"Ward off" (at least some) miscommunication in your English conversation teaching

For anybody serious about pronunciation teaching, Nigel Ward's excellent 2019 book, Prosodic patterns of English conversation, is a must. (Full disclosure: I just "rediscovered" the book myself last year,  having incorporated aspects of Ward's work for years but had not connected much to his overall framework!) I'm doing a workshop on February 24th at the BCTEAL Regional Conference using Ward's work, "Nine "touching" conversational pronunciation patterns your students should not be without! 

The book gets a little technical in places but the pedagogical applications are very clear and immediately applicable. Here are some examples of the "patterns." The first six are from Ward; the other four are relatively "standard" intonation patterns taught by most methods in some form. The haptic application of Ward's prosodic patterns includes accompanying gesture and touch, hence the "touching" term in the workshop title. 

• Bookends - "That's really very interesting.  (Two stressed words with a valley in the middle.)
•               \         -------          \
• Down step - "Dinner's ready!" (Drop down of a minor third)
•                  -----    ___
• "Creaky voice - "I'm out of here. (Voice falls to near F1 of voice, with "creaky" effect)
•                                  \\
• Strong clip - "Stop it!" (Strong stress with "clipped" second word)
•               --- |
• Late rise - "I love that TEAM!" (Final rise-fall showing enthusiasm or energy)
•                              / /
• "I'm good." - "I'm good." (Quick step up with clipped stressed word; conversation ending) 
•                _--|
• Fall (2 types)
• I'm coming back next week. (Fall with slight release at the end.)
•                              \.
• I'm coming back next week if I have time to. (Fall mid-sentence w/o release)
•                              \                      \.
• Fall-rise - "Are you serious?" (Pattern suggesting skepticism in this case.)
•                          \ /
• Rise - "Are you serious?" ( A "simple" question, generally expecting yes/no response.)
•                      /

What makes Ward's approach somewhat unique is that the context for using "prosodic conversational patterns" is, of course, in conversation, not taught in isolation. Haptic uses that as a point of departure and embodies the patterns as well. Join us at the University of Victoria in February, or check back for the recording in early April!

Metanoic English pronunciation training for the brain!

If you are not familiar with Daniel Amen MD's system and new book, Change your brain everyday, you may want to check it out. I bought it a couple of weeks ago and am started on the 366 day program. I can't vouch for all the other stuff that they sell on the website, but this book is very interesting from a Metanoic (transformational) perspective. The idea is, having at least a tourist's understanding of brain function, to trick yourself into taking positive, incremental steps--all of which require . . . disciplined, regular action with general basis in neuroscience. Then, in a sense, disciple and success breed more disciple and success. Will report back in a month or two after I have worked through three or four dozen of the daily 5-minute reads and follow on tasks. 

In the meantime, speaking of disciplined, potentially metanoic learning, here is a great one (in my humble opinion!) 

Spring 2024 Online KINETIK English Fluency and Pronunciation Course, a course for those who don't have time for a course but could be disciplined enough to work pretty much on your own for three months with a little help . . .  

This 11 week course, offered through Trinity Western University MATESOL Program, is designed for non-native English speakers who

• May not be able to attend a scheduled pronunciation or public speaking course
• May have pronunciation problems that are difficult to change or lack confidence in speaking in English at work or school.

Each lesson and related homework 

• Is a combination of public speaking and pronunciation work.
• Contains individualized training on vocabulary and pronunciation most useful for each student.
• Includes training in oral reading techniques which are effective for ongoing self-study and improvement.

Course dates: January 22nd ~ April 5th

Class format

A. View30-minute recorded lesson on Monday or Tuesday
B. Do 30 minutes of homework each day.
C. Meet with instructor on Zoom for 1-hour follow up class on Friday afternoon at 4 p.m. (PST). (The session is recorded so it can also be viewed on Saturday or Sunday, if necessary.)

*Initial Zoom interview required before enrolling for the course.

Instructors: William Acton and Eileen McWilliams of the Trinity Western University MATESOL

To enroll, contact: William.acton@twu.ca

For additional information on EFPC: www.actonhaptic.com/efpc

Certificate is awarded upon successful course completion.

Materials provided. - Course fee: $500 CAD

Better pronunciation at your fingertips!

New favorite terms: viscoelastic and deformation. Recent research by Hannes, Ingvars and Roland, "Memory at your fingertips: how viscoelasticity affects tactile neuron signaling," helps explain the power of touch, especially as it relates to interpretation of intensity (from several perspectives) and memory--in haptic pronunciation teaching (HaPT)--and elsewhere. 

