So That's What Those Symbols Mean!

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TESL 0120

 I had a big “aha” moment during this unit on pronunciation. I have a very strong background in literacy and have been a teacher since 1996. I have taken a lot of courses, attended a lot of trainings and professional development sessions and read a lot of texts on literacy. I have taught in the public as well as the private school system, tutored students one-on-one, and taught ESL in a foreign country. However, never in all of my years of professional experience have I learned how to read or use the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA).

Of course, I have seen the pronunciation symbols in dictionaries and various other texts, but I have never personally been taught or tried to learn the meanings of the symbols. After reviewing the readings and completing the activities for Unit 2, I believe that having a strong understanding of the phonetic symbols will be of use to me in an ESL classroom.

As a Reading Recovery Teacher, I do spend some time reviewing and practicing the sounds that letters can make with my students. I have some experience with talking about the shape of the mouth or the position of the tongue and have even used small mirrors with some students to help them see what their mouth and tongue look like when they say different sounds. I also remember talking about these things in ESL classes that I taught in the past, particularly when a student was struggling with producing a specific sound or differentiating between two different sounds. The IPA, however, was not something that ever came up or that I was expected to use in the language schools that I taught in.

So, just as my ELLs will be learning how to speak a new language, I too will be learning how to use a new tool to help them achieve their goals!

Macmillan English. (2018). Phonemic Chart. (PDF) Retrieved from: 
www.macmillanenglish.com/phonemic-chart

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