By Ana Paula Biazon Rocha and Victor Medina Soares
As the IATEFL 2022 conference in Belfast approaches (17 May-20 May), PronSIG gets ready for two amazing events: our Pre-Conference Event (PCE) on 16 May (Mon) and our Showcase Day on 19 May (Thu). Our PCE will be hybrid, meaning you will be able to join us face to face in Belfast or online wherever you are in the world. Click here to learn more about it and register.
Our PCE will be about pronunciation and the four skills: reading, listening, writing and speaking. For that, we will bring together the ‘dream team’ of pronunciation, four speakers who really know their craft: Robin Walker, Christine Goh, Adam Scott and Mark Hancock. Sometimes we teachers may get lost in the vast ELT world, wondering about people we can learn from and who can inspire us. Thus, in this post, we will get to know more about our four wonderful speakers, whom you should definitely follow.
1. Robin Walker
A well-known figure in ELT for more than 40 years and a member of PronSIG, Walker always fascinates us with his straightforward ideas and examples about pronunciation teaching. He has published several articles and presented numerous webinars, such as Intelligi…. Sorry, what did you say? for PronSIG in June 2020. His reference book, Teaching the Pronunciation of English as a Lingua Franca (OUP, 2010), helps us understand what English as a Lingua Franca means and provides us with great insights into how to deal with it in the classroom. Recently, along with EE-Ling Low and Jane Setter, he co-authored the position paper, English Pronunciation for a Global World (OUP, 2021), a must-read and a paramount resource about pronunciation for English teachers worldwide. In our PCE, Walker will talk about pronunciation and reading, which we rarely hear about but that makes total sense and can really benefit our students. You can learn more about and from Walker on his website. Last but not least, this will be Walker’s last session because he will be retiring after it, so it will definitely be something really special. We from PronSIG are looking forward to it, and hopefully, so are you!
2. Christine Goh
Christine Goh has been in ELT for more than 30 years and is a well-recognised expert in teaching listening and speaking. Two of Goh’s books are core readings in many Cambridge CELTA and DELTA preparation courses around the world: Teaching Speaking: A Holistic Approach, written by Goh and Anne Burns (2012, CUP), takes us through the L2 speaking journey, from what speaking entails to how to design and conduct speaking tasks in class and assess our learners’ speaking; Teaching and Learning Second Language Listening: Metacognition in Action (2011, Routledge), written by Goh and Larry Vandergrift, clearly establishes how we should teach listening rather than testing it, and how metacognitive strategies enable learners to reflect on the process of listening in order to improve it. In our PCE, she will examine the strong link between pronunciation and listening, potentially one of the most challenging aspects for our students. You can learn more about and from Goh by checking her numerous articles here.
3. Adam Scott
One of PronSIG’s coordinators, Scott is a teacher educator, teacher-researcher and materials writer who is currently an ELT Specialist at Sensations English. He is known for his great work developing inclusive, high-quality and evidence-based materials. Throughout his career, he has focused on pronunciation and phonology and has helped teachers improve their practices when teaching Young Learners, a lovely age group to work with, and who should be guided to notice the differences between sounds and spelling in English. In our PCE, Scott will help us understand how the teaching of phonics can support the development of student’s awareness of the connection between pronunciation and writing. However, his insights will not only help us work with young learners, but also stimulate us to adapt and incorporate them into our teaching of teenagers and adults as well, definitely a win-win situation! You can check Scott’s profile and get in touch with him here.
4. Mark Hancock
Probably the number one pronunciation expert that comes to mind of many English teachers around the world, Hancock shows us how pronunciation teaching and learning can be extremely fun. When students enjoy what they are doing, they are much more likely to learn. Have you ever used any of his mazes, rhymes, puzzles and games in class? Pronunciation Journey is certainly a referential activity/game in terms of pronunciation teaching. If you have never tried it with your learners, you must! Hancock has written core books such as Pronunciation Games (CUP, 1995), the PronPack Series (2017, Hancock McDonald ELT) and 50 Tips for Teaching Pronunciation (CUP, 2020), which are definitely worth having a look at. In addition, he has been collaborating with PronSIG for a long time (you can watch Hancock’s Ask the Expert session in March 2021 here). In our PCE, he will discuss the pivotal relationship between pronunciation and speaking, undeniably one of the ultimate goals of communicative classes. You can learn more about and from Hancock on his website.
There is so much to take in from Walker, Goh, Scott and Hancock, but we hope you will be greatly inspired by them when honing your pronunciation teaching skills. Our PCE will be unmissable, and we hope to see you there, virtually or face to face. So don’t forget to register and download the PCE Programme.
Our PronSIG blog also offers loads of discussion and practical tips on teaching pronunciation, so check it out. Finally, please follow PronSIG on social media and leave your comments below.
