Activity B (optional activity)

Total Physical Response

Tutors will understand how the technique works because they will be put in the position of second language learners.

Why choose this activity?

This technique gives tutors a concrete listening activity to use. It also lets them experience learning vocabulary in another language. However, this technique is more appropriate for beginner English learners.

Option 1 Demonstration using the Shona language

Why choose this option?

Ruth J. Colvin and Ezekial Makunike of Zambia and Zimbabwe, Africa, developed this activity using Shona, an African tribal language that should be unfamiliar to most tutors. These demonstrations in a language they don’t know will help give tutors the “feel” of learning a new language. Embedded in the Total Physical Response activity are the drills of repetition, substitution and physical response.

The activity comes from English as a Second Language Trainer’s Guide: 18-Hour Core Tutor Training by V. K. Lawson ( 995), published by New Readers Press, a division of ProLiteracy Worldwide, and used with permission.

Please note: Even if you don’t speak Shona, you can do these demonstrations.

Overview of this option

This activity has several separate components:

  • listening
  • substitution (listening)
  • following directions (comprehension check and physical response)
  • speaking, repetition and substitution
  • reading
  • writing

The first three form the core of this activity and must be completed. The second
three are optional. You can use them if you would like to extend the experience.

Shona pronunciation

Here is some help on Shona pronunciation. There are two major tones in Shona. One is in a lower key that will be represented by your normal speaking tone in this activity. The other is in a higher key that will be represented by using a higher tone than normal. Each syllable may have one, two, or three consonants, but only one vowel. Use the higher tone whenever you see an accent mark above a syllable; otherwise use your normal voice.

The following suggestions for pronunciation are approximate:
a = ah (as in paw)
e = a (as in make)
i = e (as in feet)
o = o (as in no)
u = oo (as in moon)

Variation

You can do this activity without the syllable tonal changes.