Tackling English pronunciation can be daunting for students. There are many aspects of speech to address, and oftentimes students become overwhelmed. As students and the teacher begin working through the problematic phonemes of English, it is important to keep an eye on students' progress. It is helpful, then, for the instructor to use a simple, tangible method of tracking students' progress on individual sounds. Particularly for instructors who are incorporating pronunciation exercises into their comprehensive English classes, tracking needs to be fast and easily integrated into existing pronunciation activities and not interfere with the rhythm and flow of the lessons. A simple chart can be used with a variety of segmental pronunciation activities and provide students and the teacher with the essential feedback needed to track speech progress.

Below is an simple chart with two rows of five columns each, with a space to record a student's name, date, target sound details, and activity description. Using increments of 10 for each sound chart helps the teacher quickly calculate a percentage and give the student feedback. When the teacher introduces a new sound, the student can read a word list aloud. Each time the student produces the sound correctly, the teacher places a check mark in the box. If the student produces the sound incorrectly or drops the sound, the teacher places an X in the box. Once completed, the teacher and student can see the percentage.

Sample Chart

Name: ________________ Target Sound: ________Initial / Medial / Final

Date: ________________ Activity: ______________________________

Results:_____

Results:_____

As the student continues, the same chart can be used for calculating his or her ability to correctly use the target sound while reading aloud sentences and paragraphs, as well as in guided and spontaneous conversation. The teacher simply puts an X or check mark in the box each time the target sound appears in the exercise. If the student makes a mistake on a target sound but immediately, without prompting, corrects the error, the teacher can record the correction by circling the X. By continually charting the student's performance on each sound, the teacher can provide the student with a more tangible understanding of his or her progress.

Studies show that focused pronunciation instruction on individual sounds has a positive effect on the overall intelligibility of English language learners (e.g., Foote, Holtby, & Derwing, 2011). Although studies look at long-term improvements, oftentimes students still experience frustration when they do not see specific, short-term progress. When working to improve pronunciation, too often teachers rely on overly generalized feedback such as “Sounds better!” or “Doing great” rather than providing the student with individualized feedback. Because pronunciation instruction is multifaceted, it is important for teachers to be able to let students know exactly where they are improving after each session. Teachers can encourage students with a day-to-day picture of their improvement on the specific target sounds, while at the same time using the charts to determine what areas of pronunciation instruction still need more attention.

References

Foote, J. A., Holtby, A. K., & Derwing, T. M. (2011). Survey of the teaching of pronunciation in adult ESL programs in Canada, 2010. TESL Canada Journal, 29(1), 1–22.

Cheryl Witty-Castillo is the Phonetics of American English instructor at St. Mary's Seminary, in Houston, Texas, where she works to help international seminarians and priests improve their American English skills so they can succeed in their graduate studies and professional endeavors.