Job Discussion Forums

Sashadroogie · Posted: Sun Aug 10, 2014 3:06 pm Post subject:

How about this?

"Warning. This programme requires you to LISTEN to your trainers, and to put into practice the very BASIC theoretical principles given to you ad nauseam in your input sessions. Feedback is not about YOU YOU YOU, but is your opportunity to listen to your betters explaining to you, oh so most clearly, how not to screw up the next TP. Your justifications are pointless when most of your own TP language learners were able to point out the flaws in your lessons before they fell asleep or left the classroom.

If you feel you already know tonnes of stuff about, like teaching, coz like you had this real cool gig in Korea that was so totally awesome, then you may wish to re-consider your application for admission to the Celta. If you are completely self-entitled and self-absorbed and also prone to wearing your heart on your sleeve, ready to take offence at anything that isn't gushing re-enforcement of your faulty teaching, or are so weak-willed you depend on valium to make it through the day, you may wish to re-consider your suitability as a candidate also.

Otherwise, we'll happily provide the service you are paying for - which includes NOT issuing a cert to those who have shown next to no ability to learn, never mind teach."

How does that sound? Still needs a little tweeking...

Sashadroogie · Posted: Sun Aug 10, 2014 3:09 pm Post subject:

buravirgil · Posted: Sun Aug 10, 2014 3:12 pm Post subject:

His thoughts were red thoughts.

Shroob · Joined: 02 Aug 2010 Posts: 1339

Sashadroogie · Posted: Sun Aug 10, 2014 3:20 pm Post subject:

If their English really wasn't up to par, or the places were already filled, then applicants can be turned down. But that still leaves open the possibility of them applying again for the next course.

Centres cannot turn away candidates who are stupid or don't know anything about teaching. It is a pre-service course. How can candidates be expected to show any teaching aptitude at all for a course that does not require any previous teaching experience?

Sashadroogie · Posted: Sun Aug 10, 2014 3:20 pm Post subject:

Shroob · Joined: 02 Aug 2010 Posts: 1339

buravirgil · Posted: Sun Aug 10, 2014 3:26 pm Post subject:

What about John's find, Sasha? McMorrow said 14k people some time or another. What % of centers of just whacked? I mean, just a guess. And what will blended programs do to CELTA. It's a smorgasboard of TEFL certs out there, meeting on weekends in hotels. I can respect your participation in what you made valid, but as an enterprise, how diluted is the market becoming? Will my Galaxy 5 be involved soon?

Because what John found? Yuck!

johnslat · Posted: Sun Aug 10, 2014 3:29 pm Post subject:

http://www.passthecelta.com/what-is-the-celta-application-process/

and

"If the Cambridge CELTA is designed for those with no previous experience, why do we have interviews at all?

One important reason is for us to assess applicants' language awareness and potential (see points 2 and 3 under 'entry requirements' above). Language awareness includes, among other things, the ability to identify and describe: meaning and differences in meaning; levels of formality; and the basic structure of a sentence. The questions we ask do not require previous teaching experience or advanced study of the English language, and we do not assume knowledge of linguistic terminology – although we would expect candidates to be familiar with basic terms such as 'noun', 'adjective' and 'verb'.

Perhaps the main aim is to make sure that we don't offer a place to – and accept money from – someone who we feel does not have a good chance of passing the course."

http://www.akcent.cz/en/p/47/application-process-and-application-form.html

Regards,
John

Sashadroogie · Posted: Sun Aug 10, 2014 3:42 pm Post subject:

VietCanada · Joined: 30 Nov 2010 Posts: 590

Sashadroogie · Posted: Sun Aug 10, 2014 3:48 pm Post subject:

buravirgil · Posted: Sun Aug 10, 2014 3:54 pm Post subject:

It's probably my fault. Your experience is anyone failing a CELTA training isn't fit to teach because the material is basic stuff. But in this thread, I thought John posted a trainer's response that was capricious and spurious.

If I read that correctly, the business of CELTA is having some quality control issues. Provoking many to say, yeah, it's lousy and its heyday as the bona fide is done because the growth of the ESL industry has produced competitors and a "standard" of what someone needs to know to teach ESL if they knew nothing about it before is...changing. Money-grabs, all around.

You were defending your experience that a CELTA cert as valuable and I was asking your opinion on what John posted upthread.

Does that make sense?

johnslat · Posted: Sun Aug 10, 2014 4:06 pm Post subject:

Dear buravirgil,

I'm not at all sure the guy is/was a trainer. Hope not - but it is a good example, I think, of how much ignorance there is out there,

Of course, we're ALL ignorant - but when someone sets him/herself up as an advice-giver, that makes his/her ignorance all the more cringe-worthy.

Regards,
John

VietCanada · Joined: 30 Nov 2010 Posts: 590

I considered doing a CELTA in Spain in the mid 90's after 5 years in Korea. I was really enjoying teaching and I wanted to learn more. Unfortunately a slow death in the family derailed me.

According to the website I was required to read Michael Swan's "Practical English Usage" before I began the course. That gave me a pretty good idea of what I was in for. A test based on that requirement would be perfect.

Again, thanks to people in this thread I was able to dl a copy of that book. My copy was intended for speakers of other languages. I have shared the file with many VN teachers who expressed interest. It really is an excellent 1st reference book. "The Grammar Book. An ESL/EFL Teacher's Course, Second Edition" is little bit more serious. I pretty sure I found that on my own. It goes into grammar in quite a bit more depth. The teaching ideas are at least a good starting point for those wishing to get a grip on teaching theory, Feel free to recommend more books like this. I prefer a good referral to my best guess in this case.

It makes no sense or rather it seems convenient that CELTA can't turn anyone down. I understand the teaching experience component being nil but the grammar knowledge? That can be tested without compromising the goal of the program. If I understand it correctly from what I've read here, that is.