Olivia Goodman from the ELT Research team talks about her experiences of completing CELTA (Certificate in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages) and shares her tips for anyone thinking of taking the course.
I did it! I completed the CELTA course – something I thought I’d never be able to do, but I did it! I wasn’t the only one who experienced the laughter, tears, panic and relief of the course; there were 8 others by my side as we battled our way through the highs and lows to the finish line.
The sense of solidarity among fellow trainees was incredible, and even the support from the students themselves made Teaching Practice a pleasure… I say that in hindsight; at the time it was pretty nerve-wracking!
Getting to grips with the course
Starting off with a game of Carousel and Find Someone Who was the perfect introduction to the course, although not quite an indication of how much work was involved in the following 15 weeks (I took the part time online course). The workload was heavy, and I soon realised that this wasn’t just because of the course; it showed how much preparation, time and effort all teachers have to put in outside of the classroom. I had an advantage in that I have studied languages before – this meant I already had a good understanding of the terminology and, more importantly, had experienced what it was like to be a student learning another language with no prior knowledge.
As I worked my way through the course, one task I found myself doing a lot was adapting reading texts, or comprehension questions for my students. The students I taught were all very different and their levels of English were too, making it harder to stick to one activity as outlined in a course book. Knowing that here at Cambridge we have addressed mixed ability classrooms and are enabling teachers to adapt activities based on their students’ abilities is comforting and something that I would be so grateful for if I went on to teach.
The importance of authentic and up-to-date material
I also noticed that some of the language presented in the course books we were using was fairly dated. I realise that as a person whose first language is English, updating texts was a fairly straightforward task, but for those teachers who rely on course books for the language it may not be the easiest of tasks. Therefore, I recognised the importance of the ELT Research team here at the Press, which ensures that language in our course books is authentic, natural and up-to-date so that teachers don’t have to spend time adapting materials.
So, what does all this mean for my job here at Cambridge University Press? Achieving my CELTA qualification has certainly helped me gain a better understanding of English language teaching and learning. From the perspective of somebody who works in the publishing industry, it’s exciting to know (and see) that our products are going through checks to ensure the language taught in course books is current and authentic, and that they’re presented in a way that makes language learning better for the students. Furthermore, the teachers have the support they need in the teacher’s books to enable them to focus their efforts on their students, rather than on adapting materials. It’s even more exciting to know that the students using these course books are going to learn useful language and be able to draw on that when they communicate in English. Let’s just say I wish this was the case when I was learning Spanish and Chinese!
Top tips for those thinking about taking the CELTA course
1. One piece of advice I was given before I started the course was: do as you’re told and you’ll be fine. This was probably the best piece of advice I was given and I soon realised why. The tutors aren’t cruel people sitting at the back of the classroom scrutinising every little thing you say and do… well, they are doing that, but they are understanding and friendly and ultimately they want you to be the best teacher you can be. They make sure you do well and all the feedback they give you (good and bad) is to help you improve. So take it all on board and become the best teacher you can!
2. If you take the part-time online course, use the extra time to practise as much as you can in between Teaching Practice sessions, so that you can get a sense of how the lesson will go. Even better, if you have any friends whose first language isn’t English, try out your lessons with them first and see how they respond.
3. You’re not alone! Remember that all trainees are in it together, so make the most of the support you can offer each other. It’s not a competition, so take advantage of sharing ideas and being creative together.
4. Prepare beforehand. Whichever CELTA course you decide to take, I’d definitely recommend taking as much time as you can beforehand to prepare. There are a lot of materials out there to help with this, so if you can spend some time reading through specifically-designed CELTA materials, grammar reference books and teacher training resources then you’re on the right path before you even begin.
5. Finally, I’d have to say, enjoy it. This course is so intense that it flashes by in a second. Before you know it, you’ve passed the course and you’re standing in your own classroom with your own students, so make sure you try to have fun and make the most of the support from other trainees and your tutors. While it was very hard work, looking back now – a year on – I can honestly say I fully enjoyed it and would recommend it to anyone.
Good luck!
If you are interested in materials to help you prepare for the CELTA course, you can check out Martin Parrott’s Grammar for English Language Teachers and Scott Thornbury’s The CELTA Course Trainee Book.