Are you looking for a way to make your EFL ESL classes more fun? Are the kids in your class sick of sitting at their desks? Do you think there must be a better way of teaching English and getting your students to remember commands and vocabulary? If you’ve had any of these problems, then using TPR in your EFL ESL classes may be the solution you are looking for. What is TPR? Well, you might already be using it without even realizing. It’s a very simple way of making your English lesson more fun and effective. I’m going to tell you some more about it and give you some easy ideas to use TPR in your classes.
What does TPR mean?
TPR stands for Total Physical Response. It is a learning method that was designed in the 1960s by James Asher who was a Professor of Psychology at San Jose State University in California. TPR is based on the natural learning abilities of a child when they are learning their first language. Very simply, it connects actions with commands so that the child associates certain actions with certain words and remembers them. They respond physically to the commands of their parents even before they start speaking their mother tongue. They absorb the sounds and patterns of the language so that they can then later reproduce them.
Why is TPR useful in EFL ESL classes?
TPR in the ESL class basically involves using actions and gestures as much as possible. Certain actions are connected to specific words. These are repeated each time the word is used. In this way the student associates the word with the action and remembers it more easily. So, for example, each time my kids arrive at the start of a lesson, I say “take off your jacket” and make a gesture of taking off a jacket. Even if it is the first time these children are coming to the lesson, they understand what I mean. They will associate that action with the command, take off your jacket. After they’ve done this a few times, they will start to repeat the phrase themselves. This will work for all ages, even adults, and you can use it for all types of vocabulary.
When should you be using TPR in your EFL ESL classes?
All the time really! If you get into the habit of doing actions as you speak and consistently using the same actions for the same words, there is no limit as to how much you can use it. I know that this might not be easy at the beginning. I’m a pretty reserved British person. Even after many years living in Italy with the champions of hand gestures, I do not habitually use my hands a lot when I speak. I do find though that it is almost instinctive to use actions to demonstrate things when I’m talking in English to someone who is not a native speaker, especially to children. And when I realize that I’m not doing it, I make a special effort. I try to remember and to get myself into the habit of doing it all the time.
So, go wild and get that TPR going whenever you can. That could be when you’re giving instructions, singing a song, or playing a game. Use it as much as possible and see if you get results.
Why it works in the EFL class
- It’s the natural way we learn languages
- TPR makes lessons more fun – it makes your class a more relaxed and happier place if kids can move and express themselves through actions.
- English becomes easier to remember and learn when you associate it with actions.
- It helps kids who have difficulty expressing themselves verbally or are very shy.
- It also lets kids with lots and lots of energy burn off some of that extra energy and move around rather than feeling trapped behind a desk
- It’s a good technique where you have a class with different levels of English so that everyone can participate.
- You don’t need lots of materials prepared in advance – you can tell a whole story using actions
- It gives confidence to the children in their ability to communicate in English – even if they don’t know every word, they can still get across what they want to say.
Are there any disadvantages of using TPR in EFL ESL classes?
Older kids might think its stupid or embarrassing. If you persevere though and get them used to associating English with actions, I think they will get over this. This is especially true if they see they are learning. Insist on them copying you and don’t let them always have their arms folded or behind their backs. Yes, grumpy teenage boys in class, that’s you! You too might find it hard or embarrassing at first to be constantly doing actions. If you’re embarrassed, honestly, just try and forget about it. In your role of English teacher in the classroom, you do silly things that you wouldn’t normally do. This will help you teach so it’s a good thing.
Some of my favorite activities using TPR
- Songs – any songs, even those which don’t have specific actions, can be sung using TPR. Kids learn songs so easily so adding actions makes them even more fun and easy to remember. How boring would head, shoulders, knees and toes be without the actions?
- Talking about themselves and their feelings – When you ask “how are you today?”, if they can use TPR while replying, it gives them a much wider range of vocabulary to use and learn rather than just saying “I’m fine”.
- Storytelling – this is such a great way to use TPR. It allows you to make a story comprehensible for even small children. Even more importantly, it allows them to tell the story too. Give each child in the group a sentence with actions to learn and the whole group can tell the story.
- Games – Either in class or online, get the kids using whole sentences and TPR to play games that are more fun and help them learn more vocabulary.
- Doing theater – you could put on a play for other students or parents. The kids can learn lines more easily using TPR and can show non-English speakers what the play is about.
What do you think?
All in all, TPR is a great technique to use in your English classes with all ages. It makes your teaching much richer, gives every word and phrase meaning for the students and helps you get your message across. It also gives the children the chance to communicate effectively and to really use their new language skills. As I said, you may have used it without even realizing. It’s natural to use gestures and actions to communicate with children and you can use this instinct and make your teaching more fun and more effective.
Do you use TPR in EFL ESL classes? Do you find it comes naturally to you or is it something you have to force yourself to do? I’d love to hear any experiences you’ve had or any tips you might have to share so please leave a comment below. To stay up to date with new posts and teaching ideas, you can follow the GoogooEnglish Facebook page. Alternatively, sign up for email updates below.