MASARYK UNIVERSITY BRNO FACULTY OF EDUCATION Department of English Language and Literature The Use of TPR in Teaching Different Age Groups Bachelor Thesis Brno 2018 Supervisor: Author: Ailsa Marion Randall, M.A. Ing. Martina Denková Declaration: I hereby declare that I worked on my thesis independently, using only the sources listed in the bibliography. Brno, 2018 …………………………………. Martina Denková 2 Acknowledgements: I would like to thank my supervisor Ailsa Marion Randall, M. A., for her guidance and helpful approach. I am grateful for her valuable professional feedback and her patience. I would also like to thank my husband and family for all the support throughout my all years of studies as without them it would not be possible. Martina Denková 3 Abstract This bachelor thesis deals with the use of TPR in teaching different age groups and is divided into two parts: theoretical and practical. The theoretical part introduces the TPR approach and presents its main benefits. Furthermore, the process of the TPR lesson is described, and the teaching of different language skills through this approach is discussed. Additionally, learners of different age groups are presented. The practical part describes the implementation of TPR into the English lessons. An action research and quasi-experiment are performed on young and teenage learners in order to explore the influence of TPR on ones’ behaviour and acquired knowledge. Key words: TPR approach, young learners, teenage learners, action research, quasi- experiment, physical movements Anotace Bakalářská práce se zabývá problematikou využití celkové fyzické odezvy (TPR) při výuce rozdílných věkových skupin. Práce je rozdělena na dvě části: teoretickou a praktickou. Teoretická část představuje problematiku TPR a uvádí její hlavní benefity. Dále popisuje proces výuky metodou TPR a to, jakým způsobem probíhá výuka různých jazykových dovedností. Také uvádí charakteristiky jednotlivých věkových skupin žáků. Praktická část práce následně ověřuje implementaci metody celkové fyzické odezvy do výuky anglického jazyka. Za použití akčního výzkumu a kvazi- experimentu je zkoumán vliv TPR na chování a získané znalosti jak u žáků základní školy, tak i u teenagerů. Klíčová slova: TPR, celková fyzická odezva, žáci základní školy, výuka teenagerů, akční výzkum, kvazi-experiment, pohyby . 4 Content Introduction ..................................................................................................................... 7 1. Introduction to Total Physical Response .............................................................. 9 1.1 Beginning of TPR ............................................................................................. 10 1.2 Methodology of TPR ........................................................................................ 11 1.2.1 The bio-programme ................................................................................... 12 1.2.2 Brain lateralization .................................................................................... 13 1.2.3 Brainswitching .......................................................................................... 14 1.2.4 Stress reduction ......................................................................................... 15 1.3 Other Approaches and Views on the TPR ........................................................ 16 1.4 The role of a teacher and learner ...................................................................... 17 1.5 TPR principles .................................................................................................. 18 1.5.1 Classroom .................................................................................................. 19 1.5.2 Motivation ................................................................................................. 19 1.5.3 TPR lesson ................................................................................................ 20 1.5.4 Other activities .......................................................................................... 21 1.5.5 Transition to grammar teaching ................................................................ 22 1.5.6 Reading and writing .................................................................................. 23 1.5.7 Teaching speaking ..................................................................................... 25 1.5.8 Storytelling ................................................................................................ 25 1.5.9 Assessment ................................................................................................ 27 2. Different age group ............................................................................................... 29 2.1 Young learners.................................................................................................. 29 2.2 Teenage learners ............................................................................................... 30 3. Research introduction ........................................................................................... 32 4. Teaching young learners....................................................................................... 34 4.1 Class characterization ....................................................................................... 34 4.2 Description of text books.................................................................................. 35 4.3 Lesson plans ..................................................................................................... 36 4.3.1 Lesson 1 .................................................................................................... 36 5 4.3.2 Lesson 2 .................................................................................................... 38 4.4 Lessons in the comparative group .................................................................... 40 4.5 The final tests, results and comparison............................................................. 41 4.6 Questionnaire results ........................................................................................ 43 4.7 Feedback from the teacher................................................................................ 44 5. Teaching teenagers ................................................................................................ 45 5.1 Class characterization ....................................................................................... 45 5.2 Description of text books.................................................................................. 46 5.3 Lesson plans ..................................................................................................... 47 5.3.1 Lesson 1 .................................................................................................... 47 5.3.2 Lesson 2 .................................................................................................... 49 5.4 Lessons in the comparative group .................................................................... 51 5.5 The final test, results and comparison .............................................................. 52 5.6 Questionnaire results ........................................................................................ 54 5.7 Feedback from the teacher................................................................................ 55 6. Limits of the research ........................................................................................... 56 Conclusion ...................................................................................................................... 57 List of references ........................................................................................................... 58 List of pictures ............................................................................................................... 60 List of appendices .......................................................................................................... 61 6 Introduction Total Body Response teaching or TPR, as it is mostly used in the literature, is a language teaching approach that emphasises the use of physical movements in the class. This approach was developed by James Asher who believes that second language learning is parallel to child first language acquisition. TPR approach presents language through an imperative and stresses that understanding and language acquisition are the keys to a successful learning process. Due to movements, the learned curriculum is internalized and placed into the long-term memory which positively influences recall of the language in the future. Nowadays, English is indispensable knowledge. Every child in the Czech Republic starts to learn English at the age of 8 as the national curriculum requires. Then language studies continue till the 9th grade and later at secondary school and universities. Yet, not everyone is able to use English for communication after many years of studies. For that reason, teachers should be seeking such methods that make their teaching more successful. Furthermore, different and novel methods can affect the speed of the learning process and positively influence the acquisition of the language. Therefore, this bachelor thesis studies the impact of a non-traditional teaching method on learners’ behaviour and acquired knowledge. The TPR approach was chosen according to the author’s interest in movements and their possible impact on a learning process. The main