Beyond “Repeat after Me” Teaching Pronunciation with Imagination

We need to do more than simply teach rules and use mechanical drills. Next slide First slide How can we teach pronunciation effectively?

Next slide First slide Balance and variety Individual sounds vs. the musical aspects of pronunciation Simple repetition is fine, but we also need meaningful or communicative activities Use a wide range of techniques. Teach real speech patterns and use authentic materials as much as possible. Include some practice activities that promote accuracy and some that promote fluency. You don’t have to concentrate on both in every activity.

Next slide First slide Fluency-building techniques Speaking activities can also be good for pronunciation practice. For example: The Onion Activity.

Try using games that get students to speak freely. (“Lace” them with sounds you want to practice.”) Next slide First slide Fluency-building techniques

Visual: Let students see how to pronounce sounds through pictures and diagrams demonstrations (live/on video) models (like giant teeth) phonemic alphabets colors Multisensory reinforcement techniques Next slide First slide

Next slide First slide Multisensory reinforcement techniques Auditory: Choral and individual repetition Memory pegs: an image or phrase connected to the sound

Next slide First slide Multisensory reinforcement techniques Tactile: Use the sense of touch. Stretch rubber bands to represent word stress. A feather shows aspiration of stops. Hand on throat to feel the vibration of the vocal cords Play a kazoo to feel intonation patterns

Marsha Chan: Using Your Hands to Teach Pronunciation Millicent Alexander: Pronouncercizing Next slide First slide Multisensory reinforcement techniques Kinesthetic: Hand and body movements to help learners understand how pronunciation works. Body movements to represent sounds and suprasegmental features.

Plays, skits, and role plays Many students feel more comfortable trying out new sounds or intonation patterns when they are pretending to be someone else. Puppets can also be fun for pronunciation practice. Next slide First slide Drama Techniques

1. Choose a short video clip with natural-sounding dialog. 2. Have the students watch the clip to see what’s happening. 3. Watch the clip again, marking intonation, pauses, etc. 4. Have students practice the dialog with a partner. 5. Play the clip again. Students speak the dialog with the characters, trying to sound just like the characters. Next slide First slide Shadowing and Mirroring Script Beast:Belle, / are you / happy here with me? Belle:Yes. Beast:What is it? Belle:If only I could see my father again, / just for a moment. // I miss him so much!

Games Games can give students practice in a fun way. BINGO Next slide First slide

Authentic materials Songs Poetry, rhymes, and chants Advertisements, menus, and pictures Cartoons Magazines and newspapers Video clips from movies, TV programs, YouTube, or other online sources Stories, plays, and other literature Next slide First slide

Use your imagination to find new ways to teach pronunciation communicatively and effectively. Next slide First slide