Proposition 2

Teachers know the subjects they teach and how to teach those subjects to students.

EDU 690 Assignment: "Problems and Solutions in English Pronunciation for Taiwanese 5th Grade Students"

Rationale:

This assignment from EDU 690, Action Research & Case Study, helps meet the indicator of Proposition 2 which reads that:

NBCTs have mastery over the subject(s) they teach. They have a deep understanding of the history, structure and real-world applications of the subject. They have skill and experience in teaching it, and they are very familiar with the skills gaps and preconceptions students may bring to the subject. They are able to use diverse instructional strategies to teach for understanding.

In this action research study I sought to determine problematic areas of English pronunciation encountered by native Chinese speakers learning English as a second language, and then design classroom activities that improved intelligibility. I accomplished this in two phases. First, preassessments narrowed down to three the most common pronunciation mistakes made by 20 6th grade students at a public school in Taiwan. Results of oral-reading exams showed a lack of syllable and word stress, and adding additional vowel sounds to words ending in consonants. Together these result in English that sounds flat and rhythmically staccato. The second phase sought to remedy this characteristic through a series of exercises: identifying and emphasizing content words through choral reading, identifying word pairs and percussion activities. After three interventions the final assessment strongly indicated progress. Reading performance showed an increase in speaking with intonation, stress, and overall fluidity. The effectiveness of interventions was determined to be the result of mastery-oriented motivation of learners who exhibited self-awareness of their shortcomings, and a desire to improve intelligibility.

Reflection:

It has become clear to me after teaching ESL for four years the importance of understanding ways in which my students' native language interfere with their ability to learn English pronunciation. It is not enough to deliver the same exercises to students from different backgrounds. This is because English contrasts dramatically from some languages such as Chinese, while sharing similarities with others like French and Spanish. In this study I focused on my Mandarin speaking students and their trouble with syllable stress. By studying Chinese and understanding its properties, specifically its difference from English in terms of syllable stress, I was able to develop teaching strategies to effectively help my students to overcome this challenge.

One activity I include in all lessons is a choral reading exercise. Here I write the target language on the whiteboard, and read it in a voice that exaggerates the robotic sound of English spoken when equal emphasis and time is given to each syllable. After this students catch on to the concept and begin to tell me which syllable should be underlined and given emphasis. By the end of the exercise, the class is generally able to read sentences more naturally. Developing new ways of teaching pronunciation is an ongoing focus of mine. Currently I am experimenting with teaching syllable stress, and rhythm using hand drums in my ESL percussion class.

Standards for NBPTS | The Five Core Propositions. (n.d.). Retrieved August 16, 2017, from http://www.nbpts.org/standards-five-core-propositions/