Articulatory Phonetics (1): How Speech Sounds Are Produced

Introduction

Our speech apparatus, from the lungs to the various organs in the mouth, was not originally built for the purpose of speech. Our lungs provide the cells in the body with oxygen and expel carbon dioxide produced by their cellular processes. Our larynx, what is called the voice box, was not primarily built for the purpose of producing sound; it is there to close off the passage of food into the lungs while eating (It is also closed off when we need to suppress air from the lungs in strenuous action, like when we pick up heavy items). Our mouth organs, the tongue and teeth and lips, were to help with an initial processing of food. However, “in the course of evolution, all the organs of speech have developed in very specialized ways often quite remote from their original purpose” (Collins and Mees 2013, p.29).

We are going to begin this section by taking a look at how speech is produced, the study of which falls under the purview of phonetics. We will start our journey from

CELTA Concepts 1: Setting Aims for the Lesson

http://www.pngall.com/

Below is a list of questions I will try and answer in this first "CELTA Concepts" post. Take a minute to reflect on them based on your own teaching practices/beliefs before proceeding to the main discussion:

• What are lesson aims? What different types of lesson aims are there?
• What is the purpose behind setting aims? Do you need to set aims for every lesson you teach?
• Should we share lesson aims with the learners?
• What are some of the pitfalls to watch out for when setting aims for a lesson?

DELTA Module 2 Background Essay & Lesson Plan Samples

Cambridge DELTA Module Two

Unlike Module 1 (Understanding Language, Methodology and Resources for Teaching) which is assessed via an end-of-course written exam of two 90-minute papers, DELTA Module 2 (Developing Professional Practice) is assessed by a mixture of practical assignments that the candidate needs to complete throughout the course. According to the official handbook, this continuous assessment comprises a portfolio of coursework that is submitted to Cambridge, including the following:

Teach Better: How to Become an Enabling (English) Teacher

Three kinds of teacher

By: Huss Farsani

Word Count: 4,400

Average Reading Time: 22 minutes

CONTENTS:

Three Kinds of Teacher

The Explainer

The involver

The Enabler

Types of Teacher & Stages of a Lesson

Categories Defining Methodology

Transmission of Knowledge

Emphasizing Practice

Enabling Learners

Works Cited

Source: https://allthingslearning.wordpress.com/category/curriculum/

It is hard to put teachers and types of teaching in discrete categories;

DELTA Module One - Exam Know-How: P1 T1

In Paper 1, Task 1 of the DELTA Module1 exam, you will be given definitions of 6 SLA (Second Language Acquisition)/ ELT (English Language Teaching) terms, and you will need to come up with the respective term for each.

So, for example, one of the 6 definitions given may look like this:

Cambridge DELTA Plan: Modules One, Two, (and a bit of) Three

DELTA End Games (DEGs)
(The Cambridge Delta Experience)

By: Huss Farsani

Word Count: 2,650

Average Reading Time: 14 minutes

Most of us practicing teachers enter various programs of professional development (from 1-day workshops on a specific aspect of classroom teaching to extended programs such as MAs or Cambridge Delta) without a clear picture of the end game. Without the ‘end game’ in mind, even the most motivated teachers and practitioners, especially those who have developed their own effective routines over the years, ‘feel lost, overwhelmed, intimidated, or simply, turned off,’ in the words of many fellow teachers I have spent time with throughout such courses.

the Guardian on the Delta Qualification

In case you are planning to apply for a Delta course:

here's what the Guardian's education section has to say about the Delta (Diploma in English Language Teaching to Adults) qualification (as well as the magic and mysteries of ELT as a profession):

https://www.theguardian.com/education/2008/may/09/tefl.wordsandlanguage