by Ana Paula Biazon Rocha and Ashley Louise Brown
The thirtieth anniversary of Mark Hancock’s Pronunciation Games (1995, CUP) was the central theme of PronSIG’s Pre-Conference Event (PCE) on 07 April 2025. Entitled Games and gamification in pronunciation teaching: Bridging theory and practice, our event took place both in person and online, bringing together highly engaged participants for thought-provoking talks, lively discussions, and interactive, fun moments. For those who could not attend, here are key takeaways from the day’s three main presentations.
Session 1: ‘Pronunciation Games: The Making Of’, Mark Hancock
Hancock walked us through the behind-the-scenes story of Pronunciation Games, from the initial idea to its first publication between 1994 and 1995. Inspired by Mario Rinvolucri’s Grammar Games (1985, CUP), Hancock set out to create a resource focused on pronunciation. He not only created all the games himself, based on hexagonal designs, but also drew them from scratch. His father helped him with the illustrations while his sister designed the book cover. Back then, most publishers did not reply to his manuscript, reflecting how overlooked pronunciation was in ELT (English Language Teaching). Fortunately, his proposal was accepted by an editor at Cambridge University Press, who decided to develop it into a publication. For more information about Hancock’s book, check our March blog post.
A core message in Hancock’s session was his insight on how to devise pronunciation games. He emphasised the importance of identifying pronunciation patterns that can be matched or grouped in meaningful ways. The goal of these games is to raise students’ awareness of certain patterns of English pronunciation. For a game to be effective, it should incorporate three key elements: awareness, ability and performance. In other words, it should first help students notice the target pronunciation pattern (awareness), then ensure they have the linguistic tools to engage with it (ability) and finally, provide opportunities to use it in a communicative or playful context (performance). Hancock commonly uses game formats such as mazes, snakes and ladders, stepping stones, and ludo, among others. He recommends that teachers test the games themselves beforehand to ensure they work. For Hancock, gamification adds a fun, enjoyable layer to the basic functioning of the learning activity, enhancing engagement without compromising pedagogical value.
Session 2: ‘Gamification: Rewards and Booby Traps’, Wayne Rimmer
The second PCE session was led by Wayner Rimmer, who is a former PronSIG coordinator. Initially, he outlined three key dimensions of pronunciation methodology: initiative, physical and cognitive. These highlight that pronunciation teaching requires teachers to actively integrate pronunciation into their classroom practice (initiative), helping students become aware of the physical aspects of speech, such as articulation of sounds (physical), and raising learners’ awareness of pronunciation features and their role in effective communication (cognitive). These dimensions are essential because, in Rimmer’s words, ‘pronunciation is something you do’, not just something you talk about.
Image 2: Wayne Rimmer’s session
Another important aspect of Rimmer’s session was the distinction between games and gamification. While games bring elements such as fun, competitiveness, and playfulness into the classroom, usually with clear rules and feedback, gamification refers more broadly to the use of game-like strategies to support learning. As Rimmer commented, ‘we don’t always need it but it’s a positive strategy’ since it can enhance student engagement and motivation. This means there should be a balance between games and gamification; otherwise, the lesson risks becoming either too focused on play without sufficient pedagogical depth, or too rigid and uninspiring without enough learner involvement.
Session 3: ‘Pronunciation Games: The Whole Meal or The Dessert in Pronunciation Teaching’, Ana Paula Biazon Rocha and Victor Hugo Medina Soares
In session 3, PronSIG’s resident blogger Ana Paula Biazon Rocha and Joint Webinar Coordinator Victor Hugo Medina Soares explored the role of pronunciation games in the language classroom. Can games serve as a core component of pronunciation teaching?
A key takeaway was that gamification can enhance the learning experience when applied conscientiously ー that is when games are discernable, integrated, accessible and academically-grounded within the lesson (Clark et al., 2023).
Image 3: Ana Paula Biazon Rocha and Victor Hugo Medina’s session
With this in mind, teachers are encouraged to reflect on the purpose of the game during lesson planning and to ensure feedback is provided afterwards to reinforce learning.
Rocha and Medina then presented a useful framework for integrating games into pronunciation teaching: Celce-Murcia et al.’s Communication Framework for Teaching Pronunciation (2010). For more information about this framework, check this previous blog post. They concluded the session with a hands-on activity from Mark Hancock’s Pronunciation Games (the Stress Maze), to illustrate how well-designed gamified tasks can support pronunciation development.
Image 4: Ana Paula Biazon Rocha and Victor Hugo Medina’s session
This presentation stood out for its practical take-aways, and Rocha and Medina’s seamless execution of the hybrid format, with Rocha presenting in person and Medina joining remotely.
Final thoughts
The 2025 PCE served as both a celebration of Pronunciation Games and a forward-looking exploration of how gamified approaches can enrich pronunciation teaching. Across all three sessions, speakers offered practical insights and theoretical grounding, reaffirming the value of games not just as entertaining add-ons, but as meaningful, motivating tools for learning.
After the three presentations, the fourth and final session of the PCE day was dedicated to Teachers’ tips where four of PronSIG’s members and followers ー Ashley Louise Brown, Laura McIndoo, Beata Walesiak and Gregor Chudoba ー shared a game or gamified technique with us that could be taken into our own classrooms. These will be covered in more detail in upcoming blog posts.
Recordings of all sessions were sent out to PCE attendees following the event. If you were not a registered attendee but would like to view these, they will become available for purchase in the near future via the IATEFL online shop.
For more discussions, ideas and tips on how to teach pronunciation, please check previous posts here. Don’t forget to leave your comments below and follow PronSIG on social media.
References
Clark, D. B., Hernandez-Zavaleta, J. E. & Becker, S. (2023). Academically meaningful play: Designing digital games for the classroom to support meaningful gameplay, meaningful learning, and meaningful access. Computers & Education, 194, p.104-704. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2022.104704
Celce-Murcia, M., Brinton, D. M., Goodwin, J. M. & Griner, B. (2010). Teaching Pronunciation: a Course Book and Reference Guide. Second Edition. Cambridge University Press.
Hancock, M. (1995). Pronunciation Games. Cambridge University Press.
Rinvolucri, M. (1985). Grammar Games. Cambridge University Press.
