Job Discussion Forums

[dyak]

True, true... I almost slipped up when I did the CELTA by not getting the language point I was teaching across. Sounds like a dumb mistake I know but this is where time management comes in. You can have the most wonderful way of teaching something, particularly grammar, but if they're not producing it in 'freer practice' by the end of the lesson the trainers can't pass you.

As for pre-course preparation, I think it's good to make sure you're comfortable / spend time getting used to standing up in front of people. A few of my fellow trainees spent the first week getting used to this... consequently it left them a week behind and couple this with the fact that you'll get no sleep, you'll burn out after week 2, you'll worry endlessly, you'll make mistakes, you'll love it, you'll hate it, you may want to cry, you'll see others crying, you'll get (and you'll need) the wonderful support of 10 or so relative strangers and then when all is said and done, you wouldn't have changed it for the world.

Good luck!

[khmerhit]

nicely put. Yes, i got behind in the first week because I had a hard time picking up the classroom management technique (I had taught before.) I cant imagine any way of practicing it beforehand however. Maybe standing before an imagnary audience?

[dyak]

True, though I think I read in another thread that there are groups set up where you can go and practice public speaking... or failing that there's always karaoke...

[michaeld.chicago]

does $1,250 sound like a lot for a CELTA course? the one i'm interested in is in Bogota at the British Council. Anyone been there?

[M.K.]

michaeld,
No, $1250 is actually a really good price for the CELTA. You'd pay at least $2000 USD in the States. Around $1500 USD in Europe I think. Sorry I can't offer any info on Bogota. I'm curoius myself how safe it is there? At least the course itself should be good, since the CELTA is the same no matter where you take it.
Good luck, and I hope you get the answers you're looking for. Unfortunately there seems to be a shortage of Latin America teachers who post regularly on this forum. Where are all of you? Where is Panama Teacher?

[dduck]

Never been to Bogota, couldn't say. I paid almost 1,000 UKP back in Scotland. So that price sounds cheap to me.

Iain

[MoggIntellect]

The following is merely my opinion:

It may be too late, and you may already be taking the course, but I found it very beneficial to give the Trainers what they wanted.

Focus on your Feedback, and any point that was made clear you should improve on... make sure you improve on for the next lesson. They want to see improvement and that you are grasping and applying what you have learned.

Focus on your lesson aims. Especially in the final two weeks. Make sure you can clearly identify and MEET the aims outlined on your lesson plan.

Also, one word about CELTA. I found it very frustrating to be in such an artificial surrounding. Jamming an enitre lesson into a 30-40 min. time slot is very vexing in its lack of reflecting the real world of teaching. Not to mention carving up a lesson plan amongst 3 other people.

Overall I feel it is a good program, but I feel it is more like a tornado... it hits you, you fly around all over the place, wonder when it will be over, and when it finally is over you are left wondering what happened and not feeling very confident to enter a classroom.

That's my 2 cents worth... err $2000 worth.

[M.K.]

Having just completed the CELTA, I fully agree with all MoggIntellect has to say. Give the trainers exactly what they want and you�ll do fine. Follow the CELTA method to the letter and you just may end up with an A or B Pass. This will be easier of you have good trainers who are very detailed in their feedback. I thought my trainers were excellent, but you know who I lerned perhaps more from? My fellow trainees. Take careful notes of their mistakes and successes, and provide lots of comments to them in the feedback sessions. It will pay off in the end, believe me.
I also can�t stress enough the importance of clear lesson aims and meeting those aims in your lesson. Also, providing clear instructions and checking for understanding are huge. I got tripped up on these things a couple times, and my final report reflected that. But I did pass.
My advice is try to enjoy it, because you�ll be done before you know it. I actually had a lot of fun with it, partly thanks to the fact that I got along so well with the other trainees. The first week is slow and you�ll feel overwhelmed with new information, and next thing you know you�re done, you�ve got your CELTA report in hand, and you�re in a foreign country (okay, I am) with no job and very little grasp of the language. Earning the CELTA is the easy part. But it�s not a magic ticket to employment by any means. Finding a job with enough hours to support yourself? No luck for me so far...

[struelle]

[lajzar]

[MoggIntellect]

For those of us who have yet to teach, but have completed CELTA, this disenchantment will be an all too unfortunate reality. I am attempting to obtain a position, yet I am scared to death about my abilities as a teacher. My grammar is weak (my spelling needs a bit of work as well), and I admit that, but I also feel that it is something that comes with practise.

I'd like to say to all the new teachers, or aspiring teachers, that they shouldn't fret... they'll get the hang of it, and in no time they will never have disenchanted students. Despite knowing this and espousing this advice, I am fretting.

[dduck]

[shmooj]

The only technique you need is what I call hot potato

When I train new staff I tell them this is all they need. They usually show they don't believe me for a few weeks by trying all sorts of bizarre and often totally erroneous explanations for questions they are thrown. Eventually though, they realise hot potato works every time.

So, every time I get a question about language (no matter whether I know the answer or not) I throw it straight back at the class for their answer. This gives me time to think and/or use my poker face to bluff. It also encourages autonomy and ownership of the teaching process. If I had a big class I would split them into pairs/groups to discuss it for a couple of minutes before eliciting thoughts.

Usually what happens is they discover the rule/word/whatever for themselves through a bit of dictionary work or examples or class discussion. If not, we fight over it together and, in the process, I realise the rule and eventually tell them. But even if I don't, I simply say "Well think about it and tell me what you think next week. Then, I'll tell you the rule."

That gives me a week to hit Swan and come up with an educated answer

[dduck]

[Gordon]

Struelle wrote: