Monday, April 29, 2013

Aerobic Haptic Break Out #2

Here is the 2nd of 3 "Aerobic Haptic" break out sessions done last weekend at the BCTEAL conference.  Here is the Butterfly presentation and the outline of what is going on from the conference handout:


Pedagogical
  • ·    Syllable focus
  • ·     Contrast between stressed and unstressed syllables
  • ·     Basic rhythm groups
  • ·     Phrasal group focus

Common sense
  • ·     Relaxing
  • ·    Attention grabbing
  • ·      Feeling in the upper body of English rhythm
  • ·      Strong core body stimulation and impact
  • ·      Leads toward fluency

Brain-friendly
  • ·      Bilateral engagement
  • ·      Curtails multitasking (switching effect on alternating hemispheres)
  • ·      "Butterfly" is common technique in psychotherapy, used to bring the client "back to the present moment"
  • ·      Switching forces "inner" focus, "grounding"

Thursday, April 25, 2013

More hard hitting evidence as to why haptic pronunciation teaching has so much punch!

Clip art by
Clker
This is really cool. At the BC TEAL conference on Saturday we'll be doing a presentation on the neurological case for why haptic pronunciation teaching works. This will be one of the highlighted studies. First check out this AH-EPS video and then review this summary of research by Propper, McGraw, Brunye and Weiss of Montclair State University, published in PLos ONE, as reported by Science Daily. In essence, the study found that subjects could remember words better if they just clenched their right fist after concentrating on them. It is a bit simplistic and leaves open some obvious loose ends, but it certainly works for us! An earlier study (also summarized by Science Daily), reported earlier on this blog, found that clenching your left hand keeps you from clenching under pressure as well. (Clench both and you are unbeatable?)

The Rhythm Fight Club, the one in the Vimeo video, from the time it was created in 2007, has been the most immediately effective of the AH-EPS pedagogical movement patterns in the system. It looks now like the entire AH-EPS system, including the "knock out" Rhythm Fight Club, will be available for purchase in about a month. Check the new AH-EPS page or the ESLEnglish feature on AH-EPS occasionally. Even better, please go there and LIKE the  page so we can get the word out more successfully.




Monday, April 22, 2013

New "Acton-Haptic" Facebook page and beyond!

We are about to move and open up new social media:

  • Facebook: actonhaptic (That is  up now and will be "embellished" in the next few days! When you get a chance, please go "like" it when you have a chance!) 
  • Twitter: @actonhaptic (Will kick that off at the BCTEAL conference later this week where we are doing four haptic presentations!) 
  • email: actonhaptic@gmail.com (We'll use that for all business communications, beginning immediately.)
  • Website: www.actonhaptic.com and www.actonhaptic.ca (Those will go up as the streaming and download components come online.) For now our "home" for access to the demonstration videos and general information on AH-EPS will remain where it is now at Fiona Bramble's website. 
  • Blog: We'll stay with HICPR for more general haptic research, but the pedagogical work, especially that related to general haptic pronunciation teaching, will move over to www.hapticpronunciationteaching.blogspot.ca. 

Saturday, April 13, 2013

HICP, EHIEP, HICPR, HPT, IAHICPR, AH-EPS . . . and HIPOECES!

Clip art: 
Over the course of the last five years or so the acronyms we have been using, along with the theory, models and methods have evolved.
Here is a brief tour:

