Teaching Tips

Sounds familiar? Interactive activities for perception training in the classroom

---

Abstract

While much attention has been paid to the effectiveness of production-based pronunciation instruction in past research, findings also suggest that learners must first be able to perceive a sound contrast before they can reliably produce it. This relationship is supported by neurocognitive and experimental findings, which indicate that perception and production are not only interconnected but mutually reinforcing. Without a robust perceptual foundation, learners may struggle to form accurate phonological representations, limiting their ability to produce target-like forms. Thus, while production is often the more observable skill, perception plays a foundational role in pronunciation development. To support learners in acquiring more intelligible and comprehensible speech, classroom instruction should therefore include targeted perception practice—ideally with immediate feedback—to help students develop the auditory acuity needed for successful production. This teaching tip demonstrates how interactive classroom activities can effectively foster perceptual skills in L2 pronunciation instruction. Drawing on research that emphasizes the importance of perception as a precursor to production, it provides ideas and materials for hands-on, interactive tasks that help learners hear the difference between difficult L2 sounds. Rather than integrating specialized technology or software, all activities are designed to be easily implemented with minimal materials and emphasize the instructor’s role in providing feedback.

Keywords: teaching perception, perception, perception training, classroom activities, pronunciation

How to Cite:

Martin, I., & Sippel, L. (2026). Sounds familiar? Interactive activities for perception training in the classroom. In P. Trofimovich, A. Bodea, T.-N. N. Le, R. Suzuki, & C. Teló (Eds.), Proceedings of the 16th Pronunciation in Second Language Learning and Teaching Conference (pp. 1–9). Concordia University, Montreal, Canada, October 2025. https://doi.org/10.31274/psllt.21191