British Council, Bogotá CELTA Course Guide

British Council, Bogotá CELTA Course Guide

CELTA

University of Cambridge ESOL Teaching Awards

Certificate in English Language Teaching to Adults

Course Guide

Contents

Page
1 Welcome ……………………………………………………………………….
Workload and pacing
Getting organised
Learning journal
Professionalism / 3
2British Council ……………………………………………………………….
Opening hours
Resource Centre
Access to computers
Photocopying
Copyright / 7
3University of Cambridge ESOL……………………………………………. / 9
4The CELTA Programme …………………………………………………….
CELTA course requirements
CELTA course syllabus overview
Assessment
Grading
External assessment of course
Reports and certificates
Complaints procedures / 10
5Candidate Portfolio ………………………………………………………….
Portfolio organisation / 16
6Course Tutors ………………………………………………………………..
Tutors' aims
Appointments with tutors / 17
7Observations of Experienced Teachers ………………………………… / 19
8Teaching Practice (TP) ……………………………………………………..
The focus of assessment & feedback / 20
9Classroom-related Written Assignments ……………………………….
Overview of written assignments
Assignment one - Focus on the Learner
Assignment two - Language Related Tasks
Assignment three – Focus on Skills
Assignment four – Lessons from the Classroom
Writing for CELTA / 22
10References…………………………………………………………………… / 47
11. Appendices …………………………………………………………………. / 50

1Welcome

Welcome to the CELTA course at The British Council in Bogota. We hope that you have an engaging and stimulating time during the course.

CELTA is very intensive and demanding and it requires full commitment on your part. Firstly, there is a great deal of material to be covered in order to satisfy the syllabus requirements, and participants usually feel the pressure of assimilating this and putting it into practice. Secondly, course participants may find it stressful to be observed regularly by tutors and peers. Thirdly, there are several different elements to the course: you will be attending input sessions, reading, planning lessons, writing assignments, observing other teachers and being asked to reflect deeply on your own work and that of others. However, most participants find that despite the challenges and demands of the course, it is a very stimulating period. So, be prepared to work very hard but try to enjoy the experience.

1.1 Workload and Pacing

Do not underestimate the amount of time you will need to spend working independently or with your teaching practice group in the evenings and at weekends. You should explain this to your partner or family and discuss with them your schedule and the demands being made on your time.

In addition to time-tabled course hours, you will be required to;

Do pre-session reading tasks
Do pre-session language analysis and phonology tasks
Do post- session consolidation tasks
Observe teachers at the British Council
Complete four written assignments
Liaise with your colleagues to produce cohesive and varied lessons for your learners
Plan and prepare your teaching slots

It is essential that you complete the pre and post session tasks – much valuable time is wasted if you do not do so and it is especially frustrating for those candidates who have made the effort.

On the other hand, make sure you pace yourself and try to 'take a break' from CELTA related work each week. If you do not do so, you may find that by week five of the course you are exhausted and not performing as well as you should be. On that point, you will find that a 'good night's sleep' is an enormous advantage on this course. Some participants stay up very late writing the 'perfect' lesson plan or finishing an assignment. Common sense tells you that that is not the most successful strategy. You need to be fresh each day to assimilate new input, respond to your learners and reflect on your teaching.

Here is a letter written by two candidates on a previous course which you may find interesting and enlightening.

Dear potential CELTA victim,

Having just finished the course, we’d like you to know a few important things not mentioned in the course guide…

First of all, you need to prepare yourself for a very fast paced five weeks, e.g. on teaching days, don’t expect to have time for lunch. The pre-course task and the course guide are very important. The task will help you know what your weaknesses are so be sure to complete it at least a week or two in advance to allow you time to study those points that you’re uncomfortable with.

Grammar should definitely be your focus if you’re a native speaker since you should convert your implicit knowledge to explicit, in order to be able to teach it. You will be severely penalized for any lack of clear analysis and presentation in grammar structures. If you are a non-native speaker, work on your pronunciation and pronunciation of phonemic symbols.

Do read the course-guide carefully in advance, particularly the section on written assignments. All of us were asked to resubmit one or more of the assignments, even for minor details. Language focus assignments must be very thorough and be sure to read the examples of good and bad writing given in the course-guide.

Whether you have taught before or not, you will be severely judged from the second lesson on. Main focus of tutor criticism will be on clarity of instructions, teacher talking time (TTT) and timing. You may be graded below standard from the second lesson onwards and feedback may be rather blunt, which is one of the main causes of stress, but don’t take criticism personally: the tutors are there to help you achieve the highest standards possible. If you consider that a situation has been unfair in terms of grading or assessing, do not hesitate to talk to tutors, and ask for an explanation.

Liaise with the members of your group, from the very beginning, to coordinate everything happening in the group.

Despite all of the above, you will have fun and will end up being very well prepared, especially in learner-centred teaching, which is an extremely valuable principle of ESL.

Good luck!

Amalia and Rob

CELTA Class of July 2005

1.2 Getting Organised

On an intensive course of this nature getting organised from the beginning is important. You will receive a large number of handouts during the course. It will be useful to refer to these both during and after the course, so it is a good idea to spend some time organising your notes each day.

