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THE PRINCIPLES OF TPR METHOD FOR TEACHING ENGLISH
GRAMMAR TO YOUNG LEARNERS
Nurxonova Dildora Baxtiyor qizi student of Uzbek
State World Languages University scientific
advisor: Kattabaeva D.K.
Abstract:
Total Physical Response is linked to the “trace theory” of memory in
psychology, which holds that the more often or the more intensively a memory
connection is traced, the stronger the memory association will be and the more likely it
will be recalled. Learning grammar is one of the most important fields in teaching
English or any foreign language. One could learn all of the grammatical rules and
exceptions that the language contains. TPR attempts to teach language through speech
and physical activity at the same time.
Key words:
grammar, TPR, language, method, learning, young learner, action
Total Physical Response is a language teaching method developed by James
Asher, a psychology professor at San Jose State University. Learners’ role in TPR is to
listen and perform what the teacher says, they monitor and evaluate their own progress.
They are encouraged to speak when they feel ready to speak. This is when a sufficient
basis in language has been internalized. Teacher is the model and the director. The
teacher provides opportunities for learning. When TPR is integrated into routines, the
learners will immediately become involved in the language and engaged in reacting to
it. They will soon realize that they understand many things and will build confidence as
they learn. The teacher takes on the role of the parent; giving prompts, setting patterns,
playing games, and the student then responds physically to the prompt. In giving
feedback, the teacher responds positively to the correct answer, much in the way that a
parent would.
Young learners need to move, they have huge amount of energy. They tend to
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have short attention spans. Young learners are very much linked to their surroundings
and are more interested in the physical and the tangible. When TPR activities are games,
it is suitable for kinesthetic learners who learn best through physically doing something
or connecting to memory through actions. Besides kinesthetic learners, TPR appeals to
visual young learners who take visual cues from seeing the actions associated with the
instructions given.
Learning grammar rules is an important stage of learning a language. The more
grammar rules learners know, the more they will be able to produce sentences correctly
and can communicate easily; and the better they will be able to say what they want to
express when speaking or writing. However, it happens that sometimes young learners
have problem to memorize and internalize the grammar rules easily and in a very fast
way. Therefore, the main goal of this research is to promote the effectiveness of TPR
method in grammar teaching process to young learners. TPR supports the cognitive
development of young learners; it stimulates all their senses, imagination and creativity.
With TPR, young learners use physical and mental energy in a productive way, besides
it facilitates the development of language and social skills like cooperation, negotiating,
competing, and following rules. Actually, young learners need to know grammar rules
well in order to support themselves to produce sentences that can be understood by
others. That is why vocabulary is very important to be mastered.
There is no basic text in a TPR course. For the beginning stage, lessons may not
require the use of materials, since the teacher’s voice, actions, and gestures may be a
sufficient basis for classroom activities. The teacher can use common classroom objects
such as books, pictures, puppets, furniture etc. Activities are mostly applied orally or
pictures can be used. TPR can easily be used in everyday classroom routine. The teacher
encourages the young learners to recognize and respond to simple classroom
instructions and gestures, such as; hands up, stand up, sit down, wave goodbye etc. She
can make visual associations with grammar rules that the young language learners can
learn and mimic, especially tenses in verbs.
Storytelling is the most authentic and popular activity for all young learners.
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Young learners will pick up the new language easily because stories contain repetition
that makes linguistic input more noticeable. In a TPR storytelling activity, young
learners may mime the story as it is told, perform pre-arranged actions when they hear
key words read out, listen and stand up when a character speaks or acts, look and point
to key illustrations of the story. These actions will make the story come to life and help
the young learners internalize the language. Action stories help young learners feel that
they understand language from the very beginning. It is listening, watching and
imitating. The young learners gradually understand the language in a holistic way. First,
key words are introduced may be through pictures. The words are repeated slowly by
the teacher several times and in an order (plane, dog.) The young learners get these
words. The important thing is to adapt teaching pace to young learners’ pace of learning.
Then the sentences are introduced gradually and one after the other (fly the plane, hug
the dog...). The teacher repeats the previous sentence before introducing the new one.
She keeps the order that the sentences are presented in. Then she jumbles the order of
the sentences and while uttering them she expects the students to mime these sentences.
Lastly, pictures of the repeated words and sentences are given to the students. The young
learners are asked to write the number of the told action near the picture. Foreign
language teaching to young learners is a rapidly growing field all over the world.
Language development is fast in early years and for the beginning level in a foreign
language teaching, TPR is a suitable technique which is built around the coordination
of speech and action. It is to teach language through activity. The class is full of actions
which appeals to those kinesthetic learners. TPR activities will ensure that young
learners can hear the new grammar rules in a meaningful context and respond
nonverbally first. When these are considered cumulatively, TPR is said to be the most
effective technique, which can be used in foreign language classrooms for young
learners in teaching grammar.
References
1.
Asher, J. (2017) Learning Another Language Through Actions: The
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