Speaker
Description
This presentation will discuss how to teach connected speech with catchy English songs. Connected speech is a common feature of naturally spoken English, yet it is also one of the most challenging parts of learning for non-native speakers to master. Sounds run together in natural speech, and there is no space between each word, unlike written English. Besides, there are some changes in sounds when they are connected. As a result, even sentences consisting of simple words can be unrecognizable for learners.
Moreover, connected speech is not usually taught in English classrooms in Japan. Therefore, many learners are stuck, not knowing what to do when they cannot understand what people say, and the situation has been the same for many first-year students at Akita International University (AIU). As a teaching assistant for the English for Academic Purposes program at AIU, the presenter made teaching materials for the students to learn connected speech with fun using catchy English songs. The presentation will cover how the presenter made the materials and how the lessons went with them.
Bio: Rintaro Ikegami is a graduate student at Akita International University. He has been helping first-year undergraduate students as a teaching assistant since the spring of 2022. He is working at Nara Kokusai High School as a social studies teacher who teaches in English after graduating in March.
