Teaching pronunciation to ESOL students is as fraught with challenges as negotiating a 3-D maze. This slideshow presents my approach, and gives a few tips.

1. By Howard Gaukrodger PhD

2.  Ask your students…
 Ask yourself…
 Ask your boss…
 Consult the reference books…
 Is the answer the same?
Ensure the same understanding
30/05/2013Howard Gaukrodger PhD, NetSalience Ltd 2

3.  Pronunciation is a complex matrix of
interwoven skills and emotions …
… yet it is so simple
 much of it you can do without opening
your mouth
30/05/2013Howard Gaukrodger PhD, NetSalience Ltd 3

4.  Why do you want to teach pronunciation?
 Have you the skills to teach pronunciation?
 Which pronunciation do you teach -
English, American, Scottish, Welsh, Indian…
 What does your institution want to achieve?
 What do the students want to achieve?
30/05/2013Howard Gaukrodger PhD, NetSalience Ltd 4
Work towards the same goals

5.  Motivation
 Context
 Body language/facial expression
 Articulation
 Listening
 Observing (the mechanics of production)
 Breathing
 Confidence and cultural factors
 Interdependent / variable factors, e.g. vowel
harmony
30/05/2013Howard Gaukrodger PhD, NetSalience Ltd 5

6.  Teaching pronunciation requires:
◦ rationale and support
◦ sacrifice of other teaching targets
◦ marketing
◦ realistic goals; time
◦ teacher-training (pedagogical and
technological)
◦ technological resources
30/05/2013Howard Gaukrodger PhD, NetSalience Ltd 6

7.  Keep to the time
 Use words that students know
 Use simple, insignificant constructions
 Identify the sound(s) to teach
 Exemplify the variations of the sound in
contexts
 Remove focus from the teacher
 Observe, model, practise, alternate contexts
and moods
30/05/2013Howard Gaukrodger PhD, NetSalience Ltd 7

8.  Appraisal - continuous assessment
 Log book and wall chart
 Exploit students’ interest in ICT for content
 Maximise student-talking-time
 Use Web: articulation, intonation, phonetics
 Do live exercises outside classroom (e.g.
shops)
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9.  Discussion (to practise intonation)
 Backs against the wall (students need to shout)
 Ear-plugs (to practise articulation /
enunciation)
 Mirrors (to assess own articulation)
 Candles, feathers (to teach plosives)
 Body language (to accompany sounds)
 Selective hearing (to identify
sounds/subtleties)
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10.  Café duty
 (Panto)mime
 Drama / role play
 Music – a vowel sound continuum
 Singing
 The balloon game
 ICT games
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11.  The devil of teacher-talking-time
 Mixing tasks
 Over-zealous students
 Lack of aims, context and motivation
 Mouse-like students
 Monotony / Pace / Focus
30/05/2013Howard Gaukrodger PhD, NetSalience Ltd 11

12. 30/05/2013Howard Gaukrodger PhD, NetSalience Ltd 12
Howard is a multilinguist who has taught English since 1985.
He was invited to make this presentation for the professional development of
teachers of ESOL at a higher education institution in NZ.
Skype: howard.gaukrodger (GMT+12)