  • HICP (Haptic-integrated Clinical Pronunciation)  – The term we use now for the general approach, especially the "clinical" side that focuses on integration into spontaneous speech and systematic,  invasive management of homework practice
  • HICPR (Haptic-integrated Clinical Pronunciation Research)  – The mother blog; can also be "Haptic-integrated Clinical Pronunciation Researcher"
  • HPT (Haptic pronunciation teaching) – The other blog
  • EHIEP – The application of HICP to English. Each of us really has our own take on that. EHIEP doesn't require haptic video, per se. AH-EPS does. We have been training people at workshops in the non-video-based use of some of the protocols for five years or so.  
  • AH-EPS (Acton Haptic - English Pronunciation System) – The haptic video system that is coming on the market now. 
  • HIPOECES (Haptic-integrated Pronunciation for other- and extended circle- English Speakers) Name of the blog when it started in 2010. It made sense at the time . . .
  • IAHICPR (International Association of Haptic-integrated Clinical Pronunciation Researchers). Have list of people who will become charter members of that later this fall when I kick it off officially. 
  • HIC (Haptician-in-Chief) A term referring to me on occasion
  • Clker
  • KIT (Keep in touch!) Our favorite sign off. 
KIT



Friday, April 12, 2013

Face it . . . Your pronunciation could look better!

According to research by Lander and Caper at the University of Lancaster, a little  more lipstick and work on your speech style may be in order. (Watched yourself on video lately when you ask a student "look at my mouth" as you provide a model?) Their study demonstrated unequivocally that your listeners' ability to understand you if they can see you can be enhanced considerably with a little tweaking. One feature that made words more easily understood, not surprisingly, was backing off from conversation style toward more declarative articulation, especially in times of potentially disruptive background noise. In addition, although other movement of facial muscles does play a supporting role or is synchronized with mouth and lip movement, it was the mouth that carried the functional load primarily. 

Clip art: Clker
This is a particularly interesting problem in haptic work, in part because the eyes of the student are naturally drawn to the hand and arm movements. Consequently, you must be a bit more conscientious about how you articulate a model word, for example, as you do the corresponding pedagogical movement pattern, to be sure that students can also read you lip patterning as well. Record some of your work, turn off the sound and spend a little time trying to figure out what you were saying . . . 

Obviously nothing to just "pay lip service to!" 


Citation: Investigating the impact of lip visibility and talking style on speechreading performance - http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.specom.2013.01.003

Thursday, April 11, 2013

AH-EPS Instructor's package!

We'll will be selling the preliminary version of  the AH-EPS Instructor's Package for the first time on April 25th at the BCTEAL annual conference in Vancouver, British Columbia. The conference theme could not be more appropriate, "Brain-compatible language learning." Here is what it will include:
  • 10 Teaching Videos (10 video lessons) on 4 DVDs
  •  2, 1-hour webcam consultations with AH-EPS consultants (You have to pay for it, even if you don't use w/in 60 days.)
  • 1 Instructors Guide (about 70 pages)
  • 1 Student Practice Video set (3 DVDs). That is enough DVDs for 3 students. (It is recommended that students do the homework practice together, in groups of 2 or 3.) 
  • 3 Student Workbooks (The workbook is about 120 pages in length. You can pass that out in pieces or all at once.)
  • 14 consonant video mini-modules (on 1 DVD)
Cost is $400 plus shipping. 

Additional Student Practice Video sets will cost about $100 (for a DVD set and 3 hard copies of the workbook.) We'll begin shipping orders beginning in June. Ordering information will be available May 1st here and  at www.eslenglish.ca.

Once the final version comes out by the end of the summer, the cost will go up by about $100. Sometime in the fall also the downloadable (and possibly streaming) versions of the package will be available as well. 

If you'd like to get your name on the list now for a set, email me at: wracton@gmail.com. 

Keep in touch! 

Accuracy, complexity and fluency: the Schrödinger's cat of pronunciation teaching

Clip art: 
Clker
The concept of "Schrödinger's cat" seems to be everywhere you look in contemporary culture, let alone quantum physics. The idea or paradox relates to two seemingly opposite conditions or demands  existing simultaneously. In pronunciation teaching we have a few as well. None is more obvious than the requirement that instruction focus on both accuracy and fluency "simultaneously,' or at least from a curriculum perspective. The "complexity" there, of course, is that for even the most experienced of us, balancing those seemingly irreconcilable demands can be  . . . well . . . demanding. One of my favorite test questions in graduate methods is, in fact, "How do you balance the need for fluency with accuracy?" How would you answer that?

