TPR Storytelling

Castro, Ruben (2010). A Pilot Study Comparing Total Physical Response Storytelling[TM] with the Grammar-Translation Teaching Strategy to Determine Their Effectiveness in Vocabulary Acquisition among English as a Second Language Adult Learners, Online Submission. This study evaluated the effectiveness of Total Physical Response Storytelling (TPRS[TM]) compared to the Grammar-Translation approach for acquiring and retaining new vocabulary in an English as a Second Language (ESL) class. The subjects were adult Hispanic learners with limited literacy. An experimental design approach was used to gather information on the effect of TPRS[TM] and Grammar-Translation approaches on student vocabulary retention. A total of 25 participants signed the consent to be a research subject. All participants took two written pretests that examined their knowledge of common words. Following each pretest, the instructor taught three classes using the Grammar-Translation approach and three classes using TPRS[TM]. Following the treatments, all adults took the written vocabulary test. Pre-test and post-test results were analyzed to note similarities and differences in vocabulary retention. Results indicated that both Grammar-Translation and TPRS[TM] approaches made an important difference in student retention of vocabulary. The improvements in vocabulary acquisition and retention were 49% using Grammar-Translation and 45% using TPRS[TM]. Additional research is needed on how to work effectively with adult students who need to learn English under challenging circumstances. These students have complex lives and are trying to survive in addition to studying to improve their language ability. Interview is appended. [more]
Spangler, Donna E. (2009). Effects of Two Foreign Language Methodologies, Communicative Language Teaching and Teaching Proficiency through Reading and Storytelling, on Beginning-Level Students' Achievement, Fluency, and Anxiety, ProQuest LLC. No empirical studies exist comparing the effectiveness of the two prevalent foreign language methodologies, Communicative Language Teaching (CLT) and Teaching Proficiency through Reading and Storytelling (TPRS), at helping students achieve second language acquisition. In turn, the purpose of this quantitative, quasi-experimental study was to examine differences in second language acquisition that were observed for students taught under the CLT methodology versus that observed for students taught under the TPRS methodology. Based on second language acquisition theory, the research questions addressed differences in achievement, fluency, and anxiety in beginning-level foreign language students learning Spanish. Specifically, 14 middle-school students and 51 high-school students received instruction using the CLT methodology while 19 middle school students and 78 high school students received instruction under the TPRS methodology. Measurements were obtained on the reading, writing, and speaking subsets of the Standards-based Measurement of Proficiency, a web-based language test. In addition, measurements were obtained from Horwitz, Horwitz, and Cope's Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety Scale. Independent samples t tests were used to analyze scores from a non-equivalent group design. A statistically higher level of speaking fluency was observed in the group using the TPRS methodology. This study contributes to positive social change by providing evidence on the effectiveness of the TPRS instruction for (1) promoting speaking skills among students, (2) guiding teachers' efforts at promoting speaking skills, and (3) it contributes to the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Language's goal of improving foreign language instruction. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.%5D [more]
Davidheiser, James (2002). Teaching German with TPRS, Unterrichtspraxis/Teaching German. Outlines the research leading to Total Physical Response (TRP) and later Total Physical Response Storytelling (TPRS) methods. Discusses the day-to-day use in the German classroom of TPRS by an experienced practitioner and explains the reasons for its success. Presents student evaluations of the method and the material available for its use. [more]
Davidheiser, James (2002). Teaching German with TPRS (Total Physical Response Storytelling), Unterrichtspraxis/Teaching German. Total Physical Response Storytelling (TPRS) has enjoyed a tremendous increase of interest in recent years because so many teachers in high schools and colleges are finding that it reinvigorates their German programs. Some even claim that it has saved them. TPRS actually consists of two complementary pedagogical methods: (1) Total Physical Response and (2) Storytelling. Total Physical Response was developed in the 1960s and '70s by James Asher, a professor of psychology at San Jose State University, California, while Storytelling was created in the 1980s and '90s by Blaine Ray, a language teacher from Bakersfield, California. Ray used storytelling to supplement TPR and carry it into more advanced stages of language learning. The author hopes to contribute both to a better understanding of the method and to foster its wider use in German classes since there is so much promise and initial curiosity about TPRS. [more]
Black, Nathan Jeffrey (2012). Developing Dialogic Teaching Identities through Online Video Study Groups, ProQuest LLC. This study explores how teachers narrate and develop their identities through their participation in an online video study group. Participants are six public school world language teachers using "Teaching Proficiency through Reading and Storytelling" (TPRS) methodology who live in geographically diverse regions of the United States but work together by means of an online interface to present, watch and discuss video excerpts of each other's teaching. The identity construct employed in the study is grounded in the socio-cultural framework which holds that identity is developed through interaction and foregrounds the importance of narratives in arranging and restructuring teachers' identities. The study employs Bamberg's positioning analysis (Bamberg, 2004) to understand the narrative positioning moves made between group members together with a Bakhtinian dialogical framework to interpret how the interactions between group members over a period of several months work to both constitute their social environments and are in turn influenced by them. Particular emphasis is given to Bakhtin's construct of "ideological becoming" to identify the ways in which teachers use discourse to organize their teaching practices, group interactions and directions for future growth (Bakhtin & Holquist, 1981; Bakhtin, Holquist, & Emerson, 1986). Research findings of the study include a better understanding of the ways in which narrative is used as a tool to accomplish interactive goals and establish identity, as well as an increased understanding of the ways in which familiarity with common discursive communities both enables and constrains group interaction. The study additionally notes the lack of current research on online video study groups to support in-service teacher professional development and considers the impact of increasing such initiatives on teacher development. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.%5D [more]