Just heard of a great technique from a fiend, a professional vocal artist and instructor. While attending a clinic held by a renowned opera singer and instructor, herself, was required sing a brief piece, in part, to demonstrate her professional "voice" to the seminar. The mentor, although apparently impressed with what she had heard, could see (and hear) that there was much more there. She asked my friend to sing some of the piece again, but this time to engage her fingers on the table as if she were playing the piano, accompanying herself. The result was  . . . astounding . . . her expressiveness, engagement, projection of the piece and her persona were almost overpowering, even for the other members of the seminar. How did that work? (Watch the hands of a great opera singer sometime!)

In the Saal et al study, in essence what they found was that the "history" of previous touch on a location of the skin, described as a "deformation," carried a great deal of information in interpreting current touch, and that past touch was generally as perceptually salient as the current tactile event, as critical to the brain being able to interpret it accurately. In other words, memory for touch is highly complex and dynamic in sensing whether a current impact event has "the same meaning" or different--and in what way.  

In principle, in haptic pronunciation work, any sound or sound pattern can be anchored with movement and touch, touch landing on the stressed syllable of a word or word of a phrase or clause. As developed in an earlier post, there are about a dozen types of touch in the system, each location on the hands or upper body in the visual field target for one or more touch types--and sounds. What the Hannes et al study clarifies is how, for example, three vowel sounds in HaPT such as [i]. [I] and[iy] which are located in the same place in the visual field (as high, front vowels) can still have very different somatic (feeling-based) identities based on distinct types of touch. (See demonstrations.) 

• {i] is performed as a brief hold of the hands as the vowel is articulated. 
• [I[ is performed as a quick, sharp tap touch, as the vowel is articulated.
• [iy] involves 2 motions, an initial glancing scratch of the fingernails of the right hand up across the palm of the left hand as the core vowel [i] is articulated, followed by the right hand fingers gliding to the top of the fingers fingers of the left hand and stopping there as the [y] offglide is articulated. 

In the same way, the potentially "tactemic" finger touch points around the upper body and visual field provide strong, memorable anchors for varied sounds, words and sound patterns or processes. The tactile memory and touch differentiation in the hands is striking. If you'd like to learn more about the KINETIK system, we'd be happy to "give you a hand," of course!

Source: Saal Hannes P., Birznieks I,, Johansson Roland S. (2023) Memory at your fingertips: how viscoelasticity affects tactile neuron signaling eLife 12:RP89616 https://doi.org/10.7554/eLife.89616.1

Talk (to) Yourself into Improved English Fluency! (an almost DO-IT-YOURSELF course!)

Clker.com

And how do you do that? In part, using embodied oral reading to develop English fluency and confidence. The efficacy and methodology for the various applications for oral reading is well established. (For an excellent review of oral reading research and methodology, see Fuchs, Fuchs, Hosp and Jenkins, 2001) )

What haptic pronunciation teaching has brought to the party beginning in about 2007 has been the systematic use of the body and body movement in pronunciation teaching. What that means, in effect, is that every word in the selected oral reading is "choreographed" with some degree of conscious engagement of the upper body, generally focusing on rhythm of English but also, in principle, any phonological feature of any language. 

The concept of improving your speaking fluency in private, at least certain features of it, without talking with or working with another person or instructor, is today an almost radical position, as opposed to the prevailing social-constructivist, communicative view of ideal (probably group-based) context and input. Although it is difficult to establish empirically, of course, in reality the preponderance of ALL language learning happens as learners do "homework", either internal "self talk" or explicitly out loud speaking . . .  in private. 

That successful L2 learners can improve their fluency away from public engagement is pretty much a given. (By fluency here I am limiting the discussion to the learner's ability to speaking  rhythmically and confidently--and more rapidly, using language elements that they are capable of articulating, often very haltingly or not at all.)

The model of that methodology adopted by haptic pronunciation on this blog and elsewhere has been based on that of Lessac, presented in his book, The use and training of the human voice. Although the approach was developed essentially for native speakers and many actors or public speakers in process, the principles and system are beautifully compatible with confidence and fluency development for nonnative speakers as well. In that system, learners are first reoriented to the basic movement and somatic energy in their bodies, very much like contemporary "mindfulness" therapies, for example. 

What was extraordinary back then--and even now--was the design where the entire 12-step process could be done by one person, alone, just using the book, following the plan. (One can, of course, today take courses in the Lessac method internationally, but the central premise holds: for speech fluency, as defined earlier, there is a great deal one can do on their own, such that it carries over very well into spontaneous speaking engagement.)

