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on the speaking skill. In an action response one hears a command and physically carries out the command.
The complexity of the teachers utterance and the degree of familiarity of the utterance could become factors in the determination of scores. An evaluation
response calls for the learners to give some indication of whether an utterance accurately portrays reality, or which of a set of possible responses is the correct
one. Action response and evaluation response items call for little or no use of speaking, while communication response calls for oral response. The students
utterance involves not only their perception of the teachers message, but also its intent and the formulation of an appropriate response with well-chosen linguistic
structures. It can be concluded that TPR is a method of teaching foreign language
through some commands to give oral experiences to students in acquiring language with kinesthetic movement.
2. History of Total Physical Response
According to Asher, 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. It looks to the way that children learn their native
language. Communication between parents and their children combines both verbal and physical aspects. The child responds physically to the speech of their
parent. The responses of the child are in turn positively reinforced by the speech of the parents.
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For many months the child absorbs the language without being able to speak. It is during this period that the internalization and code breaking occurs.
After this stage the child is able to reproduce the language spontaneously. With TPR the language teacher tries to mimic this process in class.
In conclusion, TPR has been developed based on the process of acquiring language of children. They start to acquire language by listening and are going to
be able to respond physically, uttering the words or sentences that are often repeated. Further, they perhaps will be able to read or even write a particular
words or sentences that are always shown to them through picture or modeling.
3. Total Physical Response in Teaching Vocabulary
In the classroom the teacher and students take on roles similar to that of the parent and child respectively. Students must respond physically to the words of
the teacher. The activity may be a simple game such as Simon Says or may involve more complex grammar and more detailed scenarios. TPR can be used to
practice and teach various things. It is well suited to teaching classroom language and other vocabulary connected with actions. It can be used to teach imperatives
and various tenses and aspects. It is also useful for story-telling. Because of its participatory approach, TPR may also be useful alternative teaching strategy for
students with dyslexia or related learning disabilities, who typically experience difficulty in learning foreign languages with traditional classroom instruction
http:www.positivepractices.comBilingualEducationTotalPhysicalResponse5 BTPR.html.
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Total Physical Response is largely about movement. By physically moving to learn verbs and even nouns, learning increases and stress decreases.. However,
it is recognized that TPR is most useful for beginners, though it can be used at higher levels where preparation becomes an issue for the teacher. It does not give
students the opportunity to express their own thoughts in a creative way. The following are the steps in using TPR for teaching:
a. Aspect of meaning
1 Teacher explains in native language about the rule of TPR, that is the
students just listen and need not to speak at first. They have to act out the commands from the teacher.
2 Teacher asks some volunteers to come to the front of the room and sit with
herhim in chairs that are lined up facing the other students. Other students listen and watch.
3 Teacher gives various commands beginning with verbs while doing them
together with the volunteers, for example: swim use both hands and do something general like a butterfly free stroke in the air.
4 Teacher allows the volunteers to do the instructions and shehe remains
seated. 5
Then, teacher asks one of the volunteers to perform the instructions alone. 6
Teacher approaches the other students who have been sitting observing herhim and the volunteers and gives the same commands.
7 The students follow the teacher’s action.
8 After the students master the instructions, the teacher gives the new ones
as the steps above.
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9 Teacher turns to the rest of the class and gives the commands randomly to
the students. 10
The last step, teacher writes the new commands on the blackboard. Each time shehe writes a command, she acts it out.
11 The students copy the sentences from the blackboard into the notebooks.
Using TPR in teaching vocabulary can be fitted to the real situation in the classroom. Sequence steps above are intended to make the students understand the
new vocabularies given. To be said knowing vocabulary, students have to know the meaning, the spelling, the pronunciation, and the use of the words. In order to
equip the students in those four aspects, teacher might add more steps after students understand the meaning. The following are additional steps, to teach
aspect of spelling, aspect of pronunciation, and aspect of using the words, that are actually elaboration of previous steps to teach vocabulary holistically.
b. Aspect of spelling
1 The teacher asks the students to write the instructions on the board. 2 The teacher asks volunteers to spell the words along with her.
3 The teacher asks the students randomly to spell the words alone.
c. Aspect of pronunciation
1 The teacher asks a student to be an instructor.
2 Then, the first student who becomes instructor gives instructions to the
second student. 3
From the first student, teacher can check the pronunciation, and from the second student, teacher can check whether the meaning is correct.
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d. Aspect of using word
1 The teacher asks the students to make new imperative sentences spoken
or written using the same words on the board. 2
The teacher asks the students to practice using their sentences.
C. The Nature of Teaching English to Young Learners and Development of