Found an interesting piece of research that at least articulates the question well by Hunger (2011). (The linked source is a pdf from something called, "ELT Journal Advanced Access, March 15, 2011.) Hunter did a small study using a system called, "Small Talk," that seemed to suggest some preliminary technology-based strategies that is worth a look sometime.

The "problem," of course, is trying to figure out whether accuracy and fluency need to be addressed at the same time, within the same class period, for example, or whether focused doses of each at different times, in different classes is sufficient. Most theorists opt for the latter in very general terms, the assumption being that from there it is the learner's job to integrate and reconcile the two.

"Haptic-integrated clinical pronunciation" (HICP) assumes, on the other hand, that it is the responsibility of the instructional program to provide practice that do both simultaneously. In part the way that is done is by having set up "kinaesthetic monitoring" of targeted sounds prior to engagement in conversational practice, somewhat analogous to that done visual/auditory in "Small talk."  See this blog post and the links to several others on the use of different "channels" in HIPC work. The idea is to allow both accuracy and fluency work to be relegated to control and monitoring by "the body" in a less conscious channel that will not interfere with conscious thought any more than absolutely necessary.

There is, of course, more than one way to "skin this cat," but none more moving and touching, to be sure.

Tuesday, April 9, 2013

Why practicing pronunciation in a group is better than doing it just in your head or alone in the lab

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For over 40 years I have done what I could to create social experiences for students for pronunciation practice. For a time I played with ways of sending them out into the neighborhood for conversation or ersatz research projects, etc., but ultimately it came back to either practicing in class or having them assemble outside of class in small groups, pairs, trios or quartets, to practice together. We're not talking here about preliminary training with vocal sound resonance and practice word lists used for basic change, as prescribed by Lessac (1967) and others (e.g., Acton, 1984).

by
Social learning theory or "social cognitive" learning theory as it is now referred to has always been the theoretical basis for that from my perspective. (Nice web-based source there from the University of Southern Alabama.) Granted there are students, maybe 5% or less, who can somehow repeat a new sound or lexical item over to themselves a few times and then it almost magically begins to show up in spontaneous speech. (Have done some blog posts in the past on those "freaks" of linguistic nature. If you are one, my condolences.)

SCLT argues that learning in social context is critical to subsequent efficient functioning. (Notice that I said "efficient," not "effective.") The "behaviours," in our case, new or changed pronunciation, are so intimately tied to the learner's social and psychological make up and identity that socially appropriate performance of them later is predominately a question of experientially  "returning" to scene of the initial practice (emotionally, at least) for access to the new skills or words.

Clker
In the new AH-EPS framework, it is recommended that students do homework in groups if at all possible, viewing and moving along with (mirroring)  the 30-minute haptic video homework practice lessons. As powerful as the video experience is, the impact of being capable of or learning to move and speak comfortably in public is enormously important. That is part of the reason that I do not recommend working on advanced pronunciation and accent in one-on-one settings, but preferably in groups of six or more.

See Acton (1984) and the--VERY SOON FORTHCOMING LATER THIS MONTH--AH-EPS Instructor's Guide and Student Workbook for more on the specifics of that and how to build it in systematically into pronunciation homework assignments.

Keep in touch . . . especially as you practice your new pronunciation! 

Sunday, April 7, 2013

Perfect pronunciation?

Clip art: 
Clker
There are any number of ways to do that, of course. ("Per'fect" it, that is!) One place I would generally not begin with beginners or upper beginners, however, would be at the Merriam Websters Learner Dictionary and its "Perfect Pronunciation Exercises."  As noted in earlier posts, one place I might start however, one of my favorites, one very compatible with AH-EPS, is at English Accent Coach. The "difference" between the two sites is instructive. One begins with listening to words in sentence context; the other, begins with the sounds themselves, leads learners through a series of exercises (and games) and then extends to the sounds in words, etc. The EAC model is a good one, whether you use that specific site or do the same within your listening/pronunciation syllabus/curriculum. Most of the traditional pronunciation packages did something similar but did not have the technology available to make it fast and efficient, as does EAC.