That, in essence, is how the KINETIK, haptic-based course works. Unfortunately, the October-December, Acton Haptic English Fluency Training (HFT) course offered through Trinity Western University is closed!!! However, there is still plenty of time, however, to set up a customized course with your organization for next spring, or plan to enroll for the upcomng January~March course. (for further information on either option, email me: wracton@gmail.com

A few excerpts from the HFT course description: 

HFT Embodied Oral Reading is done out loud, in private, using stories that are accompanied by special gestures which use language and vocabulary that students are already familiar with, what they can understand, but perhaps may not be able to talk about fluently.

The 9-week course is designed especially for non-native English-speaking adults who do not have the opportunity for much, if any English, face-to-face conversation in their daily lives but who want to keep improving, nonetheless. (and who have an IELTS reading ability of about 4.0 or above.) HFT provides the student with a set of skills so that they can continue improving after the course, working with other readings of interest to them. It is recommended, for example, for students who are not studying spoken/conversational English currently.

It is based on extensive research (and decades of teaching experience) in oral reading methodology and the well-known "Lectio Divina" tradition in meditation practice, using extensive oral reading as homework—not in a class. The key neuroscience-based innovation of HFT is the precise use of gestures and touch in the visual field, synchronized with speech, creating optimal conditions for attention, learning, retention and recall.

Course work is done individually, with four or five, 30-minute homework assignments and a live 75-minute zoom feedback meeting weekly, usually on Friday evening. (which is also recorded for later access, if necessary.)

Next course: January ~ March, 2024

·Cost for individuals: $350 USD, materials included, but for a school, for example, (maximum of 100 students) the cost per student can be as low as $25 USD.

A teacher training course in Haptic Pronunciation Teaching is also available (See www.actonhaptic/KINETIK

To enroll or for more info, go to www.actonhaptic/hft or contact Bill Acton at wracton@gmail.com

Full citation: 

Fuchs, L., Fuchs, D., Hosp, M. & Jenkins, J. 2021. Oral Reading Fluency as an Indicator of Reading Competence: A Theoretical, Empirical, and Historical Analysis DOI: 10.4324/9781410608246-3, in (Eds) Kamee'enui, E. & Simmons, D. 2002. The Role of Fluency in Reading Competence, Assessment, and instruction: Fluency at the intersection of Accuracy and Speed: A Special Issue of scientific Studies of Reading, New York: Rutledge, pp. 239-256

BCTEAL Online Collaborative Attending Skills Training Seminar

Still time to sign up for the next British Columbia Teachers of English as an Additional Language (BCTEAL) seminar (See description below!) 

9/23/2023 - 10/28/2023
9:30 AM - 11:30 AM Pacific

$100 for members and $150 for non-members

To enroll: https://www.bcteal.org/

Here's the official description: 

"Attending skills training, as developed initially by psychologists about 70 years ago, in essence, teaches learners (or counselors) to be good listeners while keeping a conversation going. This version of the training, a seminar for teachers of nonnative speakers, developed originally by Acton & Cope (1999), provides the skills and classroom procedures for

•  Creating groups of three or four students, who 
• Carry on an engaging, short conversations, and then 
• Review those conversations with their instructor, exploring the strategies used and key pragmatic features of the interaction and the story, itself.

The system can be done either face to face or online with students. Each session includes small breakout rooms and (modest) homework assignment, along with an optional reading list. All sessions will be recorded, so if the Saturday morning schedule doesn't work for you, you can still watch the videos!

Note: Each week a set of strategies will be introduced that, ideally, participants take to their classrooms and then report back the following week. This is the first time for me to do this seminar online (hence the nominal fee), something of a "Beta test." The plan is to offer it three or four times annually to the public and also make it available to individual schools and institutions.  Join us! Bill

Acton, W. & Cope, C. (1999). Cooperative attending skills training for ESL students, in JALT Applied Materials volume, Kluge, D. and S. McGuire (Eds.), Cooperative language teaching in Japan, pp. 50-66.

Van Dyke, A. & Acton, W. (2022b). Role-play and dialogic meta-pragmatics in developing and assessing pragmatic competence, in Pedagogical Linguistics, available online DOI: https://doi.org/10.1075/pl.22004.van

Van Dyke, A. & Acton, W. (2022a). Spontaneous classroom engagement facilitating development of L2 pragmatic competence: A naturalistic study. Pedagogical Linguistics 3(1) 1-28. https://doi.org/10.1075/pl.20011.van

A Super Somewhat "Solipsistic" Solo Method for Greatly Improving English Speaking Fluency!

COURSE closed! But we are opening another soon! Keep in touch!

I know what you are thinking . . .well, actually,"solipsistically" speaking, I probably don't, of course! But, anyway, this is a remarkable new course offering,  one designed for learners in a somewhat unique but actually very common niche: 

The 9-week online course, Acton Haptic English Fluency Training (HFT), is designed especially for non-native English-speaking adults who 

1. Do not have the opportunity for much, if any English, face-to-face conversation in their daily lives but 
2. Who want to keep improving, nonetheless, 
3. Who have an IELTS reading ability of about 4.0 or above, and 
4. Do not have a lot of cash to work with!

• HFT features Embodied Oral Reading to develop English fluency and confidence 

·       Embodied Oral Reading is done out loud, in private, using stories that are accompanied by special gestures which use concepts and vocabulary that students are already familiar with, essentially, what they can understand, but perhaps may not be able to talk about fluently.  

·     HFT provides the student with a set of skills which once learned they can continue improving with beyond the course. It is especially recommended, for example, for students who do not have access to conversational English currently, such as

o   Undergraduate and graduate students in programs not taught primarily in English

o   Parents whose spoken English is not strong and whose children are in public schools in North America

o   New immigrants and family members who cannot currently access English instruction

o   Students who are in religious studies where they will serve in a language other than English, but where being able to read Scripture in English in public is essential,

o   Retired “senior” English L2 speakers who may be “home alone” in some sense much of the time but would value spending 3-4 hours weekly to develop the clarity of their spoken English.  

·    It is based on extensive research (and decades of teaching experience) in oral reading methodology and the well-known "Lectio Divina" tradition in meditation practice, using extensive oral reading as homework—not in a class.

·    The key neuroscience-based innovation of HFT is the precise use of gestures and touch in the visual field. Synchronized with speech, these multimodality gestures create optimal conditions for attention, learning, retention and recall.

·    Course work is done individually, with four or five, 30-minute homework assignments and a live 75-minute zoom feedback meeting weekly, usually on Friday evening. (which is also recorded for later access, if necessary.)

• The emphasis is on improving the English that learners understand well but do no speak with the same level of success. 

• Learners finish the course being able to speak more rhythmically, more expressively, more precisely and with greater confidence.

• There are several possible story and text types that students can choose to use in their embodied oral readings (EORs):
• General academic English (for high school learners and older)
• General business English (for adults)
• General workplace English
• General seminary/Bible-based English (for students in Christian ministry or training)
• General informal conversation-based English (especially good for parents whose children's English is better than theirs!) 
• General instructional language used in teaching (for non-native English speaking teachers)
• Personalized, story-based English (for those want to improve just for the love of English)
• Course includes:
• Introduction and 8, 1-week lessons which include
• Weekly 30-minute recorded lessons
• Weekly 60-minute follow up, live (or recorded) lesson
• Daily, 20-30 minute homework assignments
• Syllabus
• Week 1 - Introduction
• Week 2 - Rhythm 1
• Week 3 - Fluency 1
• Week 4 - Vowels 1
• Week 5 - Vowels 2
• Week 6 - Consonants (th, w/y,  r/l and f/v)
• Week 7 - Intonation
• Week 8 - Rhythm 2 (Rhythm, linking and pausing) 
• Week 9 - Fluency 2 (Expressiveness and confidence)
• Example Unit:
• Monday, view recorded lesson
• Tuesday, do homework
• Wednesday, do homework
• Thursday, do homework
• Friday, follow up lesson live on Zoom (usually, 18:00 PST)
• Saturday, do homework
• Sunday: TAKE THE DAY OFF!!!
• Homework format:
• Review one part of the video (5 minutes)
• Practice the haptic gesture featured in the weekly lesson (5 minutes)
• Practice the Embodied Oral Reading (EOR) in the course materials (10~15 minutes)
• Record your last practice (about 2 minutes)
• Review your recording (about 2 minutes)
• Find some words or phrases that are not in the lesson to practice the lesson's  haptic gesture with! (5 minutes)
• (Optional) personalized Zoom meetings available for additional fee upon request
• Customized course versions tailored for organizations of almost any size. 
• (Optional) Professional development credit available through Trinity Western University

• Next course: October 9th ~ December 9th. 
• Cost: $350 USD, materials included. 
• To enroll or for more info, contact Bill Acton at wracton@gmail.com

• Further details are available at: www.actonhaptic.com/hft
• Instructors with training in haptic pronunciation teaching are invited to apply to be a collaborating instructor in these HFT courses. (Or offer the course through their school!)

Introducing KINETIK (v7.0) Method: Enhanced memory, expressiveness, pronunciation--with ChatGPT.

Join us at the 38th Costa Rica National Conference for Teachers of English June 9, 4 p.m.~5:30 p.m. PST. The great, 4-day virtual conference, June 7 ~ 10th and FREE! (For $25 USD you can get a certificate of participation as well!) 

The 90-minute workshop, The Kinetic KINETIK Method: Full-body speaking and pronunciation teaching! will be introducing v7.0 of the KINETIK Method

v7.0, in addition to the systematic use of gesture, touch and eye-tracking, includes guidance on the use of ChatGPT in creating materials to accompany the KINETIK Method and teaching, in general. 

Here is the Abstract:

In this experiential, highly interactive workshop participants will be introduced to and trained in aspects of the KINETIK Method for improving memory for vocabulary, expressiveness and pronunciation. This method involves extensive use of the “whole body,” in instruction, but especially use of gesture and touch. The techniques easy for teachers to learn to use in class and are applicable to learners of all ages and proficiency in English, including effective ChatGPT prompts for creating materials. Links to web-based resources and training materials are provided.

This is great conference, one very much focused on providing teachers in the field and in the classroom with excellent training and resources. Encourage your colleagues and students to attend all four days if possible! 

Touching English Language Teaching . . . Using Touch!

If you are going to be at the BCTEAL 2023 Conference on May 6th (at 11 a.m.) at the University of British Columbia, please join me in a 1-hour workshop, "Embodied touch in teaching and touching students (metaphorically!)" Here is the program summary:

This workshop reviews neuroscience-based research related to the impact touch in English language teaching, both physical/tactile touch and touch as metaphor (emotion and affect). Following that overview, participants explore the application of those principles in several areas, including enhancing memory for meaning and vocabulary, expressiveness and pronunciation teaching.

Here also is a nice excerpt from S Subramanian's 2021 book, How to feel: the science and meaning of touch, that represents the focus of the session well:

"We live in bodies that are most alive when they're open and permeable to what is around us . . . When the handrail wobbles, we know to exercise caution in the face of potential danger; a hug from a family member conveys love and comfort; the cool caress of a silk blouse is synonymous with luxury; plunging our fingers into damp earth to plant a seed makes us feel in tune with nature . . . Touch is a constant affirmation that we exist as selves, separate from our surroundings but connected to them."

Loofa, bark, hand cream and metaphor provided . . .

CAST away stress: The Forest Walkabout-Talkabout

If you are going to be at the 2023 BCTEAL Annual Conference on May 5th (at 11 a.m.) at the University of British Columbia, please join us, Angelina Van Dyke and myself, for a casual stroll together, with delightful accompanying conversation through the Arboretum for about an hour. 

The teaching technique demonstrated, the "walkabout," is based on two other techniques: CAST (Collaborative Attending Skills Training) and the "walkabout," a feature of Australian culture made popular by the movie, Crocodile Dundee, when the leading actor, reported having had his marriage come apart some time back . . .  because he had gone out for one in the "outback" . . . for three months! (Have reported on that technique earlier on the blog, as well.)

The CAST system, also described on the blog earlier, focuses on teaching ELLs of almost any proficiency level to carry on conversations in groups of three or four, using "attending skills," where one student tells a good story, a second facilitates the conversation, and a third takes notes on the conversation. After three or four minutes, the conversations stop and the instructor then goes around to each group and elicits examples of effective conversational discourse strategies. 

In this case, students and teacher walk through the forest for about 5 minutes as students, in the small groups, walk and talk, attending to their mutually constructed stories. They pause for about 10 minutes, reflecting on the strategies used by the attender in supporting the story teller's story, and then set off again, with three other students taking on the CAST roles. The effect is dramatic, even in the relatively short 60-minute session. (The Walkabout - Talkabout works best when carried out for about 90 minutes--or more!) 

(Note: Come prepared with a good little personal story to share, one known only to you that you can share in about 3 or 4 minutes!) 

Using gesture and movement to avoid "Pop Outs" in (pronunciation) teaching!

I like this study. One of the biggest obstacles in effective teaching (of anything) are sudden distractions, when what should have "popped in" easily in a lesson . . . doesn't . . . because of what just "popped out or up." Interesting piece of research by Klink et al,  on visual distraction--and a potential strategy for dealing with it, summarized by Neurosciencenews.com, Trained Brains Rapidly Suppress Visual Distractions. Title of the original study, published on PNAS: Inversion of pop-out for a distracting feature dimension in monkey visual cortex, (Ignore that term "monkey" in the original there!)

In essence the "subjects" were trained as followed (from the summary):

"The researchers trained monkeys to play a video game in which they searched for a unique shape among multiple items, while a uniquely colored item tried to distract them. As soon as the monkeys found the unique shape, they made an eye movement to it to indicate their choice. After some training, monkeys became very good at this game and almost never made eye movements to the distractor."

So what is a potential application of that "discovery" in teaching? What visual distractions are your students subject to in the classroom? On a task by task basis, how do you maintain student attention to the focus of the activity? 

For example, in haptic pronunciation teaching, instructor and students do a great deal of repeating words, phrases, sentences and dialogues together (not repeating after) while using speech-synchronized gestures continuously. In this choreographed technique, what we call "movement, tone and touch techniques" (MT3s) it is essential that instructor and student gesturing is constantly synchronized, throughout. You can "SEE" just how disruptive a visual distraction in the room in the visual fields of students could be. 

On the flip side, however, you can also "SEE" how MT3 training, itself--or even typical gesture use in teaching or communication, whether designed or impromptu, can, in principle, serve to enhance general visual attention in the classroom. 

How free of distraction or immune to it is the visual field in your classroom? Can you manage it better, more "movingly?" 

Source: Klink, P., Teeuwen, R., Lorteije, J. and P. Roelfsema. (2023). Inversion of pop-out for a distracting feature dimension in monkey visual cortex. PNAS February 22, 2023  https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2210839120

Why exact repetition may be exactly . . .wrong (in pronunciation teaching and elsewhere)

This study is potentially something of a game changer, at least conceptually. A little background. In KINETIK work we make extensive use of gesture synchronized speech. Extensive. Something we "learned" early on was that 

• In modeling the gestures and getting learners to move along with us it was apparently critical to at least some learners that you try to stay in the same "track" in the visual field every time you use it in instruction. 
• If you didn't, some students (possibly as much as 5%) would become disoriented, unable to synchronize their body movements with the model. Some even experienced some "motion sickness." 
•  In effect, the variability in the position in the visual field could be disconcerting and disruptive. 

Turns out, we may have been actually approaching the problem from the wrong direction, that is doing our best to be as consistent in the patterns of the gestures we use as possible  . .  . was actually counterproductive!  

New research by Manenti, et al, Variability in training unlocks generalization in visual perceptual learning through invariant representations, summarized by NeuroscienceNews.com, demonstrated that variability in the repeated application in the visual field/tract may actually enhance learning of the pattern, itself. It does that in part, apparently, by presenting the pattern in varying contexts, perhaps giving it potentially wider applicability. 

Excerpt from the (exceptional) study: 

• . . . four groups of subjects were trained to detect small differences in the orientation of a line pattern. The relevant task was to detect the clockwise or counterclockwise slope of the lines. For each of two groups, the number of lines was changed during the experiment. This was the irrelevant stimulus.
• The subjects were still able to recognize the differences in the orientation of the line pattern, even when the number of lines was changed. They were able to perform the task even when they were shown entirely new line patterns or a new position on the screen that had not appeared during training. Thus, the increase in variability did not cause the learning process to deteriorate, but rather to generalize and even improve learning performance.
•  “We found that varying the number of lines during training led to better generalization of the actual task performance,”

Undoubtedly, that the same principle applies to repetition of sounds or words in instruction--and even formulations of ideas and concepts as well. (There is substantial research on the contribution of paraphrase training in writing instruction, for example.) 

The insights from this study are certainly worth repeating!

Source: 

Manenti, G., Dizaji, A.,Schwiedrzik, C. 
“Variability in training unlocks generalization in visual perceptual learning through invariant representations” in BioRxiv doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/2022.08.26.505408

Do-it-(almost by and with)-yourself: English SELF-TALK Pronunciation Improvement (ESPI)

How's your pronunciation and diction when you talk (out loud) to yourself? Probably not great, right? Well, how about using that venue/menu to help improve a learner's general English pronunciation? We are testing a new KINETIK course, English SELF-TALK Pronunciation Improvement (ESPI), that has in the past shown real promise in (also) improving the pronunciation of talk with other people as well! Wow . .  . what a concept, eh!

ESPI is basically, an application of the Lessac system as presented in Lessac's 1997 book, The use and training of the human voice: A bio-dynamic approach to vocal life

Note: In that (1997) edition there is a brilliant, multi-step roadmap for the individual who wants to or must work on their own. Today's Lessac practitioners may or may not still work with that (slightly solipsistic) framework. Although the 1997 version is focused on giving native speakers of English, not nonnatives, a "healthy vocal life," derived from Lessac's career in voice training, it is easily adaptable by an experienced English language instructor. I have been using it, in some form, for about 40 years, in fact. 

Research on how learners learn has always pointed to at least the prominence of learners practicing "out loud," depending on modality preferences. Why not work with that more systematically? Good idea.

The course is designed especially for a specific niche. Those who:

• Can benefit from lots of practice speaking (but not necessarily conversing with somebody else)
• Have reasonably good aural comprehension for the demands of their personal context
• Lack confidence to use what they know, what they can say if they have the time and occasion.
• Have issues with rhythm, stress and intonation 
• Have a few, high functional load consonants (which they can effectively deal with by being referred to free sources on the web for personal practice, such as Accent Tutor.)

Notice in the blogpost title is the word, almost . .. The basic course includes just a set of videos and book. There is an option available for the student or a class of students to get periodic feedback (from me or one of my grad students) on their progress. That feedback could also be provided by their instructor, assuming that the instructor has done the course along with the students. 

It will be available to the public by next month, at the TESOL Convention in Portland in March. See you there! 

Lessac, A. (1997). The use and training of the human voice: A bio-dynamic approach to vocal life (3rd ed).. New York: Drama Book Specialists.

One who hesitates is NOT lost (when repeating new words to remember them better by)

                                                   

(Credit: Clker.com)

Actually, the study (Summarized by Neurosciencenews.com) Repeating New Words Out Loud Isn’t Always the Best Way to Learn Them, by Kapnoula et al. Basque Center on Cognition, Brain and Language (BCBL) is, more or less, a neuroscientific validation of a principle established decades (and decades ago) by experienced language teachers: sometimes pausing for a instant before you repeat the new word (or piles of words) is the better way to learn and remember it. 

The research does, however, point indirectly to an important development in the field in the last few decades: learning new words out of context, even if the meaning is provided in some form, is a very delicate and complex process, best case. Simply put, subjects in one condition either (a) repeated a new  English-looking, nonsense word (e.g., penivasher) immediately or (b) paused slightly and then repeated the word out loud. With a 4-second pause, their memory for the latter words the next day was significantly better than the former. From the study:

“When a person repeats a word immediately after hearing it, cognitive resources are dedicated to preparing the production of the word and, as a result, these resources cannot be used to deeply encode that word. In contrast, if production is delayed for a few seconds, this overlap is avoided, allowing deeper learning and encoding to take place.”

Ok. That makes sense. But then we have this: 

“Understanding these cognitive mechanisms can teach us how to use repetition more efficiently in educational contexts. For example, teachers can encourage students to repeat a new word the first time they hear it, but after this first exposure, the learning processes should focus more on listening rather than on production,” 

What? Why do I suspect that the researchers have never taught or been taught language--or if they have, poorly, at that?

 " . . . repeat it (once) but after this first exposure, the learning process should focus on listening rather than production . . .?" 

Imagine in just what teaching system/context would that apply. Granted, if all you are working with are new words IN ISOLATION (without associated meaning), where the goal is just reading or listening comprehension for some reason--maybe passing an L2 reading test, not speaking, that figures. But if the new words are actual L2 words, encountered in a rich, memorable context and high frequency collocation--the general M.O. of contemporary language methodology--then radically switching away from productive, out loud repetition/use of words in learning is  . . . well . . . arcane, to put it mildly. 

This may be a case where researchers take what is actually a very nice study and pretty much fanta-(or over)-size its potential application, or don't spend enough time on the concluding paragraph. (I'd pause a bit before assuming it is but the latter . . . )

Now if you do want to experience full-body, memorable engagement/repetition of new words--without hesitation--go to: www.actonhaptic/kinetik 

Keep in touch.

Bill

Source: Wait long and prosper! Delaying production alleviates its detrimental effect on word learning. Kapnoula, C. & Sameul, A. 2023 Language, Cognition, and Neuroscience.
https://doi.org/10.1080/23273798.2022.2144917

Free, half of the new 10-week KINETIK Fluency and Pronunciation Course!

Join us beginning February 15th for the course. (The PROMO poster is posted below.) Works like this:

• Every Wednesday morning I'll post the link to the recorded lesson here on the blog.
• This is part of a course being offered on Zoom by the MATESOL at Trinity Western University.
• Each video is approximately 35 minutes in length. 
• Included is 
• Training on one technique for teaching/learning a key pronunciation sound or process (Most of the time it involves standing up, moving along with me as your body learns the gestural patterns involved.)
• Homework assignment (about 30-minuts per day recommended)
• Links to (free) practice on the web

• The other half of the course, which includes all materials and a weekly, live feedback and Q&A session on Zoom, is restricted access to those who subscribe for the course ($500 CAD). If you'd like the full deal: william.acton@twu.ca.

KINETIK and Haptic Pronunciation Teaching at TESOL 2023 in Portland!

Haptic Pronunciation Teaching at the upcoming TESOL 2023 Convention in Portland, March 21~24th!

Doing two presentations:

• A pre-convention Institute with Angelina VanDyke. Tuesday afternoon, 1-5, Talking (and analyzing) Pragmatics with Students: Meta-pragmatics and Embodied Prosody. (That is an extra, paid event, $150USD-- well worth the price of admission, of course!) 
• A workshop with Eileen McWilliams, "Prosodic Pas de deux: Teaching Conversational Discourse Orientation," Thursday, 23 March, 15:00-16:45 (At least one of the cleverest session titles ever!) 

I'll be there promoting the amazing KINETIK Method (www.actonhaptic.com/kinetik/) Always open for a breakfast, lunch, dinner or later with hapticians and other lovers of "haptic." I plan to be in the networking area next to the publishers' booths, both mid-morning and mid-afternoon for an hour or so.

Have decided to self-publish an eBook based on the KINETIK Method, working title: Bill Acton's Haptic Global English Pronunciation Program. Will have excerpts available by then which I'll have with me and will be linking here on the blog and on the website. 

If you are a runner, join us each morning for 6-8km "haptic jog" around 6!

Email at: wracton@gmail.com for more info.

See you there! 

Getting in the right mood for enhancing your work (and even pronunciation!)

You "up" for a little meta-theory? 

Fascinating study, open source, published in Frontiers in Communication by Lai, Berkum and Hagoort: Negative affect increases reanalysis of conflicts between discourse context and world knowledge. Here is the researchers' conclusion: 

"These results suggest that mood does not influence all processes involved in discourse processing. Specifically, mood does not influence lexical-semantic retrieval (N400), but it does influence elaborative processes for sense making (P600) during discourse processing."

Not quite sure how to feel about this fascinating research at this moment . . . but it should interesting from some perspective, regardless of your general mood or affect as you read about it. In essence, what the research establishes, not surprisingly, is that if you are in a rotten mood at the moment you might be better at deconstructing what follows, identifying the fudging, etc. (As it turns out, the fact that I had just gotten back from a great run on my first read of the research report may have been "colored" by all those endorphins!)

The complete structure of the study is a bit complex to unpack (but you can here, however, or check out the Neuroscience.com summary). Basically, subjects attempted to identify different features of a narrative/story working within two conditions, one more emotionally "negative;" the other, considerably less so. In effect, mood did not appear to impact their ability to focus in on details but it did influence their success at arriving at an integrated understanding or interpretation of the overall narrative or discourse. 

Does that make sense? Of course . . .  So does the application of that work to pronunciation teaching! (Actually, it almost explains a number of things and people in this field, but I'll stick to pronunciation teaching!) 

There are number of pairs of binary (or false) conceptual distinctions that are of more or less utility to us as we sit down to work on a problem as heuristics or mnemonics at best where mood (in several senses) may figure in prominently, whether the mind set of the analyst at the moment or the degree to which mood (affect/emotion et al) is subsumed in  concepts involving attention to or focus on: 

• digital vs analogical 
• accuracy vs fluency
• segmentals vs supra-segmentals
• structure vs meaning or function
• sentence-level vs discourse-level context
• experiential vs cognitive/pre-frontal engagement
• affect vs metacognitive 
• particle vs wave/field analysis
• individual vs group engagement and learning
• local vs global constructs
• visual vs auditory
• learner autonomy vs learner indoctrination 
• critical vs inquiry-based thought
• conscious vs unconscious processing
• left vs right hemisphere-like processing

And how do or should those relate to (KINETIK) pronunciation teaching and learning? Not much, if at all. What contemporary neuroscience reveals very convincingly is that overemphasis on any of those earlier, simple binary distinctions, many of them but remnants or artifacts of earlier "science,"  especially in combination, can be fatal.

Ideas don't die . . . but people (and students) do. 

Bill

Citation: Lai VT, van Berkum J and Hagoort P (2022) Negative affect increases reanalysis of conflicts between discourse context and world knowledge. Front. Commun. 7:910482. doi: 10.3389/fcomm.2022.910482