Equip yourself with:

a large ring folder (2”) to hold handouts and notes
file dividers to organise your notes
plastic wallets to keep your notes in
a note pad from which you can remove pages and put in your file, rather than a notebook
stationery supplies such as card, scotch tape, glue, felt pens, etc.
a flash memory stick is the only effective and reliable way of saving your work on the computers. Please make sure you have one at the beginning of the course.

Possible headings to organise your notes

Course Administration
Language analysis(grammar, lexis, phonology)
Language Skills (reading, listening, speaking, writing)
Learning and Learners
Lesson Planning
Teaching Practice (TP)
Observation
Presentation and practice
Classroom management
Professional development

1.3 Learning journal

With so much going on it is often easy to lose sight of the importance of reflection. We believe that reflection on your teaching and your learning during the course is extremely important.

It is a good idea to keep a written learning journal in which you write down your reflections on what has gone on in the course and how you feel about it. It will help you to put things into focus and to keep in touch with your own individual development as the course progresses.

Most reports on journal writing on teacher education programmes stress the benefits for the trainee teachers.

"Writing up my journal has made me realize that writing about certain issues and forcing myself to reflect and bring them out in the open, has helped me to clarify them. It gets you to think about and express consciously, things that are unconsciously going on in your mind whilst you are learning how to become a teacher."

Barkhuizen - cited in Richards, 1998

No reference will be made to your journal entries except on a one-to-one basis when appropriate. The journal is not assessed in any way. There may be days when you feel neither the need nor the inclination to write very much. This does not matter but try to keep the journal going. Your journal will be of enormous help to you when you come to writing Assignment Four.

As a guideline, your journal entries might include comments on the following:

things that you learn from yourself, course experiences, peers

implications for your own teaching and self-development

changes in your attitudes / beliefs

personal theorising about teaching

insights into classroom management issues

flashes of understanding

what is easy / difficult for you to follow

things you agree/disagree with, which you would like to consider further in conversation with peers, with the help of books, etc.

 frustrations you experience and their causes

1.4Professional Awareness

As teachers we are expected to have a degree of professionalism and indeed at least two of the assessment criteria relate to professionalism. Please read these notes carefully and make sure you have a professional attitude during the course.

A professional trainee teacher ….

arrives punctually for input and TP sessions and attends 100% of the course.
calls in to inform tutors of lateness or illness
is independent and doesn't rely too heavily on help from tutors
is prepared to experiment in the classroom and learn from mistakes
understands that the tutor's role is to guide and support trainees but not to spoon-feed them or plan lessons for them
is able to take on board tutors' and colleagues' suggestions and put them into practice
is able to assess his / her strengths and weaknesses objectively
liaises carefully and regularly with his / her TP group members
takes notes and remains quiet when observing colleagues or experienced teachers
does not use TP time for writing future lesson plans
completes all pre- and post session tasks diligently

Finally

The aim of this guide is to give you a clear overview of the course and what will be expected of you over the five weeks. You should read this guide very carefully and keep it handy throughout the course, as it provides you with important information. In particular you should refer to the section on writing assignments when you are doing these tasks to make sure you are producing what is expected of you.

Please bring this course guide with you on the first day of the course.

2 British Council

The overall purpose of the British Council in Colombia is to build mutually beneficial relationships between people in the UK and Colombia and to increase appreciation of the UK’s ideas and achievements. The British Council opened in Colombia in 1939.

The main activities of the British Council in Colombia are

Teaching English.There are over 2000 students enrolled on English language courses
Teacher Training. We offer a variety of training courses, both pre-service and in-service.
Our English Language Teaching Outreach department plays an advisory role in the definition of national language policies.
Examinations. We currently administer over 5000 examinations a year.
Governancework focuses on conflict resolution, civic education, law, human rights and justice.
Creative industries. Our contribution to this focuses on developing new micro business, creative education, leadership and developing networks.
Artsprogrammes in Colombia are developed through the national arts festivals. We concentrate on the visual and performing arts, films, literature and social inclusion projects.
The English Language Placement Scheme assists around 80 Colombians to attend the UK every year.
Informationwork complements online services. The Resource Centre has 2500 members and mainly supports the teaching centre students and teachers.

For more information on the work of the British Council in Colombia and around the world please go to our website:

2.1 Opening Hours

British Council is open from 6.30am until 9.00pm from Monday to Friday, and 8am until 2pm on Saturdays. In addition to our class times, you will probably find that you will want to come in earlier or stay later in order to access books, use the facilities and to liaise with your TP group. There are two sites:

Address:Carrera 9 with Calle 76 – 49 Piso 5

Telephone:( 57 1) 3259090

Cambridge ESOL Teaching Awards requires you to attend the whole course, and all absences must be explained. If you are ill or are going to be late or absent for any reason, please telephone the number above to let us know.

2.2 Learning Centre

For the duration of the course you will have free access to the British Council Learning Centre. Here you can borrow or consult from the wide range of English Language Teaching support materials, including books, CDs and DVDs.

