is silent but responds with a physical action. The child acknowledges understanding by smiling, standing, walking, running, and other basic physical actions, each of which I call, a Total Physical Response…”
Essentially, it is the physical response to language input from somebody who is learning a language.
Based on his observations of children learning their first language, Asher argues that humans are wired to learn a language by listening to language input and responding physically to those inputs. He also argues that language learning should be stress-free.
The learners do not produce the language themselves (think babies) for a considerable amount of time, but there is certainly language acquisition happening.
TPR is considered an example of the comprehension approach to language learning. The comprehension approach initially focuses on understanding a language, rather than speaking it.
TPR goes against more traditional methods to language teaching that utilize repetition, translation, and memorization. These approaches could be seen as more stressful to children as they are expected to produce certain satisfactory responses. One of Asher’s key arguments is that language acquisition for children should be stress-free.
Total Physical Response Strategy
This all sounds well and good, but let’s be practical here.
How do we use total physical response in ESL teaching? How can we use it in the ESL classroom, and furthermore in the online ESL classroom?
Well, it’s as simple as this: your total physical response strategy could be to try and elicit a physical response to the target language you are teaching whenever you can.
To help elicit that physical response, you may also need to demonstrate it yourself while using the target language.
Let’s say you’re teaching something like “sit down” and “stand up”. How do we use TPR to teach this? Well, rather than just have students repeat it, sound it out, or show them pictures of the action, we have them physically do it themselves as we say the target language. And to help them understand the physical response we want from them, we also do it ourselves.
As you can imagine, as language gets more complex, this approach gets more difficult. However, you’d be surprised at what you can come up with for physical actions to pair with target language.
Total Physical Response Activities
You don’t have to have a formal, organized activity to use TPR in your classroom, whether it is bricks & mortar, or online. As we just demonstrated in the sit down/stand up example, it simply involves eliciting some kind of physical response whenever you can.
However, organizing language-learning activities can be another fun and entertaining way to employ TPR.
We know how creative teachers can be, but we also know how busy you are! (We’re teachers, too.)
For that reason, we’ve compiled a list of activities you can do in your classroom to use total physical response in your language teaching.
Total Physical Response Activities for Young Learners in the Physical Classroom
Here are some total physical response examples for young learners in the bricks and mortar classroom:
Simon Says:
This is a classic. In case you haven’t heard of it, it involves giving commands in the target language and having students perform an action but only if you preface the command with "Simon says." For example, "Simon says touch your nose" or "Simon says jump three times." Even though its not a part of the original game, you can do the action here as well to help your students. Just pair it with the phrase “Simon says” or “Teacher says” when you want them to actually do it.
Action Songs and/or Dances:
Teach songs with accompanying gestures or movements that reinforce vocabulary and sentence structures. Head, shoulders, knees, and toes is a classic example.
Charades:
Students act out words or phrases in the target language while classmates guess what they are acting out. This can range from vocabulary as simple as “apple” to more complicated things like “yoga” or “baking a cake”.
Storytelling with Actions:
Narrate a story in the target language and have students act out key events or characters' actions/emotions.
Command Chain:
Have students stand in a circle. The first student performs any action they want (e.g., clap hands, sit down) and says the corresponding command in the target language. The next student repeats the action and command, and adds another action and command, forming a chain. Repeat until you’ve gone around the whole circle.
Role-Playing:
Set up scenarios where students act out various roles and interact using the target language. Be sure to mimic the physical environment and actions as much as you can, rather than just have students read a dialogue. For example, if you are pretending to order food at a restaurant, set up your classroom like a restaurant as much as you can, have students walk around, physically deliver and receive the food, process payments, pretend to eat and drink, etc.
Board Games with Actions:
Twister is a great example of a board game with actions that could help teach body parts, shapes and colors.
Obstacle Course:
Create an obstacle course in the classroom or outside. As students pass a certain obstacle you produce the target language for them. For example if they have to climb up and over something you could say “up” as they do so. This activity is great for teaching prepositions like up, down, left, right, around, inside, outside, etc.
Total Physical Response Activities for Young Learners in the Digital Classroom
Things get a little more challenging when trying to employ TPR in the online classroom, but they are not impossible. Here’s a list of novel and adapted activities for younger students in your online classroom.
Virtual Simon Says:
Much the same as the previous suggestion. Play a game of Simon Says over video conferencing, where you give commands in the target language and students must perform the actions only if preceded by "Simon says."
Animated Storytelling:
Use animated videos or slideshows to tell stories in the target language, and encourage students to act out the actions or mimic the characters' movements as they watch.
Online Dance Party:
Host a virtual dance party where students follow along with dance routines or movements related to the target language, culture, or theme of the lesson.
Digital Flashcard Action:
Share digital flashcards with images or GIFs representing vocabulary words or phrases, and have students mimic the actions or gestures depicted.
Virtual Scavenger Hunt:
Organize a virtual scavenger hunt where students search their rooms or homes for specific items related to the lesson topic, holding them up to the camera and labeling them in the target language. For this activity, the action that the students perform isn’t usually the same as the target language they should produce, but it does get them moving and demonstrates the language in physical context.
Online Charades:
Play charades over video conferencing, where students take turns acting out words or phrases in the target language. If it's just you and the student, you can guess the meaning. If it’s a group lesson, you can have other students guess the meanings.
Virtual Puppet Show:
Use real or digital puppets or avatars to perform skits or role-plays in the target language, with students controlling the characters and interacting with each other.
Virtual Role-Playing Games:
Use online platforms or virtual environments to create role-playing scenarios where students interact with each other in the target language, making decisions and solving problems together. This doesn’t have as strong of a physical connection as doing it in the real world, but it certainly helps make the language more memorable.