Now EAC will probably not entirely agree with me that embodying them first gives learners a much better "touch" for the vowels of English, before they play the game there, but give Professor Thomson a break . . . he's listening.

So, once you finish Module 3 in AH-EPS, send your students over to EAC for some very fine, fine tuning. 

Tuesday, April 2, 2013

Haptic pronunciation teaching system (AH-EPS) launch!

Have been getting many inquires on exactly when everything will be available. Soon. Here is how it looks right now:

1. Our experience with the current Vimeo streaming video has been hit and miss. Without good bandwidth, it is not all that hot. We are primarily marketing AH-EPS to those who don't have high end technology. So, we will probably keep that option fo
r the time being and but  try allowing downloads from Vimeo (including a different cost structure, etc.)

2. The current list price of Instructor's set is going to be about $300 (4 DVDs). That includes
  • An introductory video set that you use to convince students to take the course. (One you might use for a information meeting with the public, like advertising.)
  • 9, 30-minute video sets. (One for each module) 
  • A DVD with 14 consonant videos.
  • Instructor's Guide (65 pages) 
  • 1-hour webcam consultation
3. The price of the Student Workbook set (including 4 DVDs) will be about $50. That includes:
  • 27 video homework practice sets (3 for each of the 9 modules) 
  • A DVD with 14 consonant videos. 
  • The Student workbook (120 pages)
                              (The Workbook and DVD set can be purchased separately.)
Note: You need at least one Student Workbook DVD set for each 3 students that you have. It is best, of course, for every student to have his or own workbook and DVD set, but we have found that it is possible for 3 students to share the DVDs the 3 video sets in each module in one week. It takes at least a week for each module. (One 30-minute Teaching video set and then 3, 30-minute homework video sets.)  If you are going to be doing classes with AH-EPS, we can work out a deal where you just buy workbooks for everybody and one set of DVDs for each 2 or 3 students. (The workbook, by itself would cost about $25, depending on how many, etc!) Can even set up free webcam consultations with you and teachers, etc.

4. If a student wants to do the course by himself, he would also need to purchase both the Instructor's DVDs and the Student Workbook set.

More info in about a week! 

Keep in touch (KIT)

Gestures "count" in pronunciation teaching!

Clip art: 
Clker
New study by Fenn and Duffy of Michigan State University and Cook of University of Iowa, summarized by Science Daily, demonstrates that using gestures as a teacher--at least in 4th grade match--results in better learning for students. (Other research has detected the same tendency in one-on-one tutoring as well.) In the study, the focus was an algebra equation. The "gesture" group saw an instructor gesture with one hand, mirror image, to the side of the equation being talked about as it happened. The control group was just "talked to."

They (not surprisingly) offer no explanation as to what may have been behind the striking difference in post treatment testing between the groups, but they do offer three near breath-taking observations ". . . Gesturing can be a very beneficial tool that is completely free and easily employed in classrooms . . . I think it can have long-lasting effects . . . Teachers in the United States tend to use gestures less than teachers in other countries."

The study used "deictic" gestures (pointing at something physically present or conceptual). It is still an interesting piece of evidence. (They could, of course, have tested the main effect by having another group that did not see a gesturing instructor but were, instead, provided with left or right pointing graphic arrows superimposed on the screen.) Just thought I'd point that out . . .

In AH-EPS all pedagogical movement patterns involve deictic anchoring in the visual field as well. That  has to count for something, eh?

Tuesday, March 19, 2013

New AH-EPS, special TESOL demonstration and test run available!


Ready for Haptic Pronunciation Teaching?

Acton Haptic
English Pronunciation SystemTM
  (A revolutionary, new approach to L2 intelligibility)

For a free, moving and touching, online, experiential
"haptic video" demonstration or test run, go here!

Saturday, March 16, 2013

HICPT! (Hapticians of the world, connect!)

