Here we go!
The training video:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/19hEbA_pt0ofZFDupV3kM90JRiScJDLwf/view?usp=sharing
Here we go!
The training video:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/19hEbA_pt0ofZFDupV3kM90JRiScJDLwf/view?usp=sharing
If you have students, or colleagues (or yourself!) who
do this EAPIC course. The description and landing page are here. As you will see, the basic course is free. If you want more personal feedback, that is available, too, for $200 USD. No limit on number of students but it is important to get in from the begining if you can, for about 30-minutes a day, 6 days a week.
See you there!
Bill
KINETIK – using the whole body to learn (especially gesture and touch)
Beginning September 25, 2025
• 10 weeks, online
• (Free) 20-minute training video uploaded every Thursday
• 15-30 minutes of homework every day!
• (Optional) live homework follow up meeting on Wednesday at 8-9 p.m. EST ($200 USD)
Weekly syllabus:
1. Basic rhythm 1(pronunciation grammar)
2. Fluency 1(body rhythm)
3. Consonants 1 (common problems)
4. Vowels 1 (short)
5. Vowels 2 (long)
6. Consonants 2 (students’ “favorites”)
7. Melody 1 (little pieces)
8. Melody 2 (longer pieces)
9. Fluency 2 (Conversation)
10. Rhythm 2 (Public speaking)
A sample from Lesson 1
Warm up!
1. Neck stretcher (left side, right side, back, front)
2. Upper chest and shoulders stretcher (elbows touch)
3. Nasal resonance BUZZ (Ying! Yang! Young!)
4. Back (‘Oh’ cone) and chest expander (Ooo-Wah!)
Syllable Butterfly Training
Strong tap on the stressed syllable: X
Light tap on unstressed syllables: o
Cool. X
That’s cool. oX
Really cool. ooX
That’s really cool. oooX
Awesome Xo
That’s awesome. oXo
Really awesome. ooXo
That’s really awesome. oooXo
Super cool. Xoo
That’s super cool. oXoo
Really super cool. ooXoo
That’s really super cool. oooXoo
Super awesome. Xooo
That’s super awesome. oXooo
Really super awesome. ooXooo
That’s really super awesome. oooXooo
Lesson I – Embodied Oral Reading (EOR)
1A: I THINK | we've GOT it | figured OUT.
•X •X• • •X
B: Oh. Can you TELL me | what it IS?
X X • • •X
2A: Your MUFfler | I THINK | has a small HOLE in it.
• X• •X • • • X • •
B: Oh NO! Does it NEED | to be rePLACED right now?
• X • • X • • • X • •
3A: Yes, it DOES. It ISN’T going to | last much LONger
X • X • X• • • • • X•.
B: Huh. How MUCH | will it COST?
X • X • • X
4A: A-BOUT | a hundred | and fifty DOLlars.
•X • X• • • • X•
B: Really. That's too BAD. Is there a less exPENsive way?
X• •• X • • • • •X • •
5A: You could MAYbe | rePAIR it, yourSELF.
• • X• •X • • X
B: How LONG | exACTly | will that LAST?
• X •X• • • X
6A: If it works at ALL . . . MAYbe | for a couple of MONTHS?
• • • • X X• • • • • • X
B: I'll DO that. SEE you | in a MONTH or two!
• X • X • • • X • •
Homework:
1. Practice the warm up, training and Embodied Oral Reading every day in the morning for 15-30 minutes, standing, with good posture and gesture!
2. Practice using pleasing (beautiful) voice, good breathing and confident volume.
3. Keep a "learning conversation" journal with your favorite AI Bot!
Email me: wracton@gmail.com for more information or to enrol.
For a more in depth discussion of the basis of the EAPIC course, go to: https://www.actonhaptic.com/eapic
The summer course begins with a short recorded introduction available on Youtube, June 26th! (See fuller course description here.) It includes a new AI-generated personalized homework feature (AI, AI, AI, AI!) The link and outline will be available here on the blog.
