CATESOL24

Adult education demands expansion outside of traditional classrooms. So how can we create more spaces for adult L2 learners to learn in? This presentation is a call-to-action for ESL professionals who want to step out of the traditional settings and use their expertise to build ESL programs within their communities.

A picture is worth a thousand words, especially if those words are oral and aurally comprehensible! Phonemes enjoy sound-symbol correspondence in writing, a visual medium. In contrast, suprasegmental elements of spoken language including stress, intonation, rhythm, and connected speech are not codified in written form. They typically remain in an invisible sphere. Using a digital audio recording application software program, Audacity, a teacher of speech, pronunciation and listening can exploit the Spectrogram feature to enhance learners' understanding and perception of their spoken English and compare it to that of intelligible speaker models.

Explore how AI can be tailored and implemented to support pronunciation training in a way that complements the nuances of human speech and accent variation. This session will explore AI tools that enhance teacher-student interactions, ensuring that technological advancements serve to enrich the learning experience rather than diluting the human elements crucial in mastering pronunciation nuances.

Enliven your class with interactive use of Look in the Lake Cards. Create engaging experiences that motivate students and make repetitive exercises fun. Teach and review points of pronunciation, listening, grammar, vocabulary, and communicative language. Organize pairs, small groups, and teams to provide both cooperative and competitive motivations. Invoke activity from both left brain (sounds that form words, syntactic sequences) and right brain (intonation, stress, rhythm; spatial processing). Energize young and old, beginner to advanced language learners. Objectives, procedures, materials, rewards, and caveats will be presented. Audience participation is encouraged. Play. Learn. Teach. Bonus: AmEnglish online learning program mini-demos.

Looking for somewhere to eat lunch? Drop in and introduce yourself to other Bay Area educators. Share what you've been teaching, regional-specific challenges and successes, and whether you've been involved in Chapter activities before! Whether you're new to the Bay Area or are interested in getting involved in the Chapter, we're happy to have you here!

Bay Area Chapter serves the following regions:
- Alameda County
- Contra Costa County
- Marin County
- Napa County
- San Francisco County
- San Mateo County
- Santa Clara County
- Solano County
- Sonoma County

Are you on the Bay Area Chapter message board? Take this opportunity to log into your catesol.org member profile and join the Bay Area Chapter message board, so you can stay up-to-date on all Bay Area CATESOL events!

Interested in getting involved in the Chapter? Message catesolmerve@gmail.com, our Chapter Council Chair, and she'll get you connected!

With rapidly emerging technologies such as Large Language Models (LLMs) being used for daily life, naturally this has piqued interest in its implications for language learning. This study aims to explore student usage of Artificial Intelligence tools in an ESOL context to develop understanding of its viability both inside and outside of the classroom as a language learning partner. Activities were performed in three stages: in-class discussion, guided use of AI tools, and an optional follow-up survey. Results were found to be mixed, with a moderately positive response on learner attitudes towards AI tools indicating worthwhile exploration in ESOL courses.

How can you pronounce what you cannot hear? In this presentation, we'll examine how second language/accent speech sounds are acquired, compare it to first language learning. We'll discuss the role that listening, hearing, and perceiving play in producing, pronouncing sounds, words, and pitch contours in an additional language or accent. Participants will see and experience ways to promote listening discrimination activities that help learners improve their pronunciation of sounds and pitch contours.

Language development happens faster in environments where learners hear lots of talk, including stories, conversations, descriptions, and advice. English learners can develop skills to help create such language-rich environments. When learners work to generate more talk, they create more opportunities to practice language skills at home, at work, or at school. Presenters describe classroom activities that develop adults' ability to tune in, talk more, and take turns in everyday conversation. Participants review pragmatic and interactive integrated skills activities for use in contexts such as vocational ESL, and teacher-training courses.

Current and future teachers of pronunciation are warmly invited to gather with experienced practitioners and newcomers interested in teaching pronunciation at any level, in dedicated pronunciation courses or integrated into reading, writing, listening, speaking, vocabulary, or multi-skills courses. We'll review TOP-IG activities and concerns from 2023-2024 and discuss possibilities for the coming year. Share your experience with a group of like-minded peers. Bring your ideas and questions as we hear from our colleagues who teach pronunciation and who will be sharing their experiences and best practices. Get ideas that you can use to inform your classroom teaching. Relax and chat!