Clip art: Clker
As announced some time ago, one of my goals at the TESOL Convention is to begin a new international organization for those "hapticians" among us and those who are interested in haptic-integrated clinical pronunciation teaching, working title: HICPT! (Pronounced: Hiccupped!) Have several (half serious) ideas for a organizational bi-line, such as:

HICPT: Getting in touch with pronunciation teaching
HICPT: Hands on pronunciation teaching
HICPT: Moving and touching pronunciation teaching
HICPT: Post-pronunciation, pronunciation teaching
HICPT: From text to texture
HICPT: Hands up!
HICPT: What? Me? Homework?
HICPT: I like the way you move there . . .
HICPT: Haptictalk!
HICPT: The felt sense of how spontaneous speaking happens

Will begin to get out the word at the Convention. After the Convention we'll look into getting some kind of forum set up, other than these two blogs. If you are interested in joining, keep in touch!

Tuesday, March 12, 2013

Vigilance decrement during pronunciation work?

clip art:
Clker
I knew there had to be a scientific term for why students lose interest in pronunciation work occasionally . . . and a cure! The term is used in relation to yet another study that discovered that gum chewing can be good for things "cognitive." In this case, in the study by Morgan, Johnson and Miles of Cardiff University, summarized by Science Daily, it was found that "Gummies" were able to persist longer on an audio recognition task than the "gum-less." The Gum-less started out stronger but were overtaken and passed by the Gummies near the end. And the reason that the Gummies did better? They were more immune to "vigilance decrement" during the task. I have yet to read a cogent explanation as to WHY gum works the way it does. (If you know of that research, please link it here.)

Because of surgery a few years ago cutting out a saliva gland, I have to chew gum to function effectively. I had never done gum before and very much dislike it now, but I do have some "haptic' felt sense of what they are talking about, how it combats "vigilance decrementia." It at least gives me something to do during interminable harangues during faculty meetings.

My guess, however, is that it has something to do with keeping the wiring that goes from the brain to the articulatory equipment energized, in effect working in the opposite direction, very much like haptic technology drives feedback back to the brain through the hands. Not sure I'm in for having students do gum during work that is basically oral production-oriented, but next time your class has to just sit and do nothing but listen, give it a try. "Gum up the work a bit, eh!"


Journal reference (compliments of Science Daily): Kate Morgan, Andrew J. Johnson and Christopher Miles. Chewing gum moderates the vigilance decrement.British Journal of Psychology, 8 MAR 2013. 

Sunday, March 10, 2013

Gesture enhances foreign language (pronunciation) learning

The first question I often get after a presentation is something like, "So what is the evidence that systematic use of gesture (or pedagogical movement patterns, as we call them) can enhance pronunciation?" It is around, to be sure, but--outside of our personal experience and action-research-based studies--it takes about four or five minutes to orally cover the background from half a dozen other disciplines that makes the approach as compelling as it is. Here is a readable,  2012 article, by Macedonia and Kriegstein, published in Biolinguistics (one of my favorite, "newer" sources) that does a decent job of summarizing the research literature on the question as it relates to language learning in general and acquisition of lexical material, not pronunciation specifically. It'll get you close, however.

Love the last line of the abstract: "Thus, we propose the use of gesture as a facilitating educational tool that integrates body and mind."

I know that is perilously close to making the "Well . . . duh" file, but what is worth noting about this research summary is that, coming from two "bio-linguists," (not pedagogical apologists),  it brings together an impressive number of studies from related fields to reach that conclusion. (I'll probably use this reference in the future for those that need to get up to speed on what HICP(R) is about. Constructing that kind of case for haptic-integrated pronunciation teaching--until the empirical studies are in later--represents the essence of theory and method development not only in our work but in applied linguistics generally.

