Teaching EFL - Phonetics and Phonology - Jose Javier Torres Fernandez

The meeting served as an introduction to the Teaching EFL Systems course and covered the first unit on phonetics and phonology. José presented the course structure, including the nine units, the evaluation system based on a mandatory exam and assignments, and the use of the virtual course website and forums. He explained the English Cultural Week project as a transversal master's project composed of individual pieces from different subjects, including a group activity for this course. The session then focused on phonetics and phonology, where José introduced the IPA chart, the difference between phonetics and phonology, and the concept of minimal pairs. He discussed common pronunciation challenges for EFL students, such as distinguishing L/R and B/V sounds, and shared teaching strategies like using L1 examples, auditory discrimination, and repetitive practice. Students shared personal experiences with pronunciation challenges and discussed the importance of a supportive classroom environment. The session concluded with a brief explanation of prosodic features like stress, intonation, and rhythm, and a clarification that students do not need to memorize the IPA chart for the course.