In my teaching of pronunciation, I focus on the ultimate goal of intelligibility—ensuring that students can communicate effectively in English. To guide my instruction, I focus on deliberate practice, incorporating activities that allow students to hear, produce, and self-correct pronunciation.  

​

My approach to teaching pronunciation follows a tiered system designed to prioritize the most essential elements for intelligibility and gradually refine students’ speech. In Tier 1, I focus on key suprasegmental features such as pausing, word stress, and intonation, which are critical for immediate clarity in communication. In Tier 2, I address general pronunciation challenges like vowel sounds, schwa, and consonant clusters, providing targeted practice to improve naturalness and fluency. Finally, in Tier 3, I focus on specific, individualized issues such as substitution of consonants or difficulties with certain sounds like the flapped “r”. This structured approach ensures that students master the fundamentals first, while allowing for gradual improvement in more complex areas, ultimately helping them communicate with confidence and clarity.

​

Pronunciation can and should be integrated into listening, speaking, reading, grammar, and writing classes to provide a comprehensive approach to language learning. In listening classes, students can practice recognizing and distinguishing different sounds, stress patterns, and intonation through listening exercises, which directly supports their ability to produce those sounds accurately in speaking. Speaking classes offer the most direct practice, where pronunciation can be integrated into role-plays, discussions, and presentations, helping students focus on clarity, rhythm, and stress in real-time conversations. In reading classes, pronunciation can be addressed through oral reading exercises, where students focus on word stress and connected speech while reading aloud, helping them connect written text with its spoken form. Grammar classes can also benefit from pronunciation instruction, especially when teaching tense endings, plural markers, or contractions, as students learn how these elements are pronounced in natural speech. Finally, writing classes can incorporate pronunciation by making a connection between spelling and pronunciation patterns. By weaving pronunciation into these various skills, students can see how it is an essential part of overall language proficiency, making their learning more holistic and practical.​​​​​