What attracted me to the Trinity Diploma in TESOL was the module on Phonology. I have to admit that I was terrified of teaching pronunciation, in fact, I didn't even know how or where to start. I was completely intimidated by it. Now, I find it probably the most rewarding element to teaching and I'm addicted!
In our first week of the phonology module, it was recommended that we watch the video of Adrian Underhill (below) introducing the chart. I watched it as if I was actually at the workshop and took part! It was the best introduction to the phonemic chart I could ever have had. I highly encourage anyone who finds the idea of the chart daunting to watch this 60 minute workshop. My eyes were opened to a whole new world! It was so much fun and I learned so much in such a short time. It just clicked and made complete sense to me. It gave me a huge boost of confidence as I realised it wasn't as scary as I thought, and using the chart as Adrian does was incredibly engaging.
We were privileged enough to have Adrian as a tutor for that first week of the module. I think it was the highlight of the course for me! One thing that stood out for me was that he advised us not to wait to use the chart in class until we were ready, but to dive in and go on a journey with the learners. This is exactly what I did and what a journey it was! Not only were the learners discovering new things, but so was I. Every time I introduced the chart in a different class I discovered something new about myself, how I spoke and about the English language. It was truly exciting! It then inspired me to undertake action research based on how to integrate the phonemic chart into my lessons with a focus on practice and remedial work.
The chart is now an integral part of my lessons. My students love it as they find it so helpful when they have pronunciation problems (check out Pronunciation in the bar on the right for more information). It has allowed them to be more confident and autonomous.
Understanding the chart allows you to understand other aspects of pronunciation much more clearly too. So, watch the video, and your eyes will be opened to the wonderful world of the phonemic chart.
This week I experienced something wonderful with my advanced class that left me feeling bursting with pride. The majority of the learners are in their late teens or early twenties, there's only one learner who is in her late twenties. It's a multilingual class including Italian, Venezuelan, Spanish, Turkish, Saudi, Brazilian and Russian learners. They are all full of energy and eager to learn, but require lots of tasks with clear objectives and outcomes to avoid them becoming restless. They also love anything competitive, it's a great way to get them motivated. This week, however, I witnessed complete and utter teamwork that I have never witnessed in a class before.
It all started on Tuesday when we started the next unit of our course book. The lesson was based around an article on brainstorming . . yes I know, not the most riveting of topics for young adults! I decided to use the text as a stepping stone into a more engaging task. So, after reading the text and doing some lexis work, I divided the class into groups of 3 and 4. They had to imagine that they were the editors of a new school magazine. In each group, the learners nominated a facilitator as described in the article. I gave them 5 categories in which they had to brainstorm, e.g. school services, hobbies and activities and where you can practise them in Dublin.
After brainstorming, we did some whole class feedback and shared ideas. For homework, each student had to choose one of the brainstormed ideas, so for example, festivals in Dublin, what's on in the theatres and recipes for traditional Irish dishes. They had to research their topic and then come back into class on Wednesday and tell their group about what they discovered. When I usually ask students to do this type of homework, only half of the class actually do it. However, on Wednesday, I got the most wonderful surprise . . . every single student had done their research! When I saw their enthusiasm, I decided to give them a choice: we could do the lesson I had planned or, we could actually make the magazine. Well, I was bowled over by the enthusiastic response! They all wanted to make the magazine!
Now, we were under slight pressure as some of the students were finishing their course on Friday, so if we wanted to do it, we would have to pull together and have it finished for Friday! Each learner had to finalise a title for their article that they would write for homework. Then they were divided into 3 groups. One group decided that they would be in charge of designing the cover as they were artistic, the other group decided they would write a welcome note and collate all of the article titles and arrange them into an appropriate order. The third group decided that they would create a crossword on Irish culture. The enthusiasm with which they worked was so exciting for me. They took it very seriously and consulted me when they were sure about their decisions.
When I asked them to write their articles for homework, they all announced that they didn't have computers in their homestay, which is an excuse that students often give to try and get out of doing their homework. I told them that the study centre was available for them in the morning before class. The next morning I got such a shock when my e-mail kept binging! Each student had gone to the study centre, written their article and was now sending me their articles to check. Not only had they written their articles, but they had also used so much language that we had studied over the previous few weeks. How tremendous!
Friday came and it was time to put it all together. From 10.30am I had students coming to the office to help me edit and print. At their break times between classes, they popped down to help. In class that afternoon, all 15 of us worked together to collate the pages and staple them together. When we finished, they cheered and of course, we had to take some photos of us altogether with our work of art! What an achievement in such a short space of time and they all have something that they can take home with them that they created.
I think this is a perfect example of how giving your learners agency engages them more. Giving them the choice and responsibility motivates them. It also demonstrates that adapting and deviating from the course book or syllabus can be fruitful and satisfying for both teacher and learners.
I was so proud of the enthusiasm, excitement and teamwork that went into the magazine. When people talk about teaching being rewarding, this type of experience is exactly what they're referring to. I left the school on Friday with the biggest smile on my face and welling with pride.
