Total Physical Response

Total Physical Response (TPR) is a language teaching method that was first developed by James Asher, a psychology professor from San Jose State University. It uses the coordination of language learning and the use of physical movements. To use this particular method of teaching language, instructors need to give commands to students in the target language (that is, the language that is being taught to the learners, and which is different from their first language, or L1), and students are asked to respond with actions that make use of their entire body.

The method is a good example of the Comprehension Approach to language teaching. This approach to language teaching advocates that the focus of learning should be on understanding the language (Krashen, 1983), rather than getting encumbered by trying to speak it, initially.

The listening to given commands, and responding with actions that use the body serves two distinct and integral purposes: It is a means of demonstrating quick recognition of the underlying meaning in the language being learned, as well as being a means of passively learning the structure of the language itself. This classroom teaching is heavily influenced by communicative methods, in which the grammar is never taught explicitly, but is expected to be gradually acquired from the language input (i.e. the commands). TPR is a valuable way to learn vocabulary, especially idiomatic terms, e.g., phrasal verbs, of which there are hundreds in the english language.

Asher developed TPR as a result of his personal experiences observing children learning their L1. He noted that interactions between parents and their children often took the form of speech being uttered by the parents, followed by a physical response from the child. Furthermore, Asher made three hypotheses based on his observations: first, that language is learned primarily by listening; second, that language learning must engage the right hemisphere of the brain; and third, that learning language should not involve any stress. Total physical response is often used alongside other methods and techniques. It is popular with beginners and with young learners, although it can be used with students of all levels and all age groups. This is because the learner is not expected to produce anything other than a Physical Response to language questions being asked orally. The focus is put on comprehension, rather than acquisition and responding with appropriate syntax and grammar.

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First of all, we need to distinguish between VR and VW.

First of all, we need to distinguish between Virtual Reality (VR) and Virtual Worlds (VW). This is because in many previous texts, when referring to VR, they will in reality be referring to what we now more commonly call VW. The distinction can be made quite clearly, by looking at the perspective of the user. In Virtual Reality, the user will be immerse in a virtual world, a computer generated environment, which attempts to mimic to some degree the real world around us. They are able to see this world thought the use of a head mounted pair of screens which are positioned in front of their eyes. The perspective will be as if the player is looking through the eyes of the character he is embodying, as if they were standing in this world themselves, and looking out through their own two eyes. The player's avatar, which is their virtual representation within the environment, is most often disembodied, with only their two hands having virtual representations, and which they will be able to control though the use of peripherals, these will allow the player to act upon the virtual world in which they stand.

While some things are similar to VR, there is still a computer generated environment, in which the player is represented, and upon which he can act through the use of real world peripherals, the perspective is different. To view this world the player must employ a screen, and will see occasionally through a first-person perspective (through the eyes of the avatar, or more commonly third-person (a.k.a Over the Shoulder). The physical mimicry is lost, in comparison to the VR headset, as for VWs a keyboard and mouse are used to respectively look and move around in the environment. There is a loss of immersion since there is an added spatial layer between the screen and the eyes of the player.

The last few years, has seen an enormous increase in the development of VR headsets, and is one of the main reasons that VR and VW are not only being redefined, but actually diverging in what they are and what they mean.

See an example of VW here: Virtual Worlds

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Defining Authenticity

Language Learning is best done in conditions that replicate those of being learned as a first language by a native speaker. One of the fundamental elements of these conditions is the context within which the language is presented. For quite some time language teaching materials have attempted to recreate situations that give the learner a valid reason to use a certain grammar point. This is because Language usually emerges as a necessity to communicate information, and a requirement to be understood by others. These are the components of the setting that we are attempting to recreate, and so a fairly common set up to the usage of a grammar point will be a context given in text format, and that relies on the imagination of the learner. With the advancement of computer graphics and headset display technology, we are now more than capable of recreating full-fledged situations, that will give learners the authentic looking context that is so needed, giving the learner the agency to use language in a meaningful way. They will no longer need to waste any attention on trying to recreate the setting, they will be in the setting.

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They seem to be made for each other, and here's Why ...

The thought process behind Total Physical Response (TPR), is that it aims to help low-level learners acquire language through physical expression, which we can assume comes more easily to people of various different cultural and linguistic background, as opposed to have to produce language itself. The concept deems that understanding and responding physically is an important first step which a leaner will acquire much easier and faster than oral production, giving them more confidence in their future oral learning. Moving students beyond the initial stages of lack of understanding is a hardship encountered almost universally by all lower and basic language teachers. By giving them tools which aid in making them feel like they are able to understand and Respond, even in a very basic manner (simple gestures, action mimicking) is immensely rewarding. The critics of TPR often mention that this makes the class Teacher Centered rather than Students Focused. Therefore, through the use of VR we are aiming for it to be entirely on the shoulders of the students. One student will give another student the instructions to perform an action, that they will both profit from learning through seeing and acting out.

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How to get started using VR

Follow the link bellow, to find information on how to get started with the basic requirements for your very own VR set-up, and later delve into additional details on the study methodology.

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