Hang the paper chart (available from www.macmillanenglish.com) permanently on or beside your board at the front of the class and use it as a reference point throughout your lessons.
Introduce the chart by pointing out words to the class. At first use words they know and can say, and gradually introduce new words. Do this by pointing out the sounds of the word on the chart, while the class says each sound individually, after it is pointed. Then practise the word fluently, finally invite a student to come and point out the same word on the chart.
Whoever is pointing at the sounds on the chart does not say the sound aloud. The rest of the class do say each sound aloud after it is pointed. This enables the person who is pointing to correct themselves and it means everyone is involved in the activity. After the sounds of a word are correctly pointed out, always get students to say the word fluently, with the sounds fully connected up.
Remember the chart is not only for you. Get students up to the chart to point out the pronunciation whenever there is a new word or some pronunciation challenge. Do the same with short phrases. Remember it is more important for learners to discover how the sound is made in the mouth than to remember the symbol.
Use a pointer of about 40 or 50 cms to indicate phonemes on the chart. It focuses attention and shows who ‘has the floor’ at that moment.
It’s no different from learning to dance, except that the movements are more subtle and internal. But they can be heard and mostly seen! Encourage students to watch pronunciation as well as listen to it, just as you watch a dance when you want to learn it.
Put students into small groups to see how many words they can spell out using the phonemic chart from the app. This will get them used to using the symbols and it also provides a competitive element to stimulate interest.
Ask each student to find another example word for each sound, in addition to the ones on the app. Practise and discuss what they find. Focus especially on vowels and consonants that are different from their first language.
Divide the class into pairs. One student taps a sound on the app, while the other looks away. The other must then find that symbol on the chart using only their aural memory to guide them. It’s OK to tap wrong sounds while they search to identify the right one, because they are still holding the original sound in their inner ear.
Students say their own name as if an English person is saying it. They count how many sounds in their name and then check the sounds on the app before showing the rest of the class on the chart using visual dictation.
Visit blog: http://adrianpronchart.wordpress.com/