Tuesday, March 16, 2010

Typing International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) Characters

I have been working on a correlation of the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) with the sounds of the English language. In this process, my colleague and I have learned how challenging it is to type the IPA characters into a document and have them look the way you want them to in the end. If you have done any work with trying to type IPA characters yourself, I'm sure you can relate. I came across a website today, however, that I wish I had found before. This tool allows you to type some of the IPA characters that are difficult to find. You then copy and paste the text into your document. Click to visit the site on the International Phonetic Alphabet.

Older Students Need Training in Phonemic Awareness

A colleague of mine, Neil Anderson, just shared with me a link to an online article from the new online publication, the TESOL Journal, which appeared today. The last article in the journal is about the importance of older students receiving training in phonemic awareness. To read this article, click here. I am encouraged to see this article in this publication as I reflect on how more research is needed in the area of phonemic awareness and phonics for ESOL students.