Help To Develop Pronunciation Fluency To Your EFL Students: Step-To-Step Guide
5th May 2023
This is the perfect era to become a TEFL teacher because there’s a huge demand from all over the world to learn English. According to ling-app.com, English ranks at the top of the list of most desired second languages people want to learn.
Source: https://ling-app.com/tips/language-learning-statistics
However, learning the English language comes up with it’s own set of challenges and learning pronunciation is one of them. As a TEFL/TESOL teacher, you might have completed courses like bachelor of education in TESOL, where you get all the ideas and strategies on how to make all the learning aspects easier for your EFL students. However, we have created a helpful guide which has several tips for teaching pronunciation in ESL classes, which will surely make your teaching easier.
So, without any delay let’s deep dive into the topic for which you are here.
Importance of learning pronunciation
It’s vital for all language learners to attain reasonable proficiency in pronunciation if they’re going to be understood by native speakers. There are two components to consider:
1. Intonation:
Intonation is the natural rise and fall of the voice which allows a native speaker to know where a sentence ends and the next sentence starts.
2. Articulation:
Articulation is the way we use the different parts of our vocal and articulatory apparatus to form speech sounds. Mispronouncing words is often caused by incorrect articulation.
If pronunciation is poor, the student is unlikely to be understood; verbs, pronouns, and conjunctions can easily be misconstrued if the student does not have good pronunciation. Therefore, pronunciation is an extremely important skill for EFL students to learn.
Challenges of Teaching Pronunciation to EFL Students
Teaching pronunciation to English as a Foreign Language learners can often be challenging, especially if the native language of the student is quite different from English.
Here are three of the biggest challenges you may face:
1. Motivation:
It can be difficult to get students to be motivated to practice their pronunciation because it does not come quite as easily as grammar or vocabulary. As the teacher, it is up to you to come up with creative and engaging games and activities to keep your students interested.
2. Accents:
To be able to pronounce English correctly, it requires a lot of practice and a significant change in pronunciation habits. For students with a strong lilt or accent, it can be more challenging to rid themselves of it, and it can be a huge obstacle in progress. It might also require a tailored approach from the teacher.
3. Unfamiliar Sounds:
Non-native English students may not be familiar with certain English sounds and find them difficult to replicate. As a teacher, you may need to take some extra steps to explain to students the mechanics of the speech organs such as the lips, throat, tongue, and jaw in order for them to produce the sound visibly.
Proven Tips for Teaching Pronunciation in ESL Classes ---
1. Rhythm-Based Games:
Rhythm-based games can be both fun and effective in teaching pronunciation. Such activities can help students with their intonation and flow, including rhythm, articulation, and general pronunciation of the language.
2. Visual Aids:
Visual aids such as flashcards and diagrams can be used to explain the pronunciation of a specific sound; this can help students understand the visual element of producing certain sounds better.
It can help students focus on the mechanical production of sound. For example, many of the IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) symbols are related to how the face is assembled or how the vocal cords work in order to produce certain sounds.
3. Mimicking Dialogues:
An effective way to teach good pronunciation is through mimicking dialogues. You can give the students a script or a video clip to listen to and imitate the speaker. This is an exceedingly interactive way to help students practice their pronunciation and acquire a correct rhythm.
4. Regular Revision:
Like any language study, Pronunciation needs to be revised multiple times in order to become natural to the student. As the teacher, you should set up regular sessions to revise pronunciation in order to make sure that the student has grasped the pronunciation.
Make Learning Pronunciation Easy for Your EFL Students
Pronunciation is a key element in acquiring fluency and accuracy in the English language. It is essential to spend the time and effort to ensure that the pronunciation of a language is correct.
You might have known this already while you’ve completed courses like Bachelor of Education in TESOL. However, in this blog, we included many activities, aids, and tips for teaching pronunciation in ESL classes, with thatteachers can use to help teach and ensure correct pronunciation of English.
Thus, by investing in pronunciation teaching, you can help your students become proficient and accurate in their use of the English language.