Cantoni, Gina P. (). Using TPR-Storytelling To Develop Fluency and Literacy in Native American Languages.. This paper discusses total physical response storytelling (TPR-S) as a promising approach to teaching a Native American language to Native students who have not learned it at home. TPR-S is an extension of James Asher's TPR immersion approach to teaching second languages. It has become very popular with indigenous teachers because it allows students to be active learners, produces quick results, and does not involve the use of textbooks. After vocabulary has been learned using TPR, TPR-S strategies utilize that vocabulary by incorporating it into stories that students hear, act out, retell, read, and write. Subsequent stories introduce additional vocabulary in meaningful contexts. TPR-S is an interactive learner-centered process that keeps the stress of performing at a minimum and that makes use of the pedagogical strategies of scaffolding and cooperative learning. While TPR strategies develop only receptive language skills, TPR-S also promotes language production. TPR-S emphasizes a positive, collaborative, and supportive classroom climate in which Native children can develop increasingly complex skills in speaking, reading, and writing their tribal language. In addition, the stories, illustrations, and audio cassettes that students can produce in TPR-S are a valuable addition to the scarce pool of Native language materials available today. Contains 18 references. [more]
Marsh, Valeri (1998). Total Physical Response Storytelling: A Communicative Approach to Language Learning, Learning Languages. Describes total physical response storytelling, which provides the critical vehicle–storytelling–for utilizing and expanding vocabulary. High-interest stories contextualize the vocabulary, enabling students to hear and see a story and then to act out, revise, and rewrite. A brief outline of the sequence of steps for using TPR storytelling in foreign-language classrooms is provided. [more]
Wilkerson, Carol, Ed. (2008). Languages for the Nation. Dimension 2008. Selected Proceedings of the 2008 Joint Conference of the Southern Conference on Language Teaching and the South Carolina Foreign Language Teachers' Association, Southern Conference on Language Teaching. "Dimension" is the annual volume containing the selected, refereed, edited Proceedings of each year's conference. The Southern Conference on Language Teaching (SCOLT), held its annual conference, April 3-5, 2008, at the Springmaid Beach Resort and Conference Center, in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, in collaboration with the South Carolina Foreign Language Teachers' Association (SCFLTA). The SCOLT Board of Directors chose as this year's theme, "Languages for the Nation," because it suggested opportunities for language professionals to develop presentations on a wide array of topics. Those whose presentations were approved were given the opportunity to submit an abstract for an article for possible inclusion in "Dimension 2008." The articles selected for the present volume treat topics of interest to language teachers in a variety of ways. Some provide updates on timely issues of interest to the profession; others shed light on significant topics that are occasionally overlooked; and a few provide novel treatments of familiar subjects. Following an introduction by editors C. Maurice Cherry and Carol Wilkerson, the articles selected for this volume are: (1) Drama in the Classroom and Improved Academic Performance (Dennis R. Miller, Jr.); (2) An Analysis of the Teaching Proficiency Through Reading and Storytelling (TPRS) Method (David Alley and Denise Overfield); (3) Technoconstructivism and the Millennial Generation: Creative Writing in the Foreign Language Classroom (Edwina Spodark); (4) Technology for Oral Assessment (Patricia Early and Peter B. Swanson); (5) The Teacher Work Sample in Foreign Language Education (Marat Sanatullov); (6) Connecting a Standards-Based Curriculum with Student Performance and Assessment (Rosalie Cheatham); (7) The National Security Language Initiative and Less Commonly Taught Languages (Elvira Sanatullova-Allison); and (8) The Belgian Connection (Lisa Signori). [more]
Reyhner, Jon, Ed.; Cantoni, Gina, Ed.; St. Clair, Robert N., Ed.; Yazzie, Evangeline Parsons, Ed. (). Revitalizing Indigenous Languages. Papers presented at the Annual Stabilizing Indigenous Languages Symposium (5th, Louisville, KY, May 15-16, 1998).. This volume of conference papers examines issues and approaches in the revitalization of American Indian and other indigenous languages. Sections discuss obstacles and opportunities for language revitalization, language revitalization efforts and approaches, the role of writing in language revitalization, and using technology in language revitalization. Following an introduction, "Some Basics of Indigenous Language Revitalization" (Jon Reyhner), the 11 papers are: (1) "Some Rare and Radical Ideas for Keeping Indigenous Languages Alive" (Richard Littlebear); (2) "Running the Gauntlet of an Indigenous Language Program" (Steve Greymorning); (3) "Sm'algyax Language Renewal: Prospects and Options" (Daniel S. Rubin); (4) "Reversing Language Shift: Can Kwak'wala Be Revived?" (Stan J. Anonby); (5) "Using TPR-Storytelling To Develop Fluency and Literacy in Native American Languages" (Gina P. Cantoni); (6) "Documenting and Maintaining Native American Languages for the 21st Century: The Indiana University Model" (Douglas R. Parks, Julia Kushner, Wallace Hooper, Francis Flavin, Delilah Yellow Bird, Selena Ditmar); (7) "The Place of Writing In Preserving an Oral Language" (Ruth Bennett, Pam Mattz, Silish Jackson, Harold Campbell); (8) "Indigenous Language Codification: Cultural Effects" (Brian Bielenberg); (9) "Enhancing Language Material Availability Using Computers" (Mizuki Miyashita, Laura A. Moll); (10) "The New Mass Media and the Shaping of Amazigh Identity" (Amar Almasude); and (11) "Self-Publishing Indigenous Language Materials" (Robert N. St. Clair, John Busch, B. Joanne Webb). Contains references in most papers, author profiles, and a poem, "Repatriated Bones, Unrepatriated Spirits" (Richard Littlebear). [more]