I approached this year's IATEFL conference amongst a number of personal aims, i of which was to explore the surface area of pronunciation. So I was pleased that on my rattling offset twenty-four threescore minutes menses at the MaWSIG PCE, Laura Patsko was giving a session on Creating effective pronunciation materials.
As a novice teacher, I retrieve skipping over the pronunciation activities inwards the coursebook because I exactly had no thought what to produce amongst them. Some 25 years on, it's withal an surface area of linguistic communication teaching that, rather to my shame, I tend to avoid. So when I was lately asked to include pronunciation activities inwards exactly about materials I was writing, I was rattling pleased to possess got Laura to autumn dorsum on for feedback in addition to advice. Her comments therefore proved invaluable in addition to her MaWSIG verbalise inspired me amongst fifty-fifty to a greater extent than confidence to tackle pronunciation inwards the future.
Why learn pronunciation?
Laura started off past times talking almost why teaching pronunciation is of import in addition to explaining that beyond helping students amongst spoken intelligibility, a focus on pronunciation tin assist students amongst other skills too: listening, writing, spelling, etc. There's clearly a link betwixt something similar spelling in addition to pronunciation, but fifty-fifty when it comes to grammer in addition to vocabulary, she pointed out that students sometimes avoid producing sure words or structures merely because they notice the pronunciation tricky. I know that's something I'm for sure guilty of inwards other languages I speak!
Market demands vs. marketplace needs
As amongst other areas of linguistic communication teaching, pronunciation tin throw upwardly a mismatch betwixt what teachers (and students) tell they wishing in addition to what they powerfulness genuinely need. One telephone substitution number is the widespread wishing from teachers to brand their students audio to a greater extent than native-like. But every bit Laura pointed out that's merely non how most English linguistic communication users speak in addition to it may non fifty-fifty last a desirable model. Whilst accent in addition to intelligibility are linked, they are definitely NOT the same thing. In fact, monolingual native English linguistic communication speakers are oftentimes the to the lowest degree intelligible inwards an international, English linguistic communication every bit a glossa franca (ELF) context. She suggested that including a multifariousness of voices inwards materials that are clear but demonstrate dissimilar accents would much ameliorate fix students for the form of English linguistic communication users they powerfulness genuinely run across inwards the existent world, every bit good every bit providing to a greater extent than achievable models. Always having solely native speaker, RP models traps teachers in addition to students inwards an ideological cycle, where it becomes what they facial expression in addition to demand inwards their linguistic communication lessons, regardless of whether it's genuinely useful. Persuading teachers in addition to students to motion away from this though is something of a boundary of faith in addition to needs to last backed upwardly amongst good, solid, supportive teaching materials.
Principles for pronunciation materials
Laura made the next practical suggestions for writing pronunciation activities:
- position appropriate priorities, peculiarly for students inwards an ELF context
- position which marketplace you're writing for in addition to if possible, accept into work concern human relationship the L1 of the students every bit this has a huge influence on pronunciation
- distinguish betwixt receptive in addition to productive contexts in addition to mean value almost moving from reception (raising awareness of pronunciation features) onto production
- include a multifariousness of authentic accents (don't larn actors to set on accents!)
- mean value carefully almost the wording of rubrics - instructions similar "we say" tin last divisive in addition to are oftentimes exactly unnecessary
- brand sure that pronunciation is given equal billing to other areas of language. Relegating it to lilliputian boxes at the bottom of the page or leaving it out of review sections tin laissez passer on the impression that it's less of import in addition to is somehow expendable!
Support for teachers
Many teachers, myself included, avoid pronunciation activities because they're non sure how to bargain amongst them. Laura stressed the importance of providing sufficient back upwardly for teachers via teacher's notes. By giving teachers to a greater extent than guidance on how to evaluate pronunciation, what to head for in addition to laissez passer on feedback on, in addition to clear explanations of specific pronunciation features, they'll experience to a greater extent than confident almost including it inwards their lessons.
In the finally business office of Laura's session, nosotros worked through a number of practical activities to larn us thinking almost how to set together pron materials. I won't portion these hither because they're all inwards Laura's fantastic lilliputian ebook "How to Write Pronunciation Activities", therefore yous tin decease in addition to purchase it for yourself ... I already have! Also banking concern check out her website ELF Pron for to a greater extent than ideas in addition to resources.
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