Resource centre - Theory and issues - Learn English Physically
Allen J Hoge looks into learning English through total physical response.
One student struggles to learn English. His speaking is slow and hesitant. His
pronunciation is garbled and heavily accented. He is painful to listen to.
Another student speaks easily. English flows from her, seemingly without effort.
Her pronunciation is clear; her voice is strong.
We all know both types of students. The question is, what creates the difference
between them. Why do some students forever struggle to speak English fluently,
while others seem to do so naturally, with a minimum of effort?
Some teachers believe that genes or ingrained talent determine a students
success. But there is no research to support this opinion and it is, in fact,
totally false. Students do not fail or succeed because of talent or genetics.
Success or failure are ultimately determined by one simple thing: how the
student learns. Students who use inferior learning methods get inferior results.
Students who employ the very best learning strategies get superior results. It
is that simple.
The trick, of course, is knowing which methods to use. There are, of course, a
wealth of highly effective English learning methods. Unfortunately, most are not
taught in traditional schools.
One of the most effective methods for learning English is to learn the language
physically. Research by Dr. James Asher shows that combining physical movement
with language learning produces powerful results. Dr. Asher developed a method
called Total Physical Response as a way to teach language through physical
movement.
What we find is that combining physical movement with intellectual learning
creates stronger neurological connections in our nervous system. In other words,
we more quickly wire our brains.. thus learning faster, remembering more, and
remembering longer.
Studies at San Jose State University show that students who moved their bodies
while learning English learned more vocabulary and grammar in a shorter time,
compared with students who learned the same material while sitting still. More
remarkably, when tested one year later, the students who learned with movement
still remembered 80% or more of what they had learned, while the non-moving
students had forgotten over 80%.
So how can you put this to use? One simple suggestion is to always be moving
while learning English. Go for a walk or run as you listen to a lesson- do not
sit still as you learn.
For even better results, try this: as you listen to a story or article,
physically mime the action. For example, if you hear the word go, move your feet
as if walking. Pretend you are an actor who is physically acting out the action
of the story.
By doing this, you wire the language deeply into your nervous system and
subconscious. As a result, you will learn more English, remember it longer, and
be able to use it more easily.
ESL resources
Downloadable activities
Grammar teaching ideas
What do you think of this article? Add a comment »
Very interesting article. I
really believe in this "theory". It will be useful for me to show it to a
coordinator I know. She wants kindergarten students to be sat still, while
learning... thank you.
A very interesting point.
Never heard this one before, and I will definitely try it!
After having read this
article, I have to say: Chapeau! Certainly he is right in telling us that Total
Physical Response is one of the best methods or strategies we as English
teachers have and must use in teaching this subject. I totally agree with him,
especially when he said "as you listen to a story or article, physically mime
the action. For example, if you hear the word go, move your feet as if
walking. Pretend you are an actor who is physically acting out the action of the
story.
It's a good reminder. If
students sit down throughout the class they feel bored and pay less attention. I
usually make them move or at least come to the board to write something.
I find this very
interestring. It refreshed me some things from my courses besides this year I
will be maybe teaching kinder and this will help me a lot.".
I should thank you for your
useful articles that you send to me. We have an English board in our highschool
which has been called English Treasure and I attach the articles
on it.
I've been using this TPR
for a long time already, and I assure you students like it a lot. It can be used
at all levels. Students love to play and learn at the same time. Thanks for
sending me the article. You are great ESL!
It is in fact true. In our
psychology couse we've learnt that we all remember more and better the actions
we actually do (using our motor functions). It's inbuilt in our physique. So go
ahead and try this. I will too if I start teaching again this Summer.
We're using film making.
This is creative, as storyline and script can be created by the students and
modified by the teacher. The filming turns ideas into reality requiring
movement, speaking and good language production. Anyone out there who would like
to share ideas and methods please email.
Yes the article is useful
but I think it's limited. I haven't had any problems so far while teaching "go".
Can you suggest anything apart from simple verbs or nouns?
This article is very
interesting. I am an ESL teacher and using TPR is one of the most effective
tools to teach and learn English. Trying this method will put a smile on their
faces.
I totally agree with this
method, it really works and help students to learn and have fun, I always start
my classes with these kinds of exercises... pointing to a different part of
their body, turning to different sides, it creates a lot of expectations in the
learners at any age, not only children but adolescents love moving and being
tested with commands and competing in class.
The article was great. TPR
truly is an art to be guided through experience, I really hope that it is
practised worldwide, thank you.
Sounds good for doing
words, but what about the rest of the English vocab?
I think it is a very good
method for all of the English teachers to apply in class. But the problem is my
class has not enough space to move!
I enjoyed this article so
much!!! I´ve been reading a lot about brain research and I guess will help me to
add more information to my thesis.
I agree that it is possible
to learn more effectively by moving around or acting, etc, rather than keeping
still, especially for those who are more kinesthetic
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/multiple_intelligence_theory. However, I don't think
it is as simple as that, that it is all a matter of using the right method or
strategy. For me, it is clear that some people really have more inate ability to
learn some things than others, including language. For sure, everyone can
possibly learn to speak a foreign language, no matter how much more difficult it
can be for him/her than for others, but genetics is surely also part of the
process. Otherwise, how would we understand the little geniuses that we many
times encounter, or those who learn foreign languages by studying by themselves
while others cannot learn a single one without proper guiding? Making it clear:
talent or genetics are not determinant, but they, of course, influence and
should be taken into account when thinking about teaching and the learning
processes.
Body language is vital to
teach and learn any aspect of life. This article reminds us the importance of
communication through movements.
It provides us with novel
ideas about teaching and learning English. If it had suggested some more ideas
to be practically tested in class, this article would have been more helpful.
When I was in college, we
were taught this kind of method and I usually use it in my teaching now.
Students mostly give positive responses and learn more actively so its
completely feasible and I thoroughly recommend it.
We have tried this method
at my school (this and other methods) and I can tell you that this worked better
than others... we acted out little stories, it's really fun, students enjoy it a
lot and it works!!
Thania
We create video films with
the younger students. They are resposible for script, story and production. It
encourages real life speaking combined with acting and role playing, the results
are spectacular. Anyone else into this for sharing ideas and know-how?
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