I think pronunciation can be hard to teach, because it has shown to be hard for the pupils to learn. Especially are mistakes concerning individual phonemes, stress, rhythm and intonation typically made by the Norwegian learners of English (Nilsen & Rugesæter, 2015:157). Nilsen and Rugsæter (2015:157) mention that for the teacher to be a good guide for the pupils, one must have both practical and theoretical skills. This means that the teacher must know how the speech organs work, and have knowledge about what it takes to articulate a sound both in English and the pupil’s native language.
Pupils begin to learn pronunciation in their first year in school, but then it is mostly by repeating what the teacher says, which can be a good way to learn. Some experts also present evidence that the younger the learner is, the more likely it is for the learner to hear the difference between sounds and reproduce them correctly. My observation out in schools is that the pupils in their early years only learn separate words. And this is in contrast of what Nilsen and Rugsæter (2015:159) focus on. They suggest that you don’t practise a difficult sound in isolation, and rather involve it in a sentence, spoken with an appropriate intonation. One reason for the pupils to find it difficult to learn pronunciation might be because we as teachers are not teaching it in the most beneficial way.
I can remember from when I went to school that my teachers were using British English in our classes. But as we got older we had to choose for our selves. I choose to use British English, and I think I did back in school because my teacher did. I have also noticed that most of the pupil’s workbooks and the CD´s are in British English. Therefore, I think it will feel most natural to use the British English not to confuse the pupils more. As they get older they will have to get the chance to choose for them self.
References:
Nilsen, T. S. and Rugsæter, K. (2015) Basic English Phonetics for Teachers. (3. edition) Bergen: Fagbokforlaget
I guess you wouldn´t have a dilemma in choosing a model of English in teaching pronunciation like others who think they speak an American accent. :) Your experience is a good example of how important it is for a teacher to have good pronunciation skills to function as a language model for pupils, as many of them still follow their teacher in picking up a particular accent in learning English. Good work with citing Nilsen and Rugsæter to point out teachers need to have both practical and theoretical skills to teach pronunciation more effectively. I agree that one of the reasons why pupils might struggle with pronunciation can be attributed to the way they were taught pronunciation in school or perhaps to the lack of proper guidance in correct pronunciation.
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