Helping Students with Pronunciation

13-26 March 2023
21 August - 3 September 2023
2-15 October 2023
28 November - 11 December 2023

2 weeks
5 hours of study per week
For English language teachers (primary, secondary or adult)
Fees: £150

- Improve your knowledge of the IPA, intonation and connected speech
- Explore the influence of the students' mother tongue
- Pick up practical lesson ideas

This course is for English language teachers who would like to explore in more depth how they can help their learners with their pronunciation. Whether you teach a monolingual or multilingual class, and regardless of whether you are a native or non-native speaker of English yourself, understanding the influence of your students' first language will enable you to give them more practical pronunciation tips. From focusing on individual sounds to intonation and connected speech, this course will give you and your students a better understanding of the features of English pronunciation, leading to improved comprehension and intelligibility.

Over the 2 weeks, you will be working on collaborative tasks with your peers and sharing good practice, with guidance and support from your online tutor. You will also be working on individual projects that are tailored to your teaching context.

Course Overview

Module 1

- Familiarisation with the online platform, Moodle
- Getting to know the IPA
- How and where sounds are produced

Module 2

- The influence of L1 on learners' pronunciation
- Stress, intonation and natural speech
- Practical pronunciation activities
- Conclusions

Each module should take about 5 hours. You can study at a time convenient for you, but each task must be completed by the specified deadline. There will be a variety of tasks to complete. Collaboration is a key part of the course, although this doesn't mean you have to be online at the same time as your peers. However, it's important you keep to the task deadlines to enable everyone to complete the necessary work. At the end of each module there will be an online live chat session, timetabled for a day and time that suits the majority. For those that are unable to attend the live session, it will be recorded and uploaded to the site.

Study at any time
With 24-hour access, you can study at a time that suits you. Each course requires just 5 hours per week of your time.

Explore new ideas
As you complete a range of engaging tasks, you’ll pick up techniques and ideas that you can use straight away in the classroom.

Interact
Collaborate with other English teachers and receive helpful feedback from your tutor. Each week concludes with a live lesson, too!

Receive a certificate
Get a digital certificate as a record of your professional development activity when you successfully complete the course.

What do I need?

Equipment
You'll need access to a computer (mobile or tablet access is possible too, but with reduced functionality) with an up-to-date web browser, PDF reader and media player. You'll also need a webcam and microphone.

Time Commitment
We recommend dedicating at least 5 hours per week to the course. You can study at a time convenient for you, but each task must be completed by the specified deadline.

English Language Level
If English isn't your first language, you'll need a level of B1 (Intermediate) or higher.