Stop assigning pronunciation homework! (Unless it is systematic and you follow up on it!)

Clip art: Clker

Time to check your homework . . . How's this for a formula for success: Instruction (in class, f2f or online) + out-of-class-work + student ability and initiative. You with me so far? The key factor is often said to be the last one, which entails motivation and a number of other more personal variables, including being organized and disciplined. 

It is always good to have "just blame the student" (or his or her genes) on the list of legitimate excuses for lack of progress. It is, of course, the insidious flip side of metacognitive practice: train the learner how to manage his or her learning in and out of class--and then he or she is on his or her own. 

How does your homework or out of class practice regimen work? How do you know? Do you care? 

As reported is several other blogposts, the research on homework is extensive (in the field of Education and others) and all over the map. Every disciple speaks to that process is some fashion, even car manufacturing. 

Many intensive language programs (20+ hours per week) program in systematic practice on site or online that involve monitoring and assessment. Good for them. I'm only interested here in instruction where pronunciation is not the sole focus of the class but is integrated into other skill and content teaching. (Haptic-INTEGRATED)

Just as an example, a guideline, here is the general EHIEP approach:

Systematic homework practice is "the bottom line" of Essential Haptic-integrated English Pronunciation (EHIEP) teaching system. Basically, when a word or phrase containing a problematic sound or sound process (e.g., rhythm, stress, juncture or intonation) is targeted it should be assigned to a list of some kind and briefly practiced by the learning outside of class about six times over the course of two weeks. (To understand what targeting and "haptic practice" is about in this method, check out the general description on the website.) The practice times and work done should also be noted in some kind of journal or "pronunciation log" for continuous review by the instructor. 

We should do a book on this--or at least develop a good comment thread on the topic below! There is a new appendix in AHEPS, v3.0 (rolling out this fall) on homework protocols. 

Keep in touch--and do your homework.

"Fast and furious" pronunciation learning

Clip art: Clker

The Web is filled with sites claiming to have products that accelerate learning of the pronunciation of English. Almost without exception (I haven't reviewed all of them!) they probably work--as long as you are not concerned with developing general ability to communicate intelligibly. In fact, many of them, such as this one, probably serve to even further disconnect pronunciation from spontaneous speech, by relying so heavily on visual engagement. (We have seen in earlier posts the potential impact of that visual bias.)

Although for other reasons, I sort of like the "Eye-speak" name of the program, in the sense that is not far off in concept from any attempt to teach pronunciation as cute little vignettes inserted throughout the curriculum or course without systematic follow up using the skills introduced in  succeeding classes where speaking or listening is involved.

I am beginning to believe that a great deal of what passes for good pronunciation instruction, done for the most part in isolation from basic course content--even with the typical proviso that the students go practice on their own with no further guidance--actually works against acquisition of intelligible speech by either partitioning it off (very successfully) or having little or no impact in the first place. Actually, with a little haptic tweaking, that just might work: int-EYE-gration. What a concept!