2.1.2. Back to your first language session

Now, back to your session. You will have your LRP give you these instructions in the manner described earlier, namely, starting with two instructions, adding one new one at a time, with considerable repetition, always ordering the instructions randomly so that you will be forced to process what you are hearing and decide what to do in response. You might aim to learn ten or twenty instructions your first day. The vocabulary is likely to be basic, essential vocabulary, so the time is well spent from the standpoint of vocabulary learning. But you will also have helped your LRP to get an idea of how you will be learning during the early weeks. You are trying to get a foothold on the language by getting enough basic vocabulary and sentence patterns to function with as a basic speaker. And you are trying to jump start your learning by becoming thoroughly familiar with a lot of basic vocabulary and sentence patterns.

This system may be a bit complicated for the LRP initially. One good way to train the LRP is to have a second language learner participate with you. I hate doing language learning by myself, anyway. Besides that, you can have a lot more flexibility in communication if there is at least one other person. I enjoy working with my wife. In that case, we have used the following technique with a new LRP. The LRP and I sit facing each other, and my wife stands or sits behind me so that she is visible to the LRP, but not to me. She does the actions, and that is what prompts the LRP to instruct me to do them. A new LRP is unlikely to give twenty repetitions of the instruction “stand up”. But my wife knows that I need that much repetition, and so she prompts the LRP accordingly. She takes care of complicated details like starting out with only two instructions, adding new ones gradually, keeping them in random order, and so on. Whatever she does, the LRP instructs me to do. Eventually the LRP gets the idea. Whenever you use a new variety of TPR you can train your LRP in this manner.

You or the LRP should also keep a written record (either in words or simple drawings) of what you have covered. Otherwise she may forget to keep going back to earlier items while introducing later ones.

At first, the LRP may find the whole business of TPR bizarre. If she is someone who has “tutored” other language learners, she will soon be surprised at your rate of progress compared to others she has helped, and that is likely to encourage her to press on playing games with you. In addition, she is likely to find such language learning sessions fun and interesting, as opposed to dull and boring.

You yourself may have trouble with such activities, feeling that you are being silly or foolish. It may be that some people will simply be unable to get past this, and will prefer to learn a language by memorizing sentences and so on. But why don't you give it a try. You may not believe that you can be developing real communication skills through what seems like game-playing. But one expert on how children learn their first language, Jerome Bruner, has observed that game-playing can play a central role in that process (Bruner 1983). Games are fun. Playing games involves less stress than behaving proficiently for real-life purposes. And you really can develop a lot of comprehension ability through game-like activities. In a month or so you can learn to recognize many hundreds of common vocabulary and understand many types of sentences. You can start developing genuine speaking ability, as well. You will then be in a strong position to rapidly become proficient in using the language in a wide variety of real life situations.