If someone would have asked me six months ago what TPR (Total Physical Response) is, I would have replied that basically, it is giving commands in the target language, with the student responding to that command physically. I mistakenly thought that simply by telling my students in the target language to stand up, sit down, or turn off the light, that I was implementing TPR in my classroom.  Though at a very basic level I was correct, after a bit of investigation, I discovered that TPR is so much more. I also discovered that it is an invaluable tool that serves as a beautiful and natural segue into TPRS.

The Basics of TPR

TPR is a great example of the teaching philosophy of “I do, we do, you do.” When teaching TPR, I put three chairs in the front of the classroom. I sit in the middle, with a student…