The Evolution of Language Teaching

Up to the early Twentieth Century students who wanted to learn a new language were always taught rules of grammar.  Instructors would say: "Let's look at the past tense of this verb – I went, you went, etc.".  Or, "draw a circle around each of the prepositions in this paragraph".  The rational seemed to be that one will learn a language by memorizing the grammar rules that govern it. 

With the advent of linguistics in the 1930s and 1940s the audio-lingual method was developed. Students were asked to learn sentence patterns instead of grammar rules, and learning took place by repetition and substitution drills: Teacher: “Now repeat after me: I want a book.” Students: “I want a book”. And so on...

This was a great improvement over the grammar method but it involved too much mindless repetition. And many students find it very hard to immediately begin using the sounds of the new language from “day one”. For the instructor it can be like pulling nails. 

Total Physical Response Method

Since the 1970s Dr. James J. Asher and his colleagues around the U.S. and in thousands of classrooms throughout the world have developed Total Physical Response (TPR website). TPR is a set of tools for promoting “right brain learning” through the use of the imperative form, that is, through “Simon-says” type commands to which students respond with body movements and action. Hearing only the target language in the classroom, students respond successfully after the instructor models the desired action. Thus, they gradually internalize or assimilate – not memorize – meaning.

For the first ten, twenty or thirty classroom hours they are asked only to listen and carry out the instructor’s commands – not to speak. Building up listening comprehension is the objective. Speaking comes only when the student feels she is ready to actually speak.

This is why its proponents and practitioners call TPR “stress-free learning”.

Instructors use TPR together with traditional “left-brain” activities such as grammar explanations, repetition drills, and memorization of poems and dialogues, switching constantly back and forth from “right-brain” activities to “left-brain” activities.

At Español del Juan we feel happy we have been introduced to this wonderful new approach to teaching languages.  We are excited about finding ever new ways of creatively applying this style of learning with students of different ages, in different settings, with different needs, and in three different languages.