Snapshots
“Snapshots” is a simple technique that allows tutors of intermediate/advanced level students to address pronunciation & sentence structure errors without sacrificing authentic oral communication.
- Think of a way to get your student to talk about a topic at some length. For example:
- Ask him/her to describe a process/event, compare cultures, explain a problem, tell a familiar folktale/legend/historical event, give an opinion on an issue, etc. Or
- ask him/her to come to the session prepared to summarize an article, event, or recording that you've assigned in advance for homework. Or
- tell a story, (or read one aloud), then ask the student to tell it back to you in his/her own words.
- Let your student know that while he/she speaks, you will be taking notes to use later on in the lesson. As you listen, write down a few examples of words that are not pronounced correctly and/or a few examples of problematic phrasing. (No need to write down every single error you hear!) Further the discussion/ conversation, in a natural way, by asking questions, supplying useful vocabulary words, offering your thoughts, asking for more details, etc. Keep the focus on communication.
- When you're finished processing/discussing the topic, tell your student that you are now going to change the focus of the lesson to mechanics (pronunciation and sentence structure).
- Show the student the list of words that were mispronounced, and model/coach correct pronunciation for each word. Note: It would be helpful to record these on tape so your student can go over the list again at home.
- Show the student the list of problematic phrases, and give him/her a chance to identify and correct the error(s) in each one. (Or simply provide the correction yourself.) If time allows, you might offer similar phrases that employ the same structure/wording.
- Encourage the student to take notes, or to bring the list home with him/her to study.
- Optional review: At the next session,
- Go over the list of "pronunciation problem" words and see if the student can say them correctly this time.
- Present the list of sentence structure errors from the previous session and see if your student can (without consulting his/her notes) correct the problems.