Teach English in Gaoya Zhen - Baoji Shi

There are many techniques that can help young learners improve their pronunciation and memorization of English words, including repetition, drills, and phonics exercises. One highly effective technique I have discovered in my teaching is singing. When a student struggles with the pronunciation of a word or simple phrase, I sing the word(s) to them and prompt them to sing the word(s) back to me. As if by magic, the student usually pronounces the word or phrase correctly when they sing it. When a student struggles with memorizing a vocabulary word, I use the same technique. The student usually recalls the correct vocabulary word by our next lesson. I was soon curious to understand what factors were at work here. What was it about singing that enabled my students to finally grasp the pronunciation or memorization of words that had previously challenged them? I discovered that singing has many neurological and physiological components which make it an ideal tool for helping young students improve their pronunciation and memorization of English. There are several neurological elements to singing and language. Research shows that there is a significant overlap in the neural pathways that process music and language. Additionally, and perhaps most importantly, the music pathways in our brains place higher demand on these neural pathways than speech, in terms of precision processing (Patel, 2011). This means the brain distinguishes sounds better when words are sung than when words are spoken. Students may hear the nuances, tone, and meter in a word much better when it is sung than when the student hears that word spoken. Research also indicates that singing has a greater impact on memory than speech or written text does. One study reveals that the brain gives greater precedence to poetry and rhythm than it does to prose. Subjects were given information in two formats: one group received the information in the form of poetry, and the other received the information as prose. The subjects who received the information as poetry demonstrated much higher long-term recognition and recall (Tillman and Dowling, 2007). In another study, young students were given the Preamble to the Constitution of the United States of America. One group was given the Preamble as text, and the other was given the Preamble in the form of a song. The students who were given the Preamble as a song demonstrated much better recall than the students who received it as text (Calvert and Tart, 1993). Thus, singing a word, phrase, or song in English can help young learners hear and replicate the correct pronunciation of that word, and better memorize that word or words. The second link between singing and language is physiological. Singing involves a greater amount of physical effort than speaking. Lip and tongue movement, core muscles, and breathing are all employed to a greater extent when someone sings compared to when they speak. This makes singing more of a ‘workout’ than speaking, and can help young learners improve their pronunciation by exercising the muscles required for the language they are learning. This, in turn, helps students build ‘muscle memory’ for the language they are learning. Research has shown also that the physiological components of singing have a positive effect on heart rate (Vickoff, et al, 2013). It is well-known that singing releases endorphins and oxytocin, which are hormones that reduce stress. Learning a new language can be intimidating for students of any age. Young learners may feel particularly intimidated as they try to learn English. Young learners, particularly those under the age of 10, are usually familiar with songs in the classroom. Singing can help boost our ‘feel good’ hormones and regulate our heart rate, which can help young learners feel more relaxed, less intimidated, and happier; these are critical components to an optimal learning environment! Thus, singing can aid in pronunciation and memorization by helping students train their bodies to speak the language they are learning. Singing also promotes student wellbeing, allowing the student (and their brain) to better focus on correct pronunciation and memorization. More research is being conducted on the relationships between singing and language. Indeed, it is a fascinating topic with many facets for further exploration. There are clear links between singing, pronunciation, and memorization for young language learners. I am able to utilize songs and singing single words or short phrases in my classroom and have achieved great results. Singing has enabled me to help my young students improve their pronunciation and memorization, which helps build a strong foundation for learning the English language. References: Patel, A.D. (2011) - Why would musical training benefit the neural encoding of speech? The OPERA hypothesis. Frontiers In Psychology. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2011.00142 Tillman, B. and Dowling, WJ. (2007). Memory decreases for prose, but not for poetry. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17848021 Calvert, S. and Tart, M. (1993). Song versus verbal forms for very-long-term, long-term, and short-term verbatim recall. Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology, 14. 245-260. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/019339739390035T Vickhoff, B., et al. (2013). Music structure determines heart rate variability of singers. Frontiers in Psychology. https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2013.00334/full