CELTA – Certificate in English Language Teaching to Adults
Introduction
The course provides a practical introduction to the teaching of English as a Foreign Language. There is a limited amount of reading and written work involved, which is all related to the practical classroom requirements of teaching practice (TP). TP is the central element of the course, on which assessment is based. The workload of the course is extremely demanding. Trainees need to commit themselves for 4 weeks course.
Assessment
Assessment is continuous – there is no final exam. There is, of course, an expectation of overall progress throughout the course, but lessons are not individually graded and assessment is not based on the final TP.
The grades awarded are: “Fail”, “Pass”, “Pass B”, “Pass A”.
Trainees are given a clear idea of their progress throughout the course. In addition to regular feedback on performance in TP, there are usually two mid-course tutorials and in the event of a trainee being considered “borderline”, s/he will be given explicit indications of the areas in need of improvement.
Assessment is primarily based on performance in TP, but trainees are also required to pass four written assignments. Other factors are taken into account and may be especially significant in the event of a borderline assessment. Trainees are also expected to develop their own self-awareness and the ability to assess their own performance in TP and that of others.
Course content
There are three main components: teaching practice, observation and input.
1. Teaching practice
Each trainee will have approximately 9 hours of TP over the course. The first lessons will be shorter: for example, in a 90 minute TP block 3 trainees will teach a 30 minute lesson each. Towards the end of the course, however, trainees will teach for 45 minutes or more.
There will normally be between 8 and 12 trainees on a course and TP is organised in two or three groups. The students will be at different levels, ranging from elementary to upper intermediate. TP is observed by a supervisor and by the members of the TP group. The groups rotate during the course, so teaching is assessed at two or three contrasting levels.
Supervised Lesson Planning is an opportunity for trainees to talk to TP supervisors about the lesson they intend to teach the following day/week. At the beginning of the course, trainees receive detailed guidelines from their supervisors as to content and appropriate procedures for their TP lessons. This guidance gradually diminishes as the course goes on and TP groups become responsible for planning and preparing their own lessons.
Feedback on TP is given in the form of summary notes from the supervisor and in a post-lesson discussion with the supervisor and the rest of the TP group.
Trainees are also strongly encouraged to record some of their lessons (on audio and video).
2. Observation
Each trainee will observe at least 8 hours of teaching in the tutors' regular classes in addition to observing fellow trainees during TP and will have opportunities to see further classes on video.
Observation is organised so that trainees have the opportunity initially to see classes at the level that they are teaching in TP. Although trainees are not required to teach beginners or very advanced students, they will have the chance to observe those levels when they are available.
Observation is task-based and trainees are directed to focus on particular aspects of teaching/learning in each observed lesson. Notes written during/after observation also provide the Course Tutor with an indication of what is being learned from the experience.
3. Input
Input sessions tend to be seminars/workshops rather than lectures and cover three broad areas: language awareness, phonology and methodology.
The Language Awareness sessions are an introduction to the structure and meaning of English (centred on verb forms) from an English language teaching (ELT) perspective. They will relate to some extent to the needs of TP, but they are intended to provide trainees with a basis for developing their pedagogical awareness after the course. Often these sessions require trainees to research a particular area of language and present their findings to the group.
The Phonology sessions are an introduction to the sounds of English – again from an ELT perspective. Sessions are devoted to word stress, sentence stress, pronunciation (vowels and consonants), rhythm, intonation and features of connected speech.
Methodology covers a wide range of classroom approaches, procedures and techniques. Topics include classroom management, the use of aids and resources, teaching and practising new language, developing language skills, adapting lessons to suit learners from different backgrounds, lesson planning and using course books, etc.
Timetable
Here is the typical timetable on intensive CELTA courses:
Monday –Friday:
Seminars: 9:00- 12:30
Teaching Practice: 14:00- 16:10
Feedback: 16:30-17:15
Assisted Lesson Planning: 17:30-18:30
Written Work
There will be four assessed written assignments of a practical nature. In addition to these assignments, trainees are required to hand in their observation notes and lesson plans for TP and to do a variety of short written tasks (e.g. worksheets relating to input sessions).
Reading references will be given throughout the course, but these will tend to be articles or chapters from books rather than entire books. Reading on CELTA is also of a practical nature – teachers' handbooks rather than theoretical material. However, trainees are strongly recommended to do as much reading (especially grammar books) before the course as possible.
The Assessor
Every CELTA course is moderated by an RSA/Cambridge Assessor. S/he visits the course and samples input, coursework and TP.
The main role of the Assessor is to assess trainees' teaching practice, written work and contribution to the course, and to ensure that grading is in line with Cambridge requirements. In addition, s/he is there to check overall course standards, to ensure that regulations are being met and to suggest ways of improving course quality.
In the absence of a final examination, the Assessment system is a guarantee that trainees receive (broadly) the same course and are judged according to the same standards wherever they may happen to be doing the course.
General
To get the most out of the course, trainees should be prepared to:
- work intensively and consistently;
- collaborate with other members of their TP group;
- accept and learn from constructive criticism;
- look analytically at the structure of English;
- pay attention to the needs of individual students;
- assess their own performance objectively.
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