CELTA Course Reflection Report

Dates Tutors No. of Students The format

22nd January till 16th February 2012-02-22 Nick Baguley and Neil McCutcheon 10 9:30 am till 1:00 pm input sessions 1:30 pm till 6:00 pm TPs and feedback sessions both from peers and tutors

Week 1: Sunday: That Sunday was the predictable orientation type of deal. However, most were shocked to learn we were "teaching" on Monday. Tutors introduced themselves and got acquainted with us by means of two main activities: the ball game and the "find someone who" activity. A quick reflection was given on how the activities were set in the CELTA framework. They also outlined the course in terms of TPs (8+ 1 unobserved) and Assignments (4). Then Nick conducted a guided tour around the BC to introduce the facilities (staff room, prayer rooms, photocopy proceduresetc.) After a short break we were divided into two groups in order to prepare for the 1st TPs. Throughout the course, each group rotates through two instructors and two levels of students. We were passed a sheet with the lesson plans to be followed for the duration of the course and given helping TP points to guide us through the details of the first lesson plan. The next day, Monday, started with a normal input session about the teaching new pieces of language with focus on meaning pronunciation and form (M/P/F). After that, Nick conducted a text- based activity of how to introduce the MPF of the structure "What's Paris like?" This activity was based on an audio text. For the second half of the day, we'd teach for 40 minutes. The instructors were very clear to point out this was a casual first lesson and we should just have fun with it. The point was to just get warmed up being in front of a class. My group began with the elementary class, in which we had anywhere from ten to twelve people per day. The standard lesson is 40 minutes per teacher and culminates in a one-hour lesson at the end of each level. What heightens the difficulty factor is that that sheet of all our lesson plans begins by giving detailed instructions on what to do in class ("use this book, start with these exercises, then have them do this, etc" and we flesh that out) and ends with

two or three lines ("use this book and... maybe do the listening, figure out how to have them practice skill X, adapt that exercise" and we figure out the rest). Those of us who are not teaching at that moment would be observing both their peers and the class students in preparation for assignment 1. Week 2

The instructors said the second week was going to be the "most intensive" but, personally, I find I am falling into a bit of a somewhat comfortable routine. Nothing to really freak out about here. We switched from the intermediate to the pre-intermediate group, which hit my classmates pretty hard. The biggest difficulty is that they (my fellow trainees) are not used to grading their language (keeping it to a level understandable to the group they're teaching), plus these students are deadly serious, which feeds into the teachers' insecurity when they're up there. Well, I shouldn't really call them "serious." They are simply at a level where they have to listen very intently and, more often than not, they understand everything on a literal level. This makes building rapport difficult. I must stress something here. All this is my personal experience (obviously). I am a person who, generally, picks up fast. I'm not the smartest of the bunch, but I am definitely slightly ahead of the curve at any one moment. There are indeed people there who have serious trouble with the demands of the course. They are still doing well and will complete it successfully, of this I'm sure, but it's pretty stressful to them. This is especially true of people who have never really "thought" about language before. Basically, a person who has never stopped to consider his own language (why does English work? what are tenses? what are the parts of speech? how many different sounds do we make when speaking?), who is not naturally curious and fascinated about English, will probably find the CELTA a cold shower at first. One good example was the lesson on phonology. (The CELTA uses a slightly modified IPA chart--don't ask me why.) I thought this was pretty straightforward. I didn't have all the symbols memorized but, just by using dictionaries, I was familiar with most of them and now remember almost all of them three days later. But some people found this incredibly difficult for some reason. I thought it was fun. So, this past Friday was the halfway mark and we all got a personal evaluation. I basically told I was performing well on average (most people are graded with "average," hardly ever "above" but, then again, just as rarely "below") and I'm sure if I continue this way, I'll pass in two weeks. Anyway, the instructors made clear that if anyone should be in danger of failing, they will speak with him long in advance. There are no surprises.

I could go on but I'll leave it at that for now and update again when I have time. Oh, and a quick word on the famed "time" factor of the CELTA: yes, it is time-consuming. But not necessarily because it's difficult, but because given the 9-5 schedule, plus commute, plus personal responsibilites and then the lesson planning time, you can find yourself scrambling now and then, especially on the day on which you are teaching. When people say the CELTA requires good time management, they are speaking of nothing more complicated than "prepare what is due Friday on Wednesday, not Thursday night." Simple as that. I'll be glad to answer any questions! El Macho: Interesting read, Invictus, sounds like lots of practical (and useful) training. I've found that my degree and grad work in TESL/ELT have been perhaps a bit too theory-oriented. Good luck in the rest of training, I'm sure you'll be glad for it when you're in China and teaching. Invictus: Just a quick update. We're nearing week three and, at this point, we are using textbooks and expected to come up with our own activities during class. In other words, we have to make up a lesson like real teachers. :) This part is a bit new for me, so it's a bit of a challenge to constantly do everything in the "student-centered" way the CELTA priests keep preaching about. I bombed somewhat today during a grammar lesson (so/such ... that) but overall I'm doing alright and got one week to go. Oh, and for anyone planning to take this course, be advised to find yourself drunk with the rest of your fellow inmates very often

JABBERWOCKY
Lewis Carroll
(from Through the Looking-Glass and What Alice Found There, 1872)

`Twas brillig, and the slithy toves Did gyre and gimble in the wabe: All mimsy were the borogoves, And the mome raths outgrabe. "Beware the Jabberwock, my son! The jaws that bite, the claws that catch! Beware the Jubjub bird, and shun The frumious Bandersnatch!" He took his vorpal sword in hand: Long time the manxome foe he sought So rested he by the Tumtum tree, And stood awhile in thought. And, as in uffish thought he stood, The Jabberwock, with eyes of flame, Came whiffling through the tulgey wood, And burbled as it came! One, two! One, two! And through and through The vorpal blade went snicker-snack! He left it dead, and with its head He went galumphing back. "And, has thou slain the Jabberwock? Come to my arms, my beamish boy! O frabjous day! Callooh! Callay!' He chortled in his joy.

`Twas brillig, and the slithy toves Did gyre and gimble in the wabe; All mimsy were the borogoves, And the mome raths outgrabe.