Common Myths about Teaching Pronunciation with Emma Walker

Common Myths about Teaching Pronunciation with Emma Walker

Author: TESOL Pop May 1, 2024 Duration: 15:18

Founder of Pronunciation with Emma, Emma Walker, addresses myths surrounding teaching pronunciation, from misconceptions about the skills we need as teachers to common mixups between accent and pronunciation.


Watch with closed captions.


TALKING POINTS


Myth 1: Certain Teachers Can't Teach Pronunciation

Emma emphasises the importance of mindset shifting among teachers, learners and the wider community. Teachers who speak English as a second language can still effectively teach pronunciation and provide an inspiring role model for learners.


Myth 2: Accent Equals Pronunciation

While accent and pronunciation are connected, they are not the same. Emma illustrates the distinction with practical examples and highlights the importance of intelligibility.


Myth 3: Pronunciation Lessons Are Limited to Short Activities

Emma challenges the misconception that pronunciation lessons can't fill an entire class. She recommends resources and materials that can be adapted for advanced learners, providing clarity in pronunciation instruction.


ABOUT

Emma Walker has been teaching for over 15 years and decided to focus on helping English learners improve their pronunciation and listening skills after noticing that many of her students (who were living and working in the UK), were struggling to understand other people in the UK. She started making videos on social media back in 2018 and has amassed a following of over 1 million English learners and over 22 million views. Emma is also a copywriter and ghostwrites social media content for some of the biggest ELT companies. Visit Pronunciation with Emma to learn more.


REFERENCES

  1. Baker, A. (2006) Ship or Sheep? Book and Audio CD Pack: An Intermediate Pronunciation Course. Cambridge University Press; 2nd edition
  2. Baker, A. (2006) Tree or Three? An Elementary Pronunciation Course. Cambridge University Press; 2nd edition
  3. Hancock, M. (1995) Pronunciation Games. Cambridge University Press
  4. Hancock, M. (2017) English Pronunciation in Use. Cambridge University Press


SUPPORT US

💻 Sponsor us

Buy us a coffee

Leave a review


THE PRODUCER'S EDIT

Get inspired to record more. Weekly stories, insights, and content tips for standout educators delivered to your inbox.

👉 Subscribe here


CREDITS

Producer: Laura Wilkes

Editor: Haven Tsang

Thanks to our fun guest, Emma Walker

Production by Communicating for Impact


Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.


Ever feel like the best teaching ideas come from a quick chat in the staffroom, but your schedule never allows for it? TESOL Pop captures that spark. Designed for the busy English language teacher, this mini podcast delivers compact, meaningful conversations with TESOL, TEFL, and ESL educators globally. Each episode is a focused interview, kept under fifteen minutes, packed with practical ideas and personal insights that can genuinely shift your approach in the classroom. You’ll hear stories about career pivots, reflections on what actually works with students, and clever uses of technology, all shared in a casual, accessible tone. It’s the audio equivalent of a refreshing coffee break with a colleague who gets it. The podcast understands that profound professional development doesn’t always require a lengthy seminar; sometimes, a single, well-timed insight is enough to reinvigorate your teaching. By tuning in, you join a global conversation that feels both personal and immediately useful, making it easy to integrate new perspectives into your daily routine without overwhelming your calendar.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 100

TESOL Pop
Podcast Episodes
Building Your Personal Brand on LinkedIn with Gina Rodriguez [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 13:19
ELT Marketing & Education Consultant Gina Rodriguez talks about the benefits of building a personal brand on a site like LinkedIn for teachers. Gina unpacks how to set up and maintain a LinkedIn profile in three steps an…
Is A Master's Degree in TESOL Worth It? with Thu Thu Naing [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 11:46
Teacher Thu Thu Naing talks about her recent experience studying for a master’s degree in TESOL with Educational Technology. Thu shares how she chose a course and provider, what the course was like, and what she plans to…
S5E8: How to Apply Inquiry-Based Learning with Michelle Worgan [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 14:27
Educator and materials writer Michelle Worgan talks about Inquiry-Based Learning (IBL) and the qualities that set it apart from Project-Based Learning. In this episode, Michelle provides examples of Inquiry-Based Learnin…
S5E7: The Know, Show, and Grow Stages of Teaching and Learning [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 14:05
Author André Hedlund discusses the "Know, Show, and Grow" phases in education and illustrates how they can be applied in the classroom. He also highlights how portfolios can be an effective tool for monitoring the progre…
S5E6: Three Simple Mindful Practices for Teachers with Justin Ricci [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 11:24
Founder of the Strength, Yoga, Freedom Community, Justin Ricci, talks about the positive impact mindfulness can have on the quality of our decision-making and interactions. To help fit mindfulness into our daily lives, J…
Using Technology to Give Great Feedback with Nihad Ćehić [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 14:59
Co-founder and CEO of the EdTech App Vibbl Nihad Ćehić talks about the vital role delayed feedback plays in the learning process, the challenges teachers often face in giving great feedback, and how technology like Vibbl…
Trailer: Learn about TESOL Pop with Laura Wilkes [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:26
Are you new to TESOL Pop? Learn about the podcast and how its bite-sized episodes are a source of professional development for educators who teach English to speakers of other languages.For a video version of this traile…
S5E4: Teaching Beginner-Level Learners with Julie Chen [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 12:01
Teacher and Quality Assurance Specialist Julie Chen reflects on challenges beginner-level learners often encounter when studying in a one-to-one or group setting. In this episode, Julie also shares practical tips on buil…
S5E3: Increasing Accessibility with UDL with Erin Vobornik [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 13:15
Teacher Erin Vobornik talks about key principles of Universal Design for Learning (UDL) and how they can be applied to the ESL classroom. Erin shares her own experience and examples of ways in which UDL can be applied to…
Technologies to Support Ongoing Learning with Steponas Dabužinskas [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 14:18
Teacher, writer, and developer Steponas Dabužinskas discusses common challenges learners face in continuing learning after lessons and suggests three online technologies to help engage teenage and adult students in furth…