Teaching English Pronunciation: Addressing Stress, Rhythm and Intonation in the Classroom

Teaching pronunciation can be overwhelming if you don’t know where to start. That’s why this session will break down the suprasegmental basics of pronunciation (stress, rhythm, and intonation) into easy-to-understand components. You’ll also walk away with practical activities that can make your pronunciation lessons more effective and interesting for your students.

Peggy Tharpe’s teaching career has taken her to Italy, Turkey, Mexico, Switzerland, and the U.S. to teach all ages, develop curriculums, and train teachers. She has taught bilingual education courses at university. She has an Elementary Ed Degree and a Master’s in TESOL from the University of Arizona. She has written a series that addresses English pronunciation challenges faced by Arabic, Russian, and Japanese speakers. She has written articles to help teachers understand how to teach English learners in mainstream classrooms and to understand the difference between normal language learning and language disabilities. She also created a guide to help teachers recognize giftedness in Native American students. Since 2007, she has focused exclusively on pronunciation and fluency. She has her own business as a fluency and pronunciation coach working with advanced speakers and can be found at AmericanPronunciationCoach.com.

Jason R. Levine is an English teacher, trainer, and materials writer. He has led student workshops and teacher training programs in twenty-two countries around the world based on the songs and videos he creates as Fluency MC. Originally from the United States, Jason currently lives in Paris, France. He has published materials with Oxford University Press and Editions Didier and works as an English Specialist with the U.S. Department of State.