Summary TPR

SUMMARY
 Total Physical Response
Total Physical Response emerged in the 1960s and lasted until the late 80s; it was developed by
James J. Asher. He has based his theory of language learning on three influential hypotheses:
the influence of the first language acquisition process, the influence of brain lateralisation on
language functions, and the importance of stress.
Asher emphasized the development of comprehension skills in order to achieve a state of "inner
readiness" that fostered the natural acquisition of language and led to spontaneous development
of speech as soon as the learner felt ready for it. Reading and writing activities were considered
as complementary activities that helped consolidate structures and vocabulary. The exercises
employed in TPR classes were hardly ever focused on specific grammatical or lexical items.
The emphasis was on meaning, and grammar, therefore, was learnt inductively. The mistake
correction was not a primary concern, but it was important to provide immediate feedback on
the choice made by the student. TPR was a teacher-centered approach. Learners had little
influence over the course or the lesson contents, since these were determined by the teacher.
 Silent Way Learning
It was developed by Caleb Gattegno. The Silent Way is concerned with promoting language
awareness among the students and it tries to foster learners' self-monitoring and self-correction
of their own language learning process. It views learning as a problem-solving, creative,
discovering activity, in which the learner is a principal actor rather than a listener.
The teaching activity should be focused on the learners, since the principle of this method is
"Subordinate teaching to learning". An immediate objective is to provide the learner with a
basic practical knowledge of the grammar and see vocabulary as a central dimension of
language learning. In this method the use of the native language is avoided as much as
possible. Error correction and accuracy, however, are not one of the main concerns. Much of
the time the teacher merely points to the chart instead of speaking. Language learning,
therefore, becomes a process of personal growth resulting from growing student awareness
and self-challenge.
 Community Language Learning
Curran (1976) considered that some psychological needs had to be met in order to achieve
successful learning. The major goal is to achieve linguistic or communicative competence in
social situations where learning must involve the whole integrated person of the learner:
intellect, emotions, values, and personality.
Community Language Learning is most often used in introductory conversation courses with
the objective of achieving oral proficiency, focusing on fluency rather than on accuracy;
nevertheless, CLL could also be used in the teaching of writing. There is no visible textbook,
prepared lesson plan, or even defined objectives. The textbook restricts language content and,
therefore, impedes interaction in the community. Most of the materials used by the teacher are
notes on the blackboard or recordings of students' conversations. Errors are corrected by the
teacher merely repeating without error any faulty utterance that a learner has produced in the
target language. In the teaching-learning process students are viewed as “clients”, and teachers
are considered as "counsellors” and “knowers ". The role of the teacher changes gradually from
being very supportive to intervening less and less.
 Suggestopedia
Giorgi Lozanov encouraged an experimental approach which included the investigation of

learning resistance and the search for more effective means to increase learning. The aim of
Suggestopedia was that students should reach an advanced level in oral skills quickly. Learning
was based on student mastery of long lists of vocabulary pairs.
The mental state of the learners is critical to success. Thus the teacher is seen as a source of
knowledge. The musical background helps to induce a relaxed attitude, which Lozanov refers
to as pseudo-passiveness. This state is felt to be optimal for learning, in that anxieties and
tension are relieved and the power of concentration for new material is raised. The primary role
of the teacher is to create situations in which the learner is most suggestible and then to present
linguistic material in a way most likely to encourage positive reception and retention by the
learner.
 Natural Approach
It acted as a bridge between psycholinguists theories and the communicative approach. The
Natural Approach, published in 1983 by Tracy Terrell and Stephen Krashen, gave a new
direction to foreign or second language teaching.
The specific objectives depended upon learner needs and the skill (reading, writing, listening,
or speaking) and the level being taught. Classroom activities are not based on a grammatical
syllabus since they are determined by the students according to their needs and interests.
Grammatical appropriateness and error correction, for instance, are not considered as
important, and thus errors are never corrected directly. Learners should provide information
about their specific goals so that acquisition activities can focus on the topics and situations
most relevant to their needs. They also decide (negotiate) with the teacher the relative amount
of time to be devoted to learning exercises.

Summary TPR

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SUMMARY

 Total Physical Response

 Silent Way Learning

 Community Language Learning

Giorgi Lozanov encouraged an experimental approach which included the investigation of

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