Pronunciation Teaching: Techniques and Practical Training TEFL Workshop, September 1, 2011 Presented by Marla Yoshida Warm-up for false, Are these statements about the pronunciation of English true or false? Circle “T” for true, “F” or about your answers with your group. “?” if you’re not sure. Talk T F ? Teaching and learning pronunciation is boring. It’s just endless “repeat after me.” T F ? Speech sounds can be divided into two types: consonants and vowels. T F ? English has five vowel sounds, or sometimes six. T F ? In some ways, pronunciation is like music. T F ? Native speakers of English can be good pronunciation teachers. T F ? Non-native speakers of English can be good pronunciation teachers. General advice about teaching pronunciation Keep it simple. Use technical language as little as possible, and only when it’s helpful. just tell. Use visual or tactile aids to help students understand. Show, don’t Choral repetition is a valuable kind of practice, but one. Explore other ways to it’s not the only practice: Dialogs, minimal pair practice, role plays, information gaps, chants, and games. Communicative practice is helpful in teaching pronunciation. You can find many good pronunciation teaching resources on the Internet, expect them but don’t to do your teaching for the teacher. you. You’re still Think about your lesson from the of view. Will it seem confusing? Will they get students’ point bored? Will they have plenty of chances to practice? Most importantly, will it really help them improve their pronunciation? Keep learning. Read about pronunciation and teaching, find new practice activities and methods, and work to improve your own pronunciation.
Pronunciation Teaching: Techniques and Practical Training TEFL Workshop, September 1, 2011 Presented by Marla Yoshida Warm-up Are these statements about the pronunciation of English true or false? Circle “T” for true, “F” for false, or “?” if you’re not sure. Talk about your answers with your group. T F ? Teaching and learning pronunciation is boring. It’s just endless “repeat after me.” T F ? Speech sounds can be divided into two types: consonants and vowels. T F ? English has five vowel sounds, or sometimes six. T F ? In some ways, pronunciation is like music. T F ? Native speakers of English can be good pronunciation teachers. T F ? Non-native speakers of English can be good pronunciation teachers. General advice about teaching pronunciation Keep it simple. Use technical language as little as possible, and only when it’s helpful. Show, don’t just tell. Use visual or tactile aids to help students understand. Choral repetition is a valuable kind of practice, but it’s not the only one. Explore other ways to practice: Dialogs, minimal pair practice, role plays, information gaps, chants, and games. Communicative practice is helpful in teaching pronunciation. You can find many good pronunciation teaching resources on the Internet, but don’t expect them to do your teaching for you. You’re still the teacher. Think about your lesson from the students’ point of view. Will it seem confusing? Will they get bored? Will they have plenty of chances to practice? Most importantly, will it really help them improve their pronunciation? Keep learning. Read about pronunciation and teaching, find new practice activities and methods, and work to improve your own pronunciation.
Handout-Pronunciation%20workshop%20August%202011.docx