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stress-free as possibłe. The TPR classroom, then, is one in which leamers do a great deal of listening and acting.

2.6.2.I. A wide initial tolerance for errors

Perhaps one of the most fundamental differeńces between TPR and morę traditional approaches iś that the traditional approaches do not view speech as a developmental process. Most teachers, who hołd the view that speech can be taught, feel justified in expecting the leamers to produce almost errorless speech right from the firśt or second day of class. But as Asher points out, it is exactly this attitude on the part of the teachers that produces the intense stress, with the result that the leamers acquire negative feelińgs towards the language, becoming discouraged, urtinterested, and afraid to speak.

In contrast, Asher's model allowś a wide initial tolerance for ertors, sińce the principal goal is -spontaneous communication. This wide tolerance for errors helps create a climate withóut stress, the climate necessary for leaming a foreign language. The leamers, no longer worried about making mistakes and appeaiing foolish in front of their teacher and classmates, lose their inhibitiońs and begin to Speak. Of course, their comifiunicatión, like that of a child learning to talk, is on an eleiiientary level and iś fuli of grammatical and phonological errórs. After the leamers have achieved a ćertain ability to understand and. to make' themselves understood, the teacher can’ begin to narrow his tolerance for errors. At this point the leamers will be confident in their ability to use the language as a tool of communication, and they thertiselves will want to perfect their speech.

2.Ó.2.2. Moyeińent

In additipn to the tolerance for errors that produces the high level of motivation, there is a dynamie instructional methodology inherent in the model. There is nothing static about classes based on TPR. The principal characteristic is movement. TPR heavily utilises the imperative mood eveh into morę advanced proficiency levels. Commands are an easy way to get, leamers to move about and to loosen up. No verbal response is necessary. Reacting to the commands of the teacher and classmates develops a high degree of fluency in listening comprehension, and subseąuently in speaking. Asher defines fluency or linguistic flexibility as the ability to understand novel utterances, the recombination of familiar elements into new sentences.

The generał objectives of TPR are to teach the spoken language to beginning-level students. Comprehension precedes production, and specific objectives are not elaborated. The syllabus is sentence-based, primarily lexical and grammatical. Teaching may proceed without materials. Materials play a primary supplementary role (word charts, slides, pictures) and are teacher-produced.

Total Physical Response, like other methods, has its limitations. As mentioned above, it seems to be especially effective in the beginning levels of language proficiency. Then, however, it looses its distinctiveness as learners advance in their language competence. After students have overcome the fear of speaking out, classroom conversations and other activities proceed as in almost any other language classroom.

Total Physical Response is a language teaching method developed by Asher in which items are presented in the foreign language as orders, commands, and instructions reąuiring a physical response from the leamer (e.g. opening a window or standing up). This is thought to lead to morę meanineful and effective learning. (Richards 1992:385)

2.7. The Silent Way 2.7.1. Background

The Silent way or method is uniąue among FLT methodologies. It is not only because the teacher is silent morę than ninety per cent

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