Teaching English pronunciation can feel intimidating, especially if you’re a new ESL teacher or haven’t had specific training in this area. When I first started adding pronunciation lessons to my regular classes, I wasn’t sure how to best use the IPA chart or show students how to make the various sounds in English.
I recently tested out the Bridge TEFL Teaching English Pronunciation 30-hour Micro-credential Course and found it to be a great tool for learning how to teach ESL pronunciation. It’s self-paced, affordable, and packed with practical information. In this post, I’ll share my review of the course plus 2 ESL pronunciation activities you can try out in your classes!
Disclaimer: This blog post is NOT sponsored. However, I was given free access to the course to test it out for my audience. All opinions, as always, are my own. If you choose to sign up for this course using my link or discount code, I may receive a small commission which helps me continue to create free content for teachers. Thank you!
Review of the Bridge TEFL Teaching English Pronunciation Course
As someone who reviews a wide range of TEFL/TESOL certificate courses (check out all my reviews on YouTube here), I was excited to explore a course dedicated to teaching English pronunciation. This 30-hour, online mini-course is open to teachers over 18 years old. If you are a non-native speaker, you’ll need a B1 intermediate level of English to take this course. This course is intended as a supplement to a general TEFL/TESOL course.
Structure of the Teaching English Pronunciation Course
The Bridge TEFL Teaching English Pronunciation Course has 3 modules:
1 – Sounds in English
2 – Words & Sentences in English
3 – Teaching English Pronunciation Lesson Planning
You’ll learn through a variety of activities like interactive diagrams, infographics, reflective journal prompts, readings, listening activities, sample lesson plans, and more. There are also sound clips and slide presentations that help clarify difficult concepts like phonemes and word stress.
The content includes sounds and how they are formed, the history of English spelling, the difference between word and sentence stress, activity ideas, and how to plan pronunciation lessons and courses, and more.
Since the course is self-paced, you can log in and complete the modules when it’s convenient for you. There’s a quiz and one assignment to complete at the end of the third module.
Pros of the Bridge TEFL Teaching English Pronunciation Course
Affordable: This course is under $30 and you can get an additional 10% off with my discount code ESL365 at checkout. Sign up for the course here.
High-quality: This course is packed with information and practice to give you a solid understanding of how to teach ESL pronunciation. Of all the Bridge TEFL courses I’ve tested out so far, this is my favorite!
Easy to navigate: I didn’t have any trouble working my way through the course or going back to previous information as needed.
Cons of the Bridge TEFL Teaching English Pronunciation Course
One improvement I’d like to see is including videos of sample pronunciation lessons or ESL pronunciation activities taught by real teachers. That being said, I really enjoyed this course and it’s a great deal as is.
English Pronunciation Activity #1: Ways of Saying Sentences
This activity is from the Bridge TEFL Teaching English Pronunciation Course.
Step One: Choose three sentences that your students can read aloud. These can be related to a grammar point you’ve been working on, a particular sound that needs practice, or vocabulary set. Write the sentences up on the board or write them in the chat if the class is online.
Step Two: Do this part of the activity as a whole class first. Choose a variety of ways that your students can say the sentences such as:
- Whispering
- Shouting
- Saying them as quickly or slowly as possible
- While holding their nose or tongue
- Only pronouncing the vowels
Have students say the sentences together in the specified way at the same time. This makes it easy for shy students to practice as they don’t feel singled out in front of the group.
This activity helps students gain an awareness of how and where sounds are made and how to manipulate them.
Step Three: Break up students into smaller groups and either have them repeat the activity with the same or new sentences, or create their own. They can also come up with additional ways to say the sentences for another group.
English Pronunciation Activity #2: Pronunciation Memory
This activity is from the Bridge TEFL blog.
Step One: Depending on the level of your students, choose words that rhyme and write one word per card. I like to create a grid on Canva and print off the cards with black ink on the back so students cannot see through the paper. Laminate your cards so they can be used again and again.
Step Two: Have students work in pairs, taking turns. The first student will flip over two cards and say them aloud. If the words rhyme, they get to keep the cards. If not, replace the cards face down and it’s the next player’s turn.
For advanced levels, try words with difficult spelling patterns or minimal pairs to create an extra challenge.
I hope you found this review of the Bridge TEFL Teaching English Pronunciation Course helpful! What other courses would you like me to review? Just send me an email: jamie@eslteacher365.com
My discount code ESL365 works on ALL Bridge TEFL Courses at checkout. Check out the entire course catalog here.
Happy teaching!
Jamie
@eslteacher365
