Pedagogical Implications – Vignettes and Textbook Connections
In this section, we examine two ways of integrating pronunciation into classes focused primarily on other skills. We do this first through the use of vignettes, in which teachers create their own non-textbook focused plan and second, through examples of how to connect pronunciation skills to published textbook materials. These two approaches provide distinct challenges. In the vignettes, teachers have tremendous flexibility about what is included in a lesson, but when following the pedagogy provided by textbooks (which an instructor often has not chosen), pronunciation connections often must be made by teachers without assistance from the textbook or teacher’s guide. In our examples, we have developed two vignettes showing how pronunciation can be integrated into different types of ABE classes. In the first vignette, we look at a literacy-level class, where basic literacy skills and vocabulary lessons are taught with a workplace focus. Vignette 2 involves a pre-CNA (Certified Nursing Assistant) class with high intermediate and advanced English learners. In addition, we look at two examples of published materials (one for lower-level classes and one for higher level) to show where pronunciation can be relevant to other skills even when it is not included by the textbook authors.
Vignette 1
In this workplace-focused literacy-level class, the learners are newly arrived refugees from Southeast Asia, with native speakers of Burmese, Karen, Karenni, and Nepali. Approximately half are literate in their native languages that use non-Roman alphabets, and the other half have limited or no literacy skills. All learners have limited speaking and listening skills in English.
To determine the most prominent pronunciation challenges for this group of learners, the teacher carried out a simple diagnostic to analyze the pronunciation of various features in English, and to prioritize them in order of importance. After completing the diagnostic, the teacher determines that many learners do not produce consonant sounds at the ends of words, and that many speak very softly with minimal articulation of word and sentence stress. Therefore, the teacher incorporates activities focusing on these areas into the lesson planning (Table 2.3), using the predetermined lesson content: developing vocabulary to report a workplace injury.
Table 2.3 Lesson plan for final sounds, spelling-pronunciation correspondence and sentence stress in Vignette 1.
| Activity with Integrated Pronunciation | Literacy Skills | Pronunciation Element |
|---|---|---|
| The teacher says each word as learners count the sounds on their fingers, segmenting each word into individual phonemes so that learners can clearly hear and count them (e.g., back has three sounds). The teacher distributes cards divided in three sections. Learners place a marker on the section where they hear the target sound (e.g., for Where is the /p/ in hip? the marker is placed on the final section. Where is the /h/ in hip? the marker is placed on the first section. Where is the /ɪ/ in hip? the marker is placed in the middle section). | Phonemic Awareness: Phoneme Segmentation Phonemic Awareness: Phoneme Isolation | Perception development of all sounds in target vocabulary with teacher feedback Auditory and Kinesthetic |
| The teacher says a body part and the learners write the last sound on mini-whiteboards, and hold it up for the teacher to see (e.g., for hand, the learners write d). The teacher engages learners in spelling the words on their mini-whiteboards, starting with the final sound and working forward. | Phonemic Awareness: Phoneme Isolation and Phonics and Spelling | Perception development of final sounds in target words with teacher feedback Auditory and Visual |
| The teacher introduces the question, “What’s wrong?” and the response, “I hurt my _____.” The teacher models how to emphasize the word hurt and the target body part, and minimize the words I and my, first by having the learners clap on the stressed words, then by having the them gesture on the emphasized words. The teacher then asks the class, “What’s wrong?” and holds up a picture. The class provides the prompted response; the teacher gives feedback as needed. | Vocabulary development and speaking fluency | Controlled production and practice of sentence stress with teacher feedback Kinesthetic, Auditory and Visual |
| Each learner receives a picture of a body part. Learners mingle and pair up; the first learner asks, “What’s wrong?” The second learner responds, “I hurt my ___,” saying the body part word indicated in their picture. The learners then switch roles. After the dialogue has been repeated, the learners trade pictures, then find a new partner. | Speaking and listening fluency | Extension of sentence stress production Auditory and Visual |
Opening the Lesson: The teacher introduces parts of the body using pictures, then leads the class through a Total Physical Response (TPR) activity; the teacher issues commands (e.g., Point to your leg. Point to your head.) and the learners listen and follow the instructions. The teacher then moves to activities that build both perception and production of final consonants in target vocabulary, with the repetition and the immediate feedback from the teacher and classmates helping learners commit accurate phonological representations of the words to their long-term memory. Additionally, the perception activities help learners develop their spelling ability for later writing activities; when asked to “sound it out,” they are more acutely aware that words are made up of individual sounds