The Values Behind Total Physical Response
In the early phase of TPR, you will not see the teacher leading the class in pronouncing the words aloud and forcing them to repeat after him/her.
The first goal of TPR is to make sure that the students understand what the word, command, phrase, or expression means. The teacher is not required to push the student to produce the correct sounds, but they can leave it open for students to observe.
We know that babies do not start off saying “Toy! Toy!” while pointing to an object. They started all quiet and silent, their innocent eyes observing and listening when their parents say “hello” and wave their hands as a way to communicate what they are saying. or when they say, “Get the toy, Josh! Come on, get the toy!”
Here, your students need to listen and understand the command and respond accordingly. It is not essential for them to adequately pronounce the vocabulary.
Please refer to Unit 7