2.3 Access to computers

There are 20 public access computers available at the British Council. You may use these when lesson planning and writing assignments and you will also have access to the internet. It is not secure to save work on these computers. Please come equipped with a flash memory stick in order to save your work. It is very frustrating to spend time writing assignments or preparing lessons only to find that it is lost when you need it. We have also organised 7 dedicated laptops for your use and you will receive further information about these.

2.4 Photocopying

You will be given a photocopying code when on the first day of the course. This is confidential and you should not share it with anyone else. You will be allowed to make 350 copies free after which you will be charged at the normal rate.

2.5 Copyright

British Council as an organisation is strict about conforming to copyright legislation. Copying large amounts of published material is illegal. If you wish to copy published materials for TP or assignments you MUST source it clearly. This is a requirement of both the British Council and Cambridge ESOL Awards.

When you reference a source, please use this notation:

Author surname and initial. Year. Title. Publisher. (page.)

EXAMPLE

Soars, J. and L. 1991. Headway Pre-intermediate Student’s Book. OUP. P17.

3 University of Cambridge ESOL

The University of Cambridge is one of the oldest universities in the world - founded in the 13th century - and one of the largest in the United Kingdom. It has a world-wide reputation for outstanding academic achievement and the high quality of research undertaken in a range of science and arts subjects.

The mission of the University of Cambridge is to contribute to society through the pursuit of education, learning and research at the highest international levels of excellence.

The Cambridge ESOL examinations and awards are the world's leading range of certificates for learners and teachers of English. Each year they are awarded to around 15 million learners and teachers in 135 countries. They are characterised by an uncompromising commitment to assessment of the highest quality, recognition by universities, employers and official bodies throughout the world and a high level of support for learners and teachers.

Cambridge ESOL offers assessment for a wide range of English learners and teachers

General English examinations for adult learners
Business English examinations
Cambridge Young Learner English tests for children between 7 - 12 years of age
English for academic purposes
Awards for language teachers including ICELT, CELTA, CELTYL and DELTA

For more information on the activities of Cambridge ESOL please visit the website:

Equal Opportunity Statement

CELTA is based on the principle of open and equal opportunity for all, irrespective of gender, marital status, sexual orientation, creed, colour, race, ethnic origin, age or disability.

This principal is promoted in all aspects of the CELTA course including:

Selection of candidates
Assessment of candidates
Recruitment of tutors

Cambridge ESOL Teaching Awards procedures ensure that all aspects of the course remain non-discriminatory.

4 The CELTA Programme

The CELTA programme is designed to enable candidates to:

acquire essential subject knowledge and familiarity with the principles of effective teaching
acquire a range of practical teaching skills for teaching English to adult learners
demonstrate their ability to apply their learning in a real teaching context

Candidates who complete the course successfully can begin working in a variety of ESOL teaching contexts.

4.1 CELTA Course Requirements

To meet the assessment requirements, candidates are required to attend the whole course and to:

practice teach classes of the relevant age group and size for a total of 6 hours
observe experienced teachers teaching classes of adult learners for a total of six hours, two of which may be on video
maintain and submit a portfolio of all course work including all written assignments and materials related to teaching practice

4.2 CELTA Course Syllabus Overview

1. Learners and teachers and the teaching and learning context

1.1.Cultural, linguistic and educational backgrounds

1.2.Motivation for learning English as an adult

1.3.Learning and teaching styles

1.4.Contexts for learning and teaching English

1.5.Varieties of English

1.6.Multilingualism and the role of first languages

Language analysis and language awareness
Basic concepts and terminology used in ELT for describing form and meaning in language and language use
Grammar - Grammatical frameworks: rules and conventions relating to words, sentences, paragraphs and texts
Lexis: What it means to 'know' a word; semantic relationships between words
Phonology: The formation and description of English phonemes; features of connected speech
The practical significance of similarities and differences between languages
Reference materials for language awareness
Key strategies and approaches for developing learners' language knowledge

Language skills: Reading, listening, speaking and writing
Reading
Basic concepts and terminology used for describing reading skills
Purposes of reading
Decoding meaning
Potential barriers to reading
Listening
Basic concepts and terminology used for describing listening skills
Purposes of listening
Features of listening texts
Potential barriers to listening
Speaking
Basic concepts and terminology used for describing speaking skills
Features of spoken English
Language functions
Paralinguistic features
Phonemic systems
Writing
Basic concepts and terminology used for describing writing skills
Sub-skills and features of written texts
Stages of teaching writing
Beginner literacy
English spelling and punctuation

Planning and resources for different teaching contexts
Principles of planning for effective teaching of adult learners of English
Lesson planning for effective teaching of adult learners of English
Evaluation of lesson planning
The selection, adaptation and evaluation of materials and resources in planning (including computer and other technology based resources)
Knowledge of commercially produced resources and non-published materials and classroom resources for teaching English to adults

Developing teaching skills and professionalism
The effective organisation of the classroom
Classroom presence and control
Teacher and learner language
The use of teaching materials and resources
Practical skills for teaching at a range of levels
The monitoring and evaluation of adult learners
Evaluation of the teaching / learning process
Professional development: responsibilities
Professional development: support systems

4.3 Assessment