Book review of Guskaroska, A., Zawadzki, Z., Levis, J., Challis, K., Prikazchikov, M. (2024). Teaching pronunciation with confidence. Iowa State University.

Abstract

Teaching Pronunciation with Confidence is a comprehensive, open educational resource (OER, 2024) aimed at ESL/EFL teachers and learners, with a focus on effective pronunciation teaching. The book was conceptualized by lead author, Guskaroska, who had worked on a course created by Levis with fellow PhD students at that time, Zawadski and Challis. The purpose of the book was to create an online resource for future students in Levis’ pronunciation teaching course that could transform the course’s paper-based activities into interactive online activities, providing immediate feedback for students completing the activities. At the same time, an OER publication offered teachers seeking to integrate pronunciation teaching into their classroom practice an accessible resource that drew on up-to-date technological resources and pedagogical approaches. ESL/EFL teachers and students will appreciate its clear, accessible format and descriptions of research-informed classroom activities that are appropriate for most levels of instruction. Teacher educators of TESOL trainees will find that the book (particularly in Chapters 1 and 2) provides succinct but thorough summaries of the theoretical background and research to ESL/EFL pronunciation teaching. Teacher trainers could find it a useful resource to draw on when preparing professional learning sessions. This review briefly outlines and evaluates each of the book’s sections, including the foundational aspects of pronunciation instruction, segmentals (vowels, consonants), suprasegmentals (stress, rhythm, intonation), and assessment strategies.