Two Weeks @ Cambridge CELTA

(image from: http://entrance-exam.net/teachers-back-to-learning/)

Two weeks have passed since my first day as a CELTA trainee at CELT Athens. Other than my personal reflections on my performance, I think it would be a good idea to share some of my views regarding the course:

Experience vs Inexperience

Teaching experience is not an admission requirement. The Cambridge English website describes CELTA as an entry qualification for new teachers. In my opinion, no matter how experienced one might be, if s/he has not received proper teacher training, attending a Cambridge CELTA course should be his/her immediate decision.

Being an experienced teacher myself, I must admit that I had various concerns before the beginning of the course. At some point, I even thought that the course would be very easy for me and that there was not much to learn. Needless to say, I guess, that during these past two weeks I have learned more things than during my last 8 years of teaching.

Contrary to my false preconceptions, experience could be a serious drawback. One needs to forget his/her "way of teaching" once and for all; and this is not an easy thing to do. S/he must take for granted that whatever practice s/he might have followed, in order to survive the CELTA, one must follow the tutors' recommendations. After all, if one's practice was fine, s/he wouldn't have applied in the first place.

For the inexperienced teachers, on the other hand, the CELTA seems easier, at first, in the sense that they learn something for the first time (no objections, no preconceptions, no comparisons). However, they have to overcome anxiety, lack of confidence, stage fright, uncertainty, and any other first-time-teacher feelings on day two, the latest.

Eventually, experience doesn't make a difference. What matters is one's motive and his/her willingness to learn and improve.

FT v PT Mode

One of the things one learns as a CELTA trainee is how to do a needs analysis. I think it would be a good idea if candidates did a needs analysis on themselves first, before deciding which mode to follow. Personally speaking, I wouldn't do it on a PT basis. It is Monday, 1.08am, week 3 is on its way, and I am still working on assignments and TPs; yet, this is the thing that makes me love it that much: its intensity.

However, there are others who cannot follow a FT mode. This doesn't mean that they will receive less quality education. If one feels that a FT programme will not allow him/her to meet the course requirements, s/he should not try it. PT has its benefits, as well. For one think, one has more time to reflect, study, and prepare for assignments, TPs, input sessions, etc. 

Truth to be told: When British say "intensive," they do mean it; be prepared to devote one month (24/7) to this cause. You may have hard days, you may struggle, you may cry, but it's worth your time and energy; at the end of the day, you will feel stronger.

Individual vs Team Work

For me, this is the most important aspect and the key to make your life easier: your trainers and fellow trainees. These people: a. are the ones with whom you will spend 9 hours per day sharing everything from attending classes to crying for no reason, b. will say - to your face - everything that goes wrong with your TP, (If they don't, do not trust them) and c. are the only ones who know what you are going through. Respect and understand them.

2.00 am, Week 3 has already started!

If you are thinking of pursuing a career in teaching, or if you are a teacher that hasn't received training, do sign up for a Cambridge CELTA course. There are many training centres around the world. This is an opportunity for all of us to step back, reflect, and become better professionals.


(Special thanks to Marisa Constantinides for her "so-called improvements.")

Less is more was a success! What about less talking and more adapting, though?

(taken from: http://languageteachingtips.wordpress.com/2014/01/17/whats-your-attitude-towards-teaching-practices-a-k-a-tps/)

Preparation for TP2 started the minute that TP1 was over. I think that this was very helpful because I could apply most of the things that my Tutor, fellow-trainees, and myself had pointed out.

The things I focused on were:

• Less things to teach,
• Activities that serve the aims of the lesson, and
• Constant repetition of new language learnt.

Planning Stage

When preparing the lesson plan, I did the following:

1. Took a note of the basic components of my lesson.

2. Added activities under each component and checked their appropriateness.

3. Checked appropriateness by asking: If someone does this activity, will s/he achieve a part of the lesson's aim? When my answer turned to a 'yes' one for every activity included in the plan, I started imagining the entire lesson in my mind so that I could be as accurate as possible.

While preparing for my first Teaching Practice, I thought that planning would be a pain in the ...neck (!) but having received feedback, planning my second TP was rather enjoyable. Why was that? because I was very clear as to what I wanted the students (and me) to achieve.

Teaching Stage

And... Yes! Good planning leads to teaching the lesson without being stressed. However, it is this confidence that might lead the teacher to talk more than needed. Personally, I wanted to make sure that I was paying attention to the students' needs all time, which made me echo their comments a lot and ask many unnecessary questions. 

Final 10' of the lesson were not like planned, exactly: students struggled with a vocabulary exercise and I did not have time to proceed to the production stage. So, for a moment, I thought that the lesson was turning into a disaster, only it didn't because I decided to forget that I am being observed and I pushed myself to deliberately decide which of the two was more needed: the vocabulary exercise or the production activity. Students had used much of the new language taught so I opted for the vocabulary exercise and it worked! Obviously, this shows that my planning needs some work but, still, the lesson was successful.

Post-Teaching Stage

I think that this is the most difficult part. The feedback is very constructive but this makes the next TP seem even more