I employed the TPRS method of teaching in a German 8 class so that I could help the students to improve their listening and speaking skills. I told the story of my family and described the members thereof in detail. As the tale was being told, students were asked formative questions that they had to answer. I encouraged the use of the target language, German, in the answers, but students were allowed to respond in English. This activity benefits students in need of developing listening skills which is a foundational skill of a language since it is a requisite skill of speaking and since it is normally the first skill taught in a language.
The students in the case of this TPRS episode understood well and were motivated. However, they barely spoke in German throughout the duration of the activity mainly because their skill level with the language is low. Furthermore, the students were often uncertain of the meanings of the words in English. Therefore, if a student knew, for example, that my mother is ‘klein’ (‘short’) because of a past comment made, but were uncertain what ‘klein’ meant, he or she might say ‘She’s short’ when asked how my mother looks. In doing so, he or she is confirming that the word ‘klein’ means ‘short’. In many cases, students needed that confirmation in order to feel assured about their comprehension of the material. Given the fact that the level of German in grade 8 is naturally basic, I was quite happy with the results of this particular activity. If I were to teach these students again in a year or two in German, I would demand that they speak more German and less English so that they begin to practice speaking and cease in using English as a crutch.
I have added a link to a video of the TPRS in action in my German classroom: