TPR, Audio Lingual Method, and Flashcards in Language Learning

What do the letters TPR stand for? Who invented TPR? How does the inventor see L1 and L2 learning? What are the characteristics?

Total physical response

By a professor of psychology, at San José State University, California. James Asher.

Asher sees first and second language learning as parallel processes.

Characteristics:

• TPR required initial attention to meaning rather than to form.
• Grammar is taught inductively.
• Directions are given by the teacher in the target language.
• A fix number of items are introduced at one time. According to Asher, It is possible for pupils to learn between 12-36 new items in one hour.
• Body movements are a powerful mediator for understanding organisation and storage or linguistic input.
• Although the imperative is the main form of instruction, it is not the only strategy used.
• Conversation dialogues are delayed until after approximately 120 hours of instruction.
• Role plays play a central part in teaching and they concentrate on every day situation. E.g. at home, at school, at a supermarket, at a hospital…etc.
• Reading and writing activities may be introduced but only when the oral drills have been assimilated.

What is the teacher’s role in the Audio Lingual Method?

1^st. It’s active, is a teacher dominated method.

2^nd. Learners at first don’t understand what they are saying, but by listening to the teacher, imitating, responding, and performing tasks, they learn through behaviours.

3^rd. Teachers pay attention to pronunciation, entonation and fluency.

4^th. in this method, mistakes are corrected immediately.

5^th. Teachers adopt dialogues to student’s interests and beliefs.

6^th. Key structures are selected and used as the bases for drills.

Give reasons for using flashcards. What categories can they be divided into? What do “Invisible flash cards refers to?

Why use flash cards?

I.Because they appeal to visual learners.

II.They make a real impact on visual learners.

III.Flash cards can be used in conjunction with word cards.

IV.They are a great way to present, practise and recycle vocabulary.

V.They can be taken home for them to play with, with parents and siblings.

What are word cards?

These are simply cards that display the written word.

What categories can flash cards be divided into?

Memory, drilling, identification and TPR activities.