NTPRS 2017

Day 1: Spark the Brain, Ignite Acquisition and Happy Circling

1. Chinese Demo: What does TCI based instruction look like in action?

The purpose of the demo lesson is to offer the participants in the Chinese track an opportunity to see a TCI practitioner in action, and to reflect on how they might apply what they see to their own practice. This is an hour-long session. The participants will observe how the presenter sets up her classroom rules and demo’s TPR, circling, and personalized questions and answers (PQA). In addition, she will demonstrate how to create a multi-platform in order to provide multi-sensory input.

*Call for participants who are interested in acquiring Chinese!

2. TPRS and the Brain:

Comprehensible Input-based instruction is based upon the theory of language acquisition, while other instructional approaches are based on the brain’s ability to memorize and apply rules. We begin by informing participants about Krashen’s theory of language acquisition and how it applies to Teaching Proficiency through Reading and Storytelling.

3. Introduce Students to the TPRS Classroom:

Both teacher and students will be adjusting to new skills and expectations in the classroom. This part of the day will provide participants with the knowledge necessary to set up a Comprehensible Input-based classroom, assign classroom jobs, and out expectations.

4. The Power of Total Physical Response:

Human beings evolved from creatures, which were in constant motion and
our brains evolved accordingly. Modern day learning, often limited to a confined space with limited motion, doesn’t always work with what our brain is best at. Using actions to create active learning ignites students’ brains and sets their brains on fire! This part of the day will begin with participants as students and then lead them to practice implementing TPR as they would with their own students.

5. Transition to Stories:

Many researchers have also shown that creating mini-drama and using storytelling can effectively lower students’ affective filter, positively impacting student-learning outcomes. The presenter will demonstrate, in Chinese, how to easily and quickly turn actions into a meaningful, interesting and engaging story.

6. Incorporate the Skill of Circling:

Lastly, the presenter will break the circling questioning technique down into bite size pieces to empower participants with cognitive understanding and muscle memories. Incorporating circling into the participants’ skill set will allow them to provide repeated, varied and interesting input to their students and is a key skill for novice practitioners.