Online Drama Workshops:
Conduct virtual drama workshops where students practice improvisation, perform short skits, or participate in storytelling activities using video conferencing tools.
Total Physical Response Activities for Older Learners (Children 12+, Adults) in the physical Classroom
Opponents of total physical response will say that it is not appropriate for older learners of a language, and we agree to some extent.
It may be near impossible to make TPR an older learner’s only approach to learning a language. However, it’s certainly a helpful tool that can be used.
As you can imagine, some of these examples are a little more difficult to arrange because they tend to require added complexity, but even doing these with your students every now and then can be quite beneficial.
Here are some total physical response examples for older learners in the physical classroom:
Immersive Storytelling:
Similar to our previous idea. Use immersive storytelling techniques where learners act out scenes from literature, TV, film, or real-life situations in the target language. This could involve reenacting scenes from a book or acting out historical events.
Debate and Discussion Circles:
Arrange debates or discussion circles where learners must physically move to indicate agreement, disagreement, or neutrality while expressing their opinions in the target language. The actions here will likely not be totally reflecting of the language being used, but again we are pairing physical movement with the learning.
Physical Challenges:
Create physical challenges related to the target language, such as solving puzzles or completing tasks within a time limit. Think along the lines of the Amazing Race.
Interactive Language Games:
Design interactive language games like escape rooms or treasure hunts where learners must use the target language to solve clues and progress through the game.
Role-Playing Scenarios:
Everyday role playing scenarios are still valuable for older learners. Just tailor the level of complexity to match the level of your students.
Project-Based Learning with Physical Components:
Implement project-based learning activities that involve physical components. This works well with craft, art, and science projects.
Cultural Workshops:
Organize cultural workshops where learners participate in traditional activities, make crafts, prepare food, or perform dances from countries where the target language is spoken, all while using the language for communication.
Team Building Challenges:
Arrange team-building challenges that require effective communication and collaboration in the target language, such as building structures with limited resources (think cardboard airplane, boat, or bridge).
Language Immersion Excursions:
Plan language immersion excursions or field trips where learners interact with native speakers in authentic contexts, such as visiting local markets, museums, or cultural events.
Community Service Projects:
Engage learners in community service projects that involve interactions with diverse communities, encouraging them to use the target language while making a positive impact. This could be working on a community garden, or doing a roadside cleanup, or maybe helping out at a soup kitchen.
Outdoor Adventure Language Challenges:
Organize outdoor adventure language challenges like orienteering or geocaching, where learners must navigate and communicate in the target language to complete tasks.
Drama and Theatre Workshops:
Conduct drama and theatre workshops where learners explore dramatic texts, improvise scenes, and perform plays entirely in the target language.
Total Physical Response Activities for Older Learners (Children 12+, Adults) in the digital classroom
Finally, the most challenging place to use TPR is probably teaching older children and adults in the digital classroom. You have to get creative, and you’re certainly not going to be able to use it for every concept you teach, but there are ways to do it.
Here are some total physical response examples for teaching older children and adults in the online classroom:
Virtual Yoga or Stretching Breaks:
Integrate short yoga or stretching sessions into the online lesson plan, where students follow along with guided movements in the target language to relax and re-energize.
Digital Choreography Challenge:
Assign students the task of creating and video recording short dance routines or choreographies inspired by a cultural theme or topic discussed in class, using movements to express ideas in the target language.
Online Gesture-Based Vocabulary Review:
Conduct vocabulary review sessions where students use hand gestures or body movements to represent words or phrases in the target language, reinforcing their understanding through physical association. Digital charades works here.
Virtual Mirror Exercises:
Pair students up and assign one as the "leader" and the other as the "mirror." The leader performs a series of movements or actions while describing them in the target language, and the mirror student must replicate the actions as accurately as possible. The teacher can be a substitute in the 1-on-1 classroom. This could get pretty silly and funny.
Digital Drama Improvisation:
Organize virtual drama improvisation sessions where students take on different roles and engage in spontaneous dialogue or storytelling using video conferencing tools, incorporating physical gestures and expressions to enhance communication.
Virtual Sports or Fitness Challenges:
Introduce sports-related or fitness-themed challenges that students can complete at home and record on video, while practicing vocabulary and phrases related to sports, health, and wellness in the target language.
Everyday Activities as digital lessons:
This one is a little unconventional, but it can be quite fun and effective. If you have an adult student, have them do an everyday task they would normally do at home and ask them to talk you through it. For example, they could take their device into the kitchen while they prepare a meal and walk you through the steps in the target language.
Online Cultural Dance Workshops:
Invite guest instructors or showcase pre-recorded videos of cultural dance workshops from countries where the target language is spoken, allowing students to learn and practice traditional dance movements while immersing themselves in the language and culture.
Remote Martial Arts or Fitness Classes:
Partner with instructors or experts in martial arts or fitness training to offer virtual classes where students learn basic techniques and movements while receiving instructions and feedback in the target language.
Total physical response in ESL is just one tool in your toolkit
As you can see, using total physical response in ALL types of ESL teaching can’t be relied on as the only approach, as it tends to get more and more difficult to execute as the target language becomes more advanced.
However, it is a fantastic tool for students of all ages and language levels, and can be a very effective tool for young learners in particular.
It can be simple and easy to use in the bricks and mortar classroom, and can even be used while teaching English online if you’re willing to get creative.
Simply keep TPR in mind at all times while teaching and you’ll be sure to give your students the best chance at learning their second language.
What do you think of using TPR? Do you think it’s effective, or not worth the effort?
Have you used it in your classroom before? If so, do you have any activities you would like to share with us?
Please let us know in the comments below.
Happy teaching!