In about two months make good progress in improving your English accent or pronunciation and be trained in how to keep on after the course--in about 30 minutes a day. This is a 10-week course:
To really benefit from the course, you should do the assigned daily homework and attend the optional feedback sections. The course officially begins Thursday June 26th, but you can join it anytime and still get caught up! For more info or to enrol, contact me directly: wracton@gmail.com
Keep in touch!
Bill
A core component of the English Accent and Pronunciation Improvement Course is the weekly embodied oral reading. Each week students are trained in a "Movement, tone, tempo and. touch technique" (MT4) that is then practiced in the oral reading in various ways. Part of the process is the student applying the MT4 to a ~300 word text. The personalized text will be generated by AI (I use Perplexity currently, but any Chat-GPT arrived at a similar "solution.") Here is a simple example. (The basic prompt, fill-in-the-blank format is provided for students each week. In this case, the career discipline or context area, accounting, and the proficiency level and L1 of students are filled in.)
The 2025 summer English Accent and Pronuncition Improvement Course (EAPIC) begins next month on the 26th. (The Spring course materials and videos are still available here.) I asked Perplexity about it, since it will figure in very prominently in all lessons of the new course:
"The English Accent and Pronunciation Improvement Course (EAPIC), built on Acton’s haptic pronunciation teaching, is notably effective for English learners of all ages, abilities, and backgrounds due to its unique integration of movement, touch, and embodied practice. Unlike traditional pronunciation methods that rely heavily on auditory and visual cues, haptic pronunciation teaching (HaPT) systematically incorporates gesture and touch, creating a multisensory learning experience that enhances memory, recall, and confidence in spoken English.Have just begun working with the new AI bot "perplexity." Asked it about embodiment in language learning. Although its primary source isn't particularly impressive--to put it mildly, its statement of the problem is surprisingly current/relevant.
"Embodiment presents a significant challenge in learning a foreign language because it highlights the complex interplay between cognitive, sensory, and contextual factors. The theory of embodied cognition suggests that language learning is deeply tied to physical and sensory experiences. For instance, understanding words often involves simulating real-world experiences associated with those words, such as imagining the act of cooking when hearing the term "cooking". . . Furthermore, studies show that second languages learned in formal settings tend to exhibit reduced embodiment compared to native languages. . . "
And, according to the recent book, The Extinction of Experience: Being Human in a Disembodied World, by Christine Rosen, it can only get worse! (Also, check out her recent appearance on Uncommon Knowledge with Peter Robinson. ) Rosen does a remarkable job of exploring the impact of technology upon our connection to reality and how that is radically changing how we are able to relate to and draw from our "experiences." The first line of the promo introduces the theme well: "A reflective, original invitation to recover and cultivate the human experiences that have atrophied in our virtual world."
The impact on language teaching, and pronunciation teaching specifically, is only beginning to be understood. In the following series of blog posts I'm going to use Rosen's book as a point of departure. I begin with the guess (or maybe fantasy) that at least the haptic pronunciation teaching model can actually be a powerful and dynamic part of the way back. How ironic (or sweet!) that pronunciation work may make a significant comeback as being a key purveyor of embodiment in the classroom and elsewhere.
Keep in touch!
Sources
(from "perplexity" AI) The Embodiment of Language and Conceptual Knowledge https://www.mindbrained.org/2020/03/the-embodiment-of-language-and-conceptual-knowledge/
Rosen C. (2024). The extinction of experience: being human in a disembodied world. New York: Norton & Company,
I'm reminded of the old saw: Even a blind squirrel finds a nut sometimes . . . In the midst of this meta analysis-lite of what it takes to establish a habit in Australia (summarized by Neuroscience news), there was a little gem or two from the research that supports what I have been saying to students for decades: practice pronunciation in the morning! There is no real explanation as to why that should be the case, just the numbers, but it makes perfect sense for several reasons.
The more interesting conclusion of the study is that the current "consensus" as to how long it takes to establish a habit, that is about 30 days, does not apply to a wide range of behaviors Australians need/want to change. Some, it turns out can take up a full year to lock in. The research suggests that the minimum time is closer to 60 days, depending on any number of parameters. In the sports/fitness business opinions range from 1 to 3 months. (The popular "book" on changing habits is probably Atomic Habits: An Easy and Proven Way to Build Good Habits and Break Bad Ones by Clear, a great source on how to do it.)
