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dyak
Joined: 25 Jun 2003 Posts: 630
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Posted: Sun Jul 13, 2003 11:41 am Post subject: |
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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! |
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khmerhit
Joined: 31 May 2003 Posts: 1874 Location: Reverse Culture Shock Unit
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Posted: Sun Jul 13, 2003 6:13 pm Post subject: |
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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? |
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dyak
Joined: 25 Jun 2003 Posts: 630
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Posted: Sun Jul 13, 2003 6:26 pm Post subject: |
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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... |
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michaeld.chicago
Joined: 30 Jun 2003 Posts: 20 Location: Chicago
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Posted: Mon Jul 21, 2003 6:31 pm Post subject: celta |
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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? |
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M.K.
Joined: 01 May 2003 Posts: 57 Location: neither here nor there
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Posted: Mon Jul 21, 2003 7:52 pm Post subject: |
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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? |
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dduck
Joined: 29 Jan 2003 Posts: 422 Location: In the middle
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Posted: Mon Jul 21, 2003 8:59 pm Post subject: |
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Never been to Bogota, couldn't say. I paid almost 1,000 UKP back in Scotland. So that price sounds cheap to me.
Iain |
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MoggIntellect
Joined: 04 Apr 2003 Posts: 173 Location: Chengdu, P.R.China
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Posted: Tue Aug 05, 2003 2:59 am Post subject: |
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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. |
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M.K.
Joined: 01 May 2003 Posts: 57 Location: neither here nor there
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Posted: Thu Sep 04, 2003 5:40 pm Post subject: |
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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... |
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struelle
Joined: 16 May 2003 Posts: 2372 Location: Shanghai
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Posted: Sun Sep 14, 2003 12:47 pm Post subject: |
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Quote: |
Having just completed the CELTA, |
Congratulations! Interesting to see your progress before, during, and after the course. Also, interesting to see that you started the exact same thread and topic in the Newbie Forum that I wrote about on General Discussion last month. <sigh> If only I looked on this forum first, my questions could have been answered without having to start another thread.
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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. |
Very true. I found the course overwhelming as well, and it was especially tough in Week 3. But I had a breakthrough at the end of that week, when I understood the paradigm behind the course, and why the trainers expected the things they did. The learning curve was steep, and I had to unlearn a lot of my previous teaching methods. Once that got sorted out, I sailed through Week 4, and was on the home-stretch to get that certificate.
Now I'm back in China, and am using some of the CELTA techniques in class, especially the concept checking. But I suppose my initial guess was right - if I were to teach *exactly* like the trainers wanted right now, it would not be effective to my audience. Chinese students are in an extremely unique ballpark, and frequently, the rules of the game are very different.
Example: In a recent class I tried modeling and drilling new words before a written record, eliciting answers from individuals, doing group drills, etc. exactly as I learned from the course. Was it effective? Unfortunately not. Student responses were half-hearted at best, and they would snicker and laugh if an individual made a mistake. While attempting a CELTA-style drill, the students kept asking me, "How do you spell that word? Please write it down!" As soon as I put down a written record and drilled it, BINGO, the liveliest response I've seen in ages. If the course trainers had seen this, they would have had a fit.
In hindsight, I feel it wasn't necessary to get the CELTA course for this *particular* job I'm doing. My employers didn't even ask to see the certificate!! Previous teaching skills would have been far more than sufficient. However, in the long-term I don't regret the investment at all, because I plan to teach in other countries. Not only this, but the actual TP feedback, peer evaluations, and reflections on actual teaching experience were the most valuable I've had in ages.
On a side note, while doing research for CELTA, I found no locations at all for China, Korea, or Japan. None whatsoever. Actually, I'm not surprised at all, as this particular trio of countries has very different expectations for teaching that the CELTA doesn't quite match. I suspect the CELTA niche market is geared more for European students who don't have a solid grammar base, and need to learn English from scratch.
Again, just my $1400 US worth
Steve |
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lajzar
Joined: 09 Feb 2003 Posts: 647 Location: Saitama-ken, Japan
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Posted: Mon Sep 15, 2003 1:18 am Post subject: |
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Quote: |
On a side note, while doing research for CELTA, I found no locations at all for China, Korea, or Japan. None whatsoever. Actually, I'm not surprised at all, as this particular trio of countries has very different expectations for teaching that the CELTA doesn't quite match. I suspect the CELTA niche market is geared more for European students who don't have a solid grammar base, and need to learn English from scratch. |
Actually, the grammar of most European languages is sufficiently similar to English (compared to Chinese, Japanese or Korean anyway) that grammar isn't a critical issue for these students. That doesn't mean you can relax though: they'll still expect their teacher to know the grammar inside out and upside down. Also bear in mind that in most non-anglophone European countries, grammar (of their language) is a regular part of teh school curriculum.
Nothing disenchants a student with a teacher more than the realisation that they know something the teacher doesn't. |
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MoggIntellect
Joined: 04 Apr 2003 Posts: 173 Location: Chengdu, P.R.China
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Posted: Mon Sep 15, 2003 2:29 am Post subject: |
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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. |
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dduck
Joined: 29 Jan 2003 Posts: 422 Location: In the middle
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Posted: Mon Sep 15, 2003 3:17 pm Post subject: |
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lajzar wrote: |
Nothing disenchants a student with a teacher more than the realisation that they know something the teacher doesn't. |
I once asked a Spanish 'language' teacher of mine, how to say a hundredth in Spanish. She was stumped - she replied "Why would you want to say that?". A bit rubbish! Other than that she was on-the-ball
Iain |
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shmooj
Joined: 11 Sep 2003 Posts: 1758 Location: Seoul, ROK
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Posted: Tue Sep 16, 2003 12:00 am Post subject: |
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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 |
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dduck
Joined: 29 Jan 2003 Posts: 422 Location: In the middle
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Posted: Tue Sep 16, 2003 6:02 pm Post subject: |
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shmooj wrote: |
The only technique you need is what I call hot potato
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. |
I think there's some similarity between your method and mine. I like to get the students to do most of the work. So, if a student asks a question, I ask their partner, group or the rest of the class if they can answer it. Often the students have a go, besides I like to know what's going on inside their heads. (It also help to keep them alert!) I've occasionally found myself facing a question that's stumped me. If after a few seconds I'm still not sure I'll admit to the class that I'm not sure and I'll get back to them with an answer. I don't like being dishonest with my students; I'd much rather they were aware of my limitations - perhaps that makes them feel more comfortable with theirs.
Iain |
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Gordon
Joined: 28 Jan 2003 Posts: 5309 Location: Japan
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Posted: Sat Sep 20, 2003 4:19 am Post subject: |
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Struelle wrote:
Quote: |
On a side note, while doing research for CELTA, I found no locations at all for China, Korea, or Japan. None whatsoever. Actually, I'm not surprised at all, as this particular trio of countries has very different expectations for teaching that the CELTA doesn't quite match. |
Here is where you can get a CELTA in Kyoto.
http://homepage.mac.com/tesolkyoto/ |
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