Learning a new language is a brave undertaking, for young and older adults alike. It is not easy to get the mouth to produce what may be new sounds, and doing so in front of a group of people can be intimidating. The nervous feelings that come with learning to speak a new language are actually identified as the “affective filter”--emotions that hinder our ability to acquire language due to our environment. Moreover, traditional in-person classroom dynamics can impact individual students' abilities to practice pronunciation. There are often timid students who are reluctant to speak up, even if they do want to improve their pronunciation.

In 2021, thanks to a summer grant, I was able to develop an online pronunciation class that addresses the issue of the “affective filter,” and gives all students in the class the chance to contribute and to receive specific feedback. I used VoiceThread to develop a curriculum for ESL 139 Pronunciation.

The course is designed to help students identify pronunciation differences between their first language and Standard American English pronunciation. Each week, via a recorded lecture that is set up as a VoiceThread assignment, students are given direct instruction on targeted features of American English pronunciation. When viewing the lecture, students can see me and see how my mouth is shaped when I produce words. This up close and personal view that a VoiceThread video offers is more precise than sitting in a classroom with the teacher up front talking.

Weekly modules also include 4-5 pronunciation tasks where students use VoiceThread to record themselves. A key part of improving pronunciation is noticing errors and self-correction. Using this VoiceThread (as opposed to sitting in a classroom), students have the opportunity to listen to the recordings and self-correct in real-time. This also allows them the opportunity to submit a recording they are pleased with, rather than be under pressure to pronounce perfectly when called on in class.

Activities and assignments on VoiceThread vary in that some are set up for students to interact and comment back and forth to each other, while others are set up in a way that only I can hear/see individual submissions. As a community of learners students are able to hear each other, and recognize common pronunciation errors (and perhaps have that affective filter be put at ease). One activity in particular that I would like to highlight is an assignment where each student is asked to record themselves reading a stanza of the Inaugural Poem "The Hill We Climb" by Amanda Gorman. The final product is a collection of voices speaking the historic and powerful words of Ms. Gorman.

In addition to using VoiceThread to create a community of learners who listen and learn from each others’ voices, I am able to tailor private comments to each student. For example, one weekly module centers on vowels and consonant sounds in pronunciation. As I listen to student recordings I can make note of which sounds to offer feedback for improvement. In my feedback I can record a video of myself and show what I am doing with my teeth, lips and tongue when I make certain sounds.

In the broader discussion of the pros and cons of online learning, I have found that teaching ESL 139 Pronunciation online has more advantages than disadvantages. Students are each provided individual feedback to help them improve their pronunciation (almost as if they have a 1-1 teacher), while still being a part of an engaging community that supports and encourages each other.

https://voicethread.com/
https://bit.ly/AffectiveFilterHypothesis
https://multilingualpedagogy.lmc.gatech.edu/affective-filter/

The ESL 139 classes I teach are relatively small (between 10-18 students. I have taught ESL 139 online using VoiceThread for 3 semesters, so my survey sample is rather small. I do, however, get positive feedback from my students:
Testimonial:
Hello Professor Amy:
Thank you for your feedback, I appreciate it a lot. I want to say that you can feel free to tell me all that you think can make me better. I do not consider your comments as criticism, they are very helpful to me, and this is why I am here.