Help adult learners speak clearly and confidently. This interactive session shares practical, engaging pronunciation strategies that reduce anxiety, support low-literate learners, and improve real-life communication.
About This Session
Description
Pronunciation isn’t about perfect accents—it’s about being heard, understood, and confident. For many adult English learners, especially those with limited literacy, pronunciation can be a major barrier to participation and persistence.
This interactive session explores how to make pronunciation instruction accessible, effective, and engaging. Participants will learn how to shift from correction-based approaches to confidence-building strategies that prioritize intelligibility and real-world communication. Through practical examples and guided practice, we’ll show how pronunciation can become a powerful tool for helping learners find their voice—supporting stronger engagement, retention, and brighter futures.
What we'll cover:
This hands-on session equips participants with practical, research-informed strategies to make pronunciation instruction effective, approachable, and meaningful in adult literacy settings.
Participants will:
Reframe pronunciation as a tool for confidence and communication
- Move beyond “perfect pronunciation” to focus on intelligibility, helping learners be understood in real-life situations such as work, healthcare, and community interactions.
Understand common learner challenges
Explore barriers adult learners face, including:
- Accent-related anxiety and fear of speaking
- Difficulty hearing and producing unfamiliar sounds
- Limited literacy and reliance on spelling
- Navigating stress, rhythm, and intonation in English
Learn and practice 5+ ready-to-use strategies, including:
- Teaching stress and rhythm patterns for clearer communication
- Using minimal pairs in meaningful, contextualized ways
- Integrating pronunciation into everyday lessons (not as a separate skill)
- Using games and interactive activities to increase engagement
Experience a brain-based approach to vowel instruction
Engage with an innovative method that helps learners understand and produce sounds without relying on spelling or phonetic symbols, making it especially effective for lower-literacy learners.
Reduce learner anxiety through low-pressure techniques
Practice strategies that:
- Normalize mistakes as part of learning
- Encourage risk-taking and participation
- Build learner confidence over time
Connect pronunciation to learner persistence and program success
Discuss how confidence in speaking:
- Increases attendance and retention
- Supports learner independence and goal attainment
- Strengthens overall program outcomes
Topics & Focus
Primary Topic Area
Session will also cover:
Assigned by TCALL
Pending
Audience
Level
Case study?
Promotion?
This session is sponsored by Intercambio Uniting Communities.
A note from the presenter:
No other info available at this time.
Handouts & Materials
No handouts or materials available at this time.
“Name of Session” – session presentation slides (PDF)
Name of Document – lesson sample (PDF)
Name of Document (PDF)
Name of Document – infographic (JPG)
Presenter
Karin Bates
TESOL Specialist
Visit Intercambio in the conference Exhibitor Area!
Karin Bates is the TESOL Specialist at Intercambio Uniting Communities in Boulder, Colorado. She holds an M.A. in Curriculum and Instruction for Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) and brings over 35 years of experience teaching adult English learners across diverse settings.
Prior to Intercambio, Karin worked with immigrant and refugee communities at the Immigrant and Refugee Center of Northern Colorado, where she helped develop collaborative programming with the High Plains Library District. At Intercambio, she supports curriculum development and volunteer teacher training, and regularly presents at regional and national conferences on effective, accessible approaches to adult language learning.
Breakout26 – BATES
Page checked or updated: 6/10/2026
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