Process
- TPR, consists of obeying commands given by the instructor that involve an overt physical response. The instructor, for example, says “stand up” and the class stands up.
- The commands become more complex as the class progresses. In the TPR class, the first few months would consist of 70% listening comprehension (obeying commands), 20% speaking, and 10% reading and writing.
Three principles of the TPR system
- Delay speech from students until understanding of spoken language has been extensively internalized.
- Achieve understanding of spoken language through utterances by the instructor in the imperative.
- Expect that, at some point in the understanding of spoken language, students will indicate a readiness to talk.
Strength of TPR
- 32 hours of TPR outperformed controls who had 150 hours of classtime.
- 45 hours of TPR instruction outperformed controls who had 150 hours in listening comprehension, and equaled controls’ performance on a reading test.
- 20 hours of TPR instruction outperformed controls who had 100 or 200 hours, child and adult respectively, of instruction.