They conclude their summary as follows, "Nevertheless, controlled laboratory research is lacking and is needed in order to collect empirical evidence for the use of gestures in these language domains." (E.g., syntax, morphology, pronunciation.) That is where we typically  part company with the biologists, on the way to the lab, but their point is well taken. Probably half the blogposts here take on the same form, of arguing from basic research frameworks in "neuro- and physio-" sciences, not from "hard evidence" . . . yet.
Clip art: Clker

Nice piece, nonetheless. "Hat tip" to M & K. (One of my favorite haptic gestures here, BTW!)

Macedonia, M & K. Kriegstein, Gestures enhance foreign language learning. Biolinguistics 6.3–4: 393–416, 2012 - http://www.biolinguistics.eu



Friday, March 8, 2013

A nose for pronunciation? Nothing to sniff at!

Clip art: Clker
I love Science Daily. They throw up some of the wackiest or most politically loaded stuff consistently in the form of summaries, but there are almost always gems like this one: a study that figured out the social/communicative function of sniffing in rats, by Wesson of Case Western Reserve. (To do "haptic" you just have to look outside the field of pronunciation teaching--at least for the time being.) The subordinate rat sniffs more; the dominant, less.

Relevance? There have been a few other posts that dealt with the role of breathing in voice training and anchoring--especially nose breathing, taking in air before doing a pedagogical movement pattern as you articulate a sound or word or phrase. The physical benefits of getting all that extra oxygen into your brain and relaxing your upper body are enough, of course, but now, from this research we see the bigger picture. It is, of course, important that students do the PMPs along w/you when doing corrections or presenting new stuff. (We do not use the expression or technique "repeat after me." The operative term is: "Do that with me, " or more simply: "Together.")

Observers of my classes have often asked, "Why all the sniffing?" Now we know. 

Wednesday, March 6, 2013

Intrusive and proactive pronunciation instruction (IPPI!)

Clip art: Clker
Love that acronym! Over the life of the blog there have been several posts that relate to exercise persistence. What comes out of that research, from several disciplines, is the idea that advising and helping students managing their time is a very good idea. In this Science Digest summary of MA thesis research by Kansas State student, Tennant, the effect of intrusive and proactive advising and engagement with freshman college students is striking. (US universities are rediscovering the importance of student retention in these difficult economic times, apparently.)  Although Tennant's work focuses primarily on at-risk students, the implications for our work are clear: resources and energy spent on assisting students in mangage life and study outside of class pay off.

What do you know about how your students study and practice of pronunciation on their own? (For that matter, what do you know about their life outside of class?) The ambivalence that we all deal with between learner autonomy and empowerment on one hand-and motivating (or cajoling) them to do their homework that you have assigned for their own good on the other . . . reflects where the field is today. The position that there could possibly be one basic pronunciation program that "fits all"--and that it could be integrated into general speaking and listening instruction--seems very much a throw back to earlier structuralist language teaching.

We have learned a great deal since the 50s about method design and what constitutes the range of strategies and technologies that can be applied to the process. The AH-EPS approach is to (A) use the basic phonological structures of the language as a standard point of departure for enhancing and integrating learners' ability to learn new sounds and vocabulary, and (B) to carefully prescribe a framework for what should go on between formal classes (or working with a haptic video independently.) That framework involves both fixed warm ups and pedagogical-movement routines associated with L2 sound features, and, most importantly, staged extension to learners' individual needs and current program of study.

In a classroom setting that means training both instructors and learners to use a set of techniques for presenting, correcting, remembering and recalling what should be integrated into spontaneous speaking, listening, reading and writing. IPPI! (or perhaps, H-IPPI!)  

Tuesday, March 5, 2013

New Introduction to AH-EPS for students

Inserted below is an excerpt from the beginning of the AH-EPS Student Workbook. If you do consider doing the free "TEST DRIVE" of the Introduction and Modules 1 and 2, this description for students might be helpful in preparing them. The video excerpts of the actual instructional stuff on Vimeo would also be helpful (https://vimeo.com/channels/479545). Not my 12-minute introductory chat with you at the beginning, of course.! 
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AH-EPS (Acton Haptic - English Pronunciation System) is a new, faster way to improve your pronunciation. (The word “haptic” means “movement + touch.” "Acton" is the last name of the Professor at Trinity Western University who created it.)

