getting certified in teaching pronunciation

<b>Forum for ideas on how to teach pronunciation </b>

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stromfi
Posts: 58
Joined: Thu May 26, 2005 10:37 pm

getting certified in teaching pronunciation

Post by stromfi » Tue Jul 26, 2005 3:29 am

Hi,

Does anyone know how to get certified in teaching pronunciation? Since I'm in the US, I'm only interested in US based programs. I've heard of these PEFL courses, but they seem to be rather short to me. Has anyone done one of these? Are they any good?

I know I could also do an undergraduate program in speech therapy, which can take up to two years. I'm not sure, however, that everything I learn there would be relevant to PEFL. Is anyone out there who has a degree in speech therapy and teaches PEFL? Which track shall I take? The longer one or the shorter one? The more fundamental one or the more specialized one? Any advice?

Stromfi

EH
Posts: 174
Joined: Fri Jan 17, 2003 2:36 am
Location: USA and/or Korea

Post by EH » Thu Jul 28, 2005 3:03 pm

Hi,

I'm a speech-language pathologist who used to be an ESL teacher. Maybe I can help. In my opinion, the best way to really understand how to teach pronunciation is to take a couple courses in the speech-language pathology department of a local university. You don't need a whole degree in it, because the degree will cover many other areas besides just pronunciation.

You should first take a course in Phonetics. This is key. You will learn about method and placement of speech sound production, how to describe speech sounds and how to write them (International Phonetic Alphabet). You need a solid foundation in these things before moving on. Next, take a course in Articulation/Phonology. This will teach you about traditional and newer approaches to helping people change their pronunciation. Make sure you get a good, qualified teacher for this course--not just someone who is teaching it because no one else on staff felt like doing so. Those two courses may be enough. But if possible, ideally you would also take a course on Accent Modification. These are harder to find, but exist. If you can't find one at the university level then you can try the short courses offered by makers of Accent Modification materials. The Compton P-ESL program and the Sam Schwat programs spring to mind, but there are many others.

Feel free to PM me for more info. Good luck.
-EH

stromfi
Posts: 58
Joined: Thu May 26, 2005 10:37 pm

Post by stromfi » Wed Aug 03, 2005 2:10 am

Hi EH,

Just wanted to say a big THANK YOU for all your useful hints. Would you have any practical advice on how to find out who is good and qualified to teach a course in Articulation/Phonology?

Thanks again.

Stromfi

EH
Posts: 174
Joined: Fri Jan 17, 2003 2:36 am
Location: USA and/or Korea

Post by EH » Wed Aug 03, 2005 4:45 pm

Your best bet is to go to the prospective instructor's office hours and chat. Or, email may work almost as well. Ask if artic/phon is the person's specialty, and if not, then what is their specialty. Anyone who specializes in articulation, child speech (not child language), adult accent modification, or phonology should probably be a good instructor for you. A specialization in motor speech disorders might be okay as well. Other specialties such as stuttering, language learning disorders, aphasia, early intervention, dysphagia, etc. would probably not be what you're looking for.

Just asking about their specialty should be enough. But if you really want to know more ask you can about their research interests and whether they've published anything you could look at.

You can get more information about speech-language pathology--as a student, consumer, or professional--from the American Speech-Language Hearing Association (www.ASHA.org). If you have any questions that aren't answered right there on the site, you can email them and they'll have one of the main experts in the field email you back with an answer.

I hope this helps.
-EH

Oh, and BTW--taking one or two courses in speech-language pathology will not give you any kind of certificate. You'll have the transcript, of course, and you'll know what you're doing, which I think is the main thing. But you won't be officially "Certified in Pronunciation" or anything. I know that the Compton P-ESL program offers a certificate of completion (I have one. It's not a perfect program, because it focuses too much on high level learners and ignores everything about language besides speech sounds. But it is well organized and it is very popular) I think Sam Shwat offers certification, too. I haven't tried his program yet, though I'd like to. I think both of these programs list their schedule of instruction on the ADVANCE for Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology website (www.ADVANCEforSPandA.com) in the continuing education menu. That might be a good place to look for other short courses as well.

stromfi
Posts: 58
Joined: Thu May 26, 2005 10:37 pm

Post by stromfi » Wed Aug 03, 2005 8:02 pm

Thanks again. You are a gem!

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