Total Physical Response
James Asher was interested in how children learned language. He noticed that instructions were given repeatedly, and that children were able to comply with spoken instructions. He saw that even children with little language responded well to this and developed his method Total Physical Response.
The teacher uses instructions to build confidence in the learners. When all of them are able to follow instructions, students will be chosen to give instructions to their peers. This does not happen until the students are ready to speak, just as in real life. Of course this method doesn't go far enough in permitting students to create fresh vocabulary, but it is a very effective method with beginners. |
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