The complete AH-EPS program has three pieces:
  •  Introduction Video lesson (and worksheets) 
  • A Teachers Manual that comes with 9, 30-minute video lessons (what we call "Instructional Videos") 
  • A Student Workbook that comes with homework practice video sets (3 to be done after each Instructional Video, or 27 total.) 
For some teachers, using just the Instructional Videos are enough. Other teachers use both the Instructional Videos and the Student Practice videos. If you are doing AH-EPS by yourself, you will need both.

Doing AH-EPS exercises is sometimes a little like:
  • Sign languages used by the deaf or baseball players 
  • “Tai Chi” moves used in martial arts or boxing 
  • Dancing or workout exercise 
  • A computer or “smart phone” game 
AH-EPS
  • Will help you learn and remember vocabulary and pronunciation better. 
  • Includes video exercises you do sitting or standing in front of a video player or a computer. 
  • If you are in a school, it is a good way for you and your instructor to correct your mistakes. 
  • If you are studying on your own, independently, AH-EPS will help you learn to be better at  correcting your pronunciation yourself. (You can also get some extra help online, by webcam, too.
So, try to:
  • Do all exercises using a strong voice. Reading out loud is very important. Find a good place to do that so you won’t disturb your neighbors and friends! 
  • Use good posture and breathing. (The video will show you how to do that!) 
  • After doing the Instructional Video, try to practice three times a week if you can. Not every day, just every other day. For example: Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday for about 30 or 40 minutes each time. 
  • Follow the directions carefully. If you are in a class, your instructor can help you check on the new sounds that you are working on. If you are doing AH-EPS by yourself, record yourself doing the conversations and then listen back to it once a week. 
  • Do all the exercises. Even stretching is important, just like in sports. You will do a stretching warm up every day. It will stretch not just your arms, hands, eyes, mouth and upper body, but your thinking, your confidence and your English! 
There are 9 modules in AH-EPS. Each one consists of five parts: (A module is a set of exercises that teaches one or two points. A module will usually take at least a week to complete.)

Part A. 30 minute work with the Instructional Video
1. Warm up
2. Review of previous lesson
3. Demonstration of a new sound learning technique (called a PMP!)
4. Training in how to do the PMP (pedagogical movement pattern)
5. Practice using the PMP
6. Introduction to using the PMP in conversation

Part B. After doing the Part A, make a list of words that have that PMP or sound in them to practice with. (There is a place in the workbook for you to write those down.) 

Part C. Homework Day #1 (30 minute work with the Workbook and Student Practice Videos) 
1. Do warm up
2. Do review of the previous lesson.
3. Practice new PMP
4. Practice new PMP in Conversation #1
5. Practice with word list
6. Do one consonant video, if it a sound that you need to improve.

Part D. Homework Day #2  (30 minute work with the Workbook and Student Practice Videos)
1. Do warm up
2. Do review of the previous lesson.
3. Practice new PMP
4. Practice new PMP in Conversation #2
5. Practice with word list
6. Do one consonant video, if it a sound that you need to improve.

Part E. Homework Day #3  (30 minute work with the Workbook and Student Practice Videos)
1. Do warm up
2. Do review of the previous lesson.
3. Practice new PMP
4. Practice new PMP in Conversation #3
5. Practice with word list
6. (Do one consonant video, if it a sound that you need to improve.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The TEST DRIVE will only require that you register to get all the materials (pdf) and free access to the videos for the Introduction and Modules I and 2, either streaming or download. (It can be done either in class or entirely as lab or homework--or some combination of both.)

To get the rest of the system will require purchase of the Instructors Manual (for access to the Instructional Videos) and  the optional Student Workbook (for access to the Student Practice videos.) Those will probably both be available through Amazon.com or Amazon.ca initially, soon-- I hope!