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overqualified to take celta, not ready for delta?

 
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sistaray



Joined: 25 Apr 2007
Posts: 82
Location: trumpland

PostPosted: Fri Nov 27, 2015 1:47 am    Post subject: overqualified to take celta, not ready for delta? Reply with quote

Hello, I have a BA in English Linguistics and a TESOL certificate from an American university. They were awarded to me at the same time, as a good amount of the courses I sat for the TESOL cert were also required or elective courses that counted toward my major. I have appx. 3.5 years teaching experience post-BA/cert, at training centers and a Chinese university. I am interested in steadily upgrading my credentials: first DELTA or Trinity DipTESOL, and then down the road, an MA TESOL or MA Applied Linguistics.

I think that should be enough background to help you answer this: what's next for me--cert or diploma? In investigating both, I come away thinking I'm overqualified to take a CELTA course, but not *quite* ready to pursue DELTA/DipTESOL. Staff development has been lacking at every stop of my teaching career; I've improved as a teacher over time, but I'm aware both of my classroom shortcomings *and* of the fact that I have shortcomings I can't possibly recognize. Some (many?) of the habits I've acquired are bad ones. One path I've considered is transitioning out of my current Chinese uni gig and into a training center gig that offers staff development, under the assumption that a year later, I'd then be more prepared/confident for the DELTA.

I intend to write to some of the DELTA/DipTESOL course providers out there and sound them out ... but first I thought I'd check and see what the people of Dave's have to say ...
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spiral78



Joined: 05 Apr 2004
Posts: 11534
Location: On a Short Leash

PostPosted: Fri Nov 27, 2015 1:51 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Did your TESOL cert include supervised teaching practice and feedback on it?

If not, then just bite the bullet and do the CELTA or an equivalent. It's the hands-on bit that's important. That's the basic stepping stone you need before going on to a DELTA and/or MA.
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sistaray



Joined: 25 Apr 2007
Posts: 82
Location: trumpland

PostPosted: Fri Nov 27, 2015 2:08 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

spiral78 wrote:
Did your TESOL cert include supervised teaching practice and feedback on it?

If not, then just bite the bullet and do the CELTA or an equivalent. It's the hands-on bit that's important. That's the basic stepping stone you need before going on to a DELTA and/or MA.


Yes, yes it did. The cert required taking 36 credits; several of my classmates were MA TESOL students taking (many of) the same courses as the English majors / TESOL cert pursuers. The cert included shadowing an ESL prof for a semester, and supervised teaching practice with feedback.
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nomad soul



Joined: 31 Jan 2010
Posts: 11454
Location: The real world

PostPosted: Fri Nov 27, 2015 2:33 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

sistaray wrote:
Staff development has been lacking at every stop of my teaching career; I've improved as a teacher over time, but I'm aware both of my classroom shortcomings *and* of the fact that I have shortcomings I can't possibly recognize. Some (many?) of the habits I've acquired are bad ones. One path I've considered is transitioning out of my current Chinese uni gig and into a training center gig that offers staff development, under the assumption that a year later, I'd then be more prepared/confident for the DELTA.

Instead of counting on employer-provided in-service teacher training, consider joining your local/national TESOL affiliate for workshops/seminars and networking opportunities. Also plan to attend larger, national or international TESOL conferences whenever possible. Check the British Council's website as well for training events in your area.

If you're not formally observed and evaluated once or twice each year, request that your supervisor or a knowledgeable teaching colleague sit in for at least 30 minutes of your class time to observe your teaching and provide feedback on what went well and what needs improvement. (Annual classrooms observations are standard even for seasoned MA and Delta holders.) Teacher observation forms can easily be found on the Internet if your university doesn't have one. It's also beneficial to observe your peers in their classrooms; it helps you reflect on your own teaching --- warts and all.
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Spatula City



Joined: 28 Jul 2015
Posts: 71

PostPosted: Mon Dec 28, 2015 1:12 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I knew a guy without qualifications who took the DELTA after two years of meaningless private school experience and passed. He just barely passed, but he ended up getting it.

Something to consider.

I'm convinced that CELTA/DELTA are pretty much just moneymaking schemes that put a little extra effort into not appearing as such-- seeing that guy pass the DELTA really made me feel like my CELTA was a huge waste of time and money-- were it not for the fact that enough people think it means something.
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scot47



Joined: 10 Jan 2003
Posts: 15343

PostPosted: Mon Dec 28, 2015 3:59 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Any suggestions that the Emperor may be naked will be met with hostility from the many courtiers.
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johnslat



Joined: 21 Jan 2003
Posts: 13859
Location: Santa Fe, New Mexico, USA

PostPosted: Mon Dec 28, 2015 5:09 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

" . . . . were it not for the fact that enough people think it means something."

Which is, after all, speaking from an individual's financial considerations, the only important matter.

And the same could be said of many graduate degrees.

Regards,
John
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spanglish



Joined: 21 May 2009
Posts: 742
Location: working on that

PostPosted: Tue Dec 29, 2015 12:10 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

You sound way overqualified for a CELTA. I'd strongly encourage you to skip the DELTA altogether and just go ahead and get the MA in TESOL/Applied Linguistics, especially if you can get an MA with a practical component.
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RedLightning



Joined: 08 Aug 2015
Posts: 137
Location: United States

PostPosted: Wed Dec 30, 2015 5:27 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

scot47 wrote:
Any suggestions that the Emperor may be naked will be met with hostility from the many courtiers.


Post of the year
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bograt



Joined: 12 Nov 2014
Posts: 331

PostPosted: Wed Dec 30, 2015 9:20 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

RedLightning wrote:
scot47 wrote:
Any suggestions that the Emperor may be naked will be met with hostility from the many courtiers.


Post of the year


Not really. You can't compare a course to the emperor's new clothes unless you've actually done the course and come to your own conclusion it's a sham. To anyone who's done both the CELTA and DELTA it's fairly obvious the DELTA is much more demanding.
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