/hæv sʌm fəˈni:mɪk fʌn/

Integrating the phonemic script into your lessons can be so much fun. There are so many ways that you can do it (take a look at the Pronunciation page in the bar on the right-hand side), but here I'm going to describe some other ways that I use it, using exercises and activities that we all know and love.

1. Songs - Using a song that contains the target language of the lesson, take out words that are relevant to what you're studying, e.g. emotions, money etc. Instead of leaving the spaces blank as you usually would, put the missing word in phonemic script. Give the students a few minutes to read through the lyrics and see if they can figure out what the words are. Then they listen to check if they wrote down the right word. If they are familiar with the script, you could turn it into a competition to see who can guessed the words the quickest. If they aren't as comfortable with the script, it's an opportunity for them to start getting to know it! I encourage them to use the Pronunciation App by Macmillan too if they're struggling.
2. Back to the board - The phonemic version of this game is pretty much identical to the original game, the only difference is you write the words in script! Divide the class into 2 groups and have them sit in semi-circles facing the board. One student from each team sits with their back to the board and faces their team. The teacher writes a word on the board and the teams have to explain the word that they see. The first person to guess what the word is, wins a point for their team. Writing the words in script adds a little extra challenge!
3. Brainstorm - Give each pair a topic in phonemic script on a card or slip of paper. First they have to decipher what the topic is. When they've discovered what it is, they have to brainstorm words related to the topic. Then each pair have to read out their list of words and the others have to guess what their topic was.
4. Hangman - There has been some debate as to whether hangman has any pedagogical benefits, however, I have to say that phonemic hangman really does. The students have the opportunity to really become familiar with the sounds and the symbols. By saying a sound and having someone else write it, it's beneficial both productively and receptively. It allows them to discover sounds that they have individual problems with too. Give each pair a list of 3 or 4 words. They have to then write them in script. Then make groups of 4 or put them into different pairs and the play hangman!

These are just some of my favourites and ones that the learners have found really engaging while allowing them to gain more confidence in using the phonemic script.

Leading a workshop for the first time . . .a good learning experience.

Last week I led my first workshop for teachers in my school. I have to admit that I was very nervous, but I was comforted by the fact that I was fairly confident in the topic as I had studied it so much over the last few months.

I was asked several weeks ago if I would lead an in-service workshop. For my Developmental Research Project for the diploma, I chose to explore how to integrate the phonemic chart into my lessons. I fell in love with using the chart and phonology. In fact, I think it's the area of my teaching I developed most during the course and also, the area that I was most terrified of before I started! It was because of this that I decided to base my first workshop on using the phonemic chart.

I started to plan the workshop using a suggestion from Ducan Foord's The Developing Teacher. I went through the steps and planned what I felt would allow people to build on top of what they already knew while also including ideas that would be new, so that they would feel they were learning. I wanted to make sure the session was enjoyable, which the phonemic chart is, especially when you use some of Adrian Underhill's discovery activities! I also had to be careful of the time as the workshop was only an hour long and I didn't want to be over-ambitious or leave myself short either.

From the beginning, I found it a little difficult to find the balance between levels of experience. There were teachers with years of experience, but didn't know anything about using the chart or teaching pronunciation,  those that were more familiar with it and then those that were newly qualified. By the time my plan was ready, I felt happy enough that it was going to cater to the needs of everybody, or that everyone would go away with at least one new thing that they could use or would like to try in their lessons.

Of course, it didn't going exactly according to plan and we didn't have time to go into as much depth as I wanted. However,  I was happy that it generated discussions about the advantages of using the chart. We achieved examining the different sounds and how to read the chart as a map of the mouth. We then had the opportunity to look at some sample learner errors and, in pairs, the teachers decided how they would use the chart to correct learners in class. Finally, I gave the teachers a handout with some suggestions of further reading.


I had intended to ask the teachers to fill out a feedback form, but unfortunately I didn't get the chance to make one. However ,  some teachers approached me to give me some informal feedback. It was all more positive than I thought to my delight! One teacher said that she learnt more in 10 minutes of my workshop about the chart than she had in her entire career (she's been teaching for 15 years!) Many others have to come to me to ask me to do a follow-up workshop so that we can continue to look at more ways of integrating pronunciation.

This first workshop was a great learning experience for me. It hasn't put me off doing further workshops. I definitely recommend that everyone tries it at least once during their career.

Welcome to my new blog!

Hi there and welcome to my new ELT blog!

I've have recently completed the Trinity Diploma TESOL and I think I may be suffering from the post Dip blues! So, I've decided to start up a place where I can share ideas and thoughts about the wonderful world of ELT! It will also give me the opportunity to explore areas that I haven't had the chance to yet.

During the diploma, I discovered so many amazing things about language, language learning and teaching and I thoroughly enjoyed the various discussions that I had with my fellow dippers! This blog will hopefully allow me to continue learning and developing, and also to start some interesting discussions.

Thank you for visiting and please feel free to leave a comment on any of the posts once I get them up and running.