What the researchers and Clear agree on, however, is that the process is not mysterious but generally grounded in regular, disciplined, systematic practice. In pronunciation work at least the engagement must also be fundamentally embodied, as well. . . . In other words, to be successful you need to not only stay with it for a couple of months, at least, but also need a scaffolded goal-focused plan to get there with.
Next week, beginning on the 6th, is the English Accent and Pronunciation Improvement (EAPIC) course, pronounced: EPIC. It lasts 9 weeks, 63 days, just over mark for establishing a habit, according to the researchers. What it does is train the student's body (and pre-frontal cortex) in how to keep on improving, centered on what we call "Embodied oral reading:" (EOR), that is daily oral reading, in private, accompanied by a set of approximately 24 gestures from the course. The 8 training videos will be free on Youtube. They are enough for you if you are really disciplined and commit to practicing everyday, for about 20 minutes, on your own. If you need weekly feedback on your work, you can sign up for the course ($200 USD), too. The feedback sessions are always the following Wednesday on Zoom at 8 EST.
If interested, connect w/me at: wracton@gmail.com
Original source:
Ben Singh, Andrew Murphy, Carol Maher, Ashleigh E. Smith. Time to Form a Habit: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Health Behaviour Habit Formation and Its Determinants. Healthcare, 2024; 12 (23): 2488 DOI: 10.3390/healthcare12232488Interesting study out of the UK: “Stereotyped accent judgements in forensic contexts: listener perceptions of social traits and types of behaviour” by Alice Paver et al., summarized by Neuroscience.com, as: "Do accents influence guilt perceptions?" (I might also add that accents influence getting work!) It raises so many issues that I'd recommend that you read the full article yourself. The summary is not sufficient but is certainly provocative!!! Here is the Neuroscience,com summary:
"Researchers analyzed responses from 180 participants who rated voices from 10 UK accents on social traits and likelihood of certain behaviors, including crimes. . . ." Leaving aside some obvious potential shortcomings of the design--some of which are acknowledged by the reseachers, such as using male speakers only and a design that sets up the focus on the "bias" before hearing the samples--the conclusions are . . . striking, to say the least:Now assuming that the results hold up later with
What should our approach be in the classroom in working with students who come to us with "working class" dialects who are aiming at white collar careers, for example?
First, one of the other possibly relevant findings was that nonnative accents of the dialects tended to be seen as more trustworthy than the native speakers in the samples. Although it was not reported specifically which nonnative accents carried that "advantage," that sounds like good news for those who'd rather not get into accent work in the first place. Maybe. The distinction between "accent" and "pronunciation" that I give students is something like:
So, if your students come to you in a position where they have "absorbed" the features of a less prestigious, disadvantageous dialect and they are preparing for job interviews, f you can't help them at the accent-level, you may need work . . . or you may be doing so already and not know it! If you do need to upgrade your accent work toolkit, join us for the next haptic course next month!
Keep in touch!
Bill
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Credit: Clker.com |
Course begins with recorded introduction on February 6th!
In about two months make good progress in improving your English accent or pronunciation and be trained in how to keep on improving after the course. This is an 8-week, shorter more compact version of the regular English Accent and Pronunciation Course. (See the description of the full 12-week course here.)
To really benefit from the course, you should do all the assigned homework for enrolled students, about 30 minutes per day. This is also a good course for an instructor who wants an introduction to haptic pronunciation teaching.
The course officially begins Thursday February 6th, but you can join it anytime and still get caught up! To enrol, just pay the $200 for the weekly Zoom feedback lessons and the homework assignments.
All lessons are recorded and available later in day after the lesson.
For more information or to sign up, contact me, william.acton@twu.ca.
Keep in touch!
Bill
Bill Acton has been teaching accent and pronunciation improvement for about 50 years! This course, Version 7.0 of KINETIK system, contains many new techniques based on research in pronunciation teaching and neuroscience. Bill is now living in Chattanooga, Tennessee.