TPR Storytelling is a foreign language teaching methodology that was invented by Blaine Ray of Bakersfield, California. TPR Storytelling (TPRS) teachers tell personalized stories in their foreign language or English as a Second language classrooms as their students act those stories out.

Karen Rowan is an author and speaker on comprehension based language acquisition teaching methodologies including Total Physical Response (TPR®), Story Based Methods, Story-Asking and Reading. Her presentations are based on the research and teachings of Dr. Stephen Krashen, co-creator of the Natural Approach and Dr. James Asher, inventor of TPR. Karen is the author of TPR Stories for Paso a paso I (2000), TPR Stories for Paso a paso II (2001) and TPR Stories for Realidades I (2004) and TPR Stories for Realidades II (2009), all published by Pearson Prentice Hall (formerly Scott Foresman). She co-authored TPRS® Gestures and Mini-Situations for Look, I Can Talk More with Blaine Ray (2001), and edited Look, I'm Really Talking by Joe Neilson and Blaine Ray.

Von Ray and Karen Rowan presented a TPRS® workshop together in Denver last July

Since 1996 Karen has been training and coaching teachers and presenting workshops on adapting the textbook to comprehension based methods.. She worked as a workshop presenter of Blaine Ray Workshops from 1996 through 2008 and started her own business, Karen Rowan Workshops, Inc., in 1998. She now teaches adult language classes through Fluency Fast Language Classes, www.FluencyFast.com.

Karen was also the conference chair for the National TPR Storytelling Conference from 2001-2005.. She is now working with the International Forum on Language Teaching, (www.iFLT.org) under conference director Diana Noonan and in collaboration with Jason Fritze, Dr. Steve Krashen and Project Coach. She is excited to bring years of experience with a national conference to iFLT as the director of the Fluency Fast classes that will be presented pre-conference and during the conference.

Karen has taught Spanish since 1995 at both public and private schools in Colorado Springs. As the foreign language department chair at The Colorado Springs School she co-created and implemented a Pre-school through 12 TPRS® curriculum based on the Colorado State Standards and taught 8th-12th grade Spanish classes. From 2000-2002 she served a two-year term on the CCFLT board of directors. Karen has a BA in Spanish from The Colorado College and an MA in Spanish and pedagogy from the University of Northern Colorado.

In January 2009 she became the owner of Fluency Fast Language Classes, Inc., which has presented classes in Russian, Spanish, French, German, English, Mandarin and Arabic. Teachers who completed the Fluency Fast Level I teacher training in the Summer of 2009 are now teaching all over the world. www.fluencyfast.com

Karen is also the editor of The International Journal of Foreign Language Teaching, a peer-reviewed scholarly journal containing current research on language acquisition theory.

Her most recent book, Las Aventuras de Isabela, a beginning reader with a 200 word vocabulary is available through Fluency Fast in Spanish. The English version is available on-line for free to language programs teaching English within the U.S. and internationally.

She travels between Costa Rica and the U.S. alternately writing new readers and teaching language classes for Fluency Fast.

 

 

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TPR Storytelling is a foreign language teaching methodology that was invented by Blaine Ray of Bakersfield, California. TPR Storytelling (TPRS) teachers tell personalized stories in their foreign language or English as a Second language classrooms as their students act those stories out.

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