Pronunciation
Are individual sounds and word stress clear enough for the listener?
My teaching philosophy
A thoughtful approach.
A lively lesson.
Language learning involves attention, memory, meaning, emotion and the wish to connect. My job is to bring those elements together in a way that fits the learner.
- 01Produce
Say something with a real purpose.
- 02Notice
Listen and identify one useful priority.
- 03Refine
Use feedback, a model or a short drill.
- 04Reuse
Try again, then change the situation.
Bring what you learned into your next conversation.
Supportive, specific feedback
What do we listen for?
Intonation
Does the melody convey your question, attitude or intended emphasis?
Flow
Can you group words into phrases, pause meaningfully and keep going?
Grammar
Do verb forms, agreement and tense communicate what you mean?
Syntax
Does the word order make the relationship between ideas clear?
Register
Does the degree of formality and politeness suit this person and situation?
One or two priorities. A clear next attempt.
We check whether the message achieved its purpose before analysing the language. During fluency work I usually save selected feedback for a pause; focused sound or grammar practice may need an immediate prompt. You can self-correct, hear a model and try the message again.
For example: rehearse a request, listen for its intonation, adjust the wording for a new audience, then use it without the script. The focus changes as the task and learner develop.
Teaching language.
Developing the learner.
From teacher development to your lesson
My instructional coaching and curriculum work at Saudi Aramco included training teachers in second-language methodologies and educational technology, observing lessons and supporting professional reflection.
My DELTA speaking-course work examined needs, confidence, participation and the everyday communication of young adults in a workplace context. My teacher-development materials explored structured collaboration, learner roles and practical feedback.
What is psycholinguistics?
Psycholinguistics explores how the mind understands, produces and learns language. Second-language acquisition examines how an additional language develops.
These fields give us useful questions: is the message understandable? What needs attention? Can the learner retrieve a phrase? What support makes a conversation possible? I use those questions alongside clear goals and careful observation.
Eight connected principles
What that looks like in practice.
01 · Teaching in action
Meaningful input
Begin with a message worth understanding: a story, dialogue, picture or short clip. Adapt its difficulty and check understanding before adding more.
For example: A school photo and a short description give a child the context for new subject words.
02 · Teaching in action
Attention & manageable steps
Focus on one useful feature at a time—word order, a sound, a tense or a polite request. Model it, explain it clearly and gradually remove prompts.
For example: Highlight a question pattern, then rebuild it with the learner’s own information.
03 · Teaching in action
Memory, retrieval & spacing
Group vocabulary into usable phrases. Recall it before checking, revisit it across lessons and change the context. A familiar-looking word is not always a word you can retrieve.
For example: Look at a picture, recall three phrases, check them, then use them again later in a conversation.
04 · Teaching in action
Visualisation & multiple routes
Pictures, gestures, sound, short notes and mental rehearsal can make meaning easier to work with. We choose a useful representation for the task and adjust it to the learner.
For example: Sketch a route through a school, visualise each stop and explain the route aloud.
05 · Teaching in action
Drilling that leads somewhere
Use brief, accurate repetitions for a difficult sound or useful phrase. Change a detail, vary the speaker’s intention and move quickly towards a meaningful exchange.
For example: Practise the rhythm of a polite question, then ask it to obtain information you genuinely do not have.
06 · Teaching in action
Interaction, output & feedback
Learners need chances to ask, answer, clarify and repair a message. I listen for useful feedback points and invite an improved second attempt.
For example: A partner has a different timetable. Both must ask questions to complete the information.
07 · Teaching in action
Technology with a learning purpose
Authentic clips offer voices and contexts; a shared board supports planning; recordings allow comparison and reflection. Digital tools earn their place through the learning they enable.
For example: Make an optional short voice recording, notice one improvement and record a second attempt. A live, unrecorded version works too.
08 · Teaching in action
Study skills & learner agency
Plan a realistic goal, choose a strategy, monitor the result and reflect. Learners help shape topics and become progressively more responsible for practice.
For example: Choose one phrase to retrieve tomorrow, then use it in a fresh example at the next lesson.
Flexible support.
Room to become independent.
For children and teenagers
Shorter stages, concrete prompts, stories, movement and achievable challenges keep the task accessible. Choice and supported rehearsal give quieter learners time to prepare. Older learners take more responsibility for goals and exam strategies.
For adults
Relevant situations and existing knowledge give us a starting point. We rehearse the conversations you need, work on the language that holds you back and agree realistic practice around daily life.
A note on “learning styles”. I use varied ways to explain and practise language, without assigning fixed visual, auditory or kinaesthetic labels. The EEF finds insufficient evidence for matching instruction to such categories. Preferences, prior knowledge and access needs still matter; I adapt support and check what helps.
Enjoyment, challenge and honest feedback.
Confidence grows through participation
Preparation time, supportive turn-taking and specific feedback can make it easier to have a go. I encourage constructive self-talk and attention to what has improved, while keeping the next challenge clear.
In pair or group work, tasks need a reason to communicate and a role for everyone. In individual lessons, I become the conversation partner and adapt the information gap.
Research informs the choices
My approach blends useful ideas from different traditions. No single method or theory answers every teaching question. We look at the learner’s response, the task and progress over time.
Memory: Nakata (2015) · Spacing in second-language vocabulary learning ↗
Purposeful tasks: Council of Europe · The action-oriented approach ↗
STT & TTT · participation by design
The learner needs the floor.
STT: student talking time
Speaking develops through opportunities to speak, listen to a response and adapt. My lessons protect meaningful student talking time: you explain, ask questions, exchange information, negotiate meaning and try again.
Too much teacher talking time (TTT), especially without purposeful tasks, can crowd out the very practice a learner needs. Sound methodology matters: a clear objective, useful input, manageable support, active production and feedback that changes the next attempt.
Concise teaching, active learning
Teacher talk has useful jobs: modelling pronunciation, explaining a pattern, giving clear instructions and responding to meaning. I keep it purposeful and return the conversation to the learner. In a one-to-one lesson, I am also your conversation partner.
There is no single ideal STT:TTT ratio for every age, level or lesson. We review the quality and distribution of participation as well as time. We also consider the learner’s starting point, confidence, access to practice and support.
When the teacher holds the floor
A long explanation is followed by a few short learner answers. The learner may understand the rule but has little chance to retrieve and use it.
When the task gives learners a voice
A brief model leads to a purposeful exchange. The learner asks follow-up questions, receives selective feedback and repeats the task with a new detail.
What I look for: Are you contributing ideas? Initiating questions? Listening and responding? Can you improve one aspect and use it again? These tell us more than a stopwatch alone.
Prepare · produce · respond · reuse
How we turn knowledge into usable fluency.
Fluency development has a deliberate place in the programme. Nation’s four-strand framework distinguishes using familiar language more readily from learning new language, while keeping both within a balanced course.
My practical routine below combines clear input, meaningful student talk, selective feedback and reuse. It is adjusted for age, level and purpose; a beginner’s short exchange and an advanced learner’s discussion need different support.
Nation (2007) · Fluency development within the four strands ↗
Prepare the message
Choose a meaningful situation and a small set of useful phrases. Listen to or read a clear model, and check that the content is understood.
Speak with a purpose
Explain, ask, compare or reach a decision. Use language already within reach so that attention can go to communicating.
Notice the priorities
First ask whether the listener understood. Then select one or two points in pronunciation, intonation, flow, grammar, syntax or register.
Improve and repeat
Use a model, explanation or short drill, then make another attempt. Give the improvement a place in a complete message.
Vary the situation
Change a detail, add a follow-up question or speak to a different audience. Keep a real reason to listen and respond.
Return after a gap
Revisit the language in manageable practice between lessons. Check what remains available and use that evidence to plan the next task.
For children: describe a school day, ask a partner a question, improve one phrase and try again with a different subject or opinion. Pictures and prompts can be reduced as independence grows.
For adults: explain a work issue, respond to a clarification question, refine the message and try the exchange again with a different listener or constraint.
Quality and flow work together. A fluency task gives the message room to unfold; focused language work addresses a useful detail. We move between them, so that speaking more freely also becomes speaking more effectively.
Understand what can hold fluency back →
How we recognise progress →
Learning the language · learning about yourself
Skills that support learning—and get practised through it.
Language tasks can be a place to practise psychological skills as well as linguistic ones. I make these behaviours explicit, give feedback and invite reflection on where else they might be useful.
Attention & self-regulation
Supports learning: Set one speaking target and bring attention back when it wanders.
Practised in the lesson: Choose the next step instead of waiting for every instruction.
Self-efficacy & constructive self-talk
Supports learning: Use a realistic cue: “I can explain this one idea.”
Practised in the lesson: Notice evidence of progress and attempt a slightly harder exchange.
Tolerance of uncertainty
Supports learning: Ask for clarification when you do not understand every word.
Practised in the lesson: Stay in the conversation and find another way to express the message.
Perspective-taking & flexibility
Supports learning: Consider what your listener knows and how formal the situation is.
Practised in the lesson: Adapt your wording, recognise another viewpoint and repair a misunderstanding.
These are intended practice opportunities. Transfer to life beyond the lesson is explored and reflected on, rather than assumed. Read about engagement and the evidence →
Your complimentary 15-minute conversation
See the approach in action.
Explore two complete speaking lessons, then talk to me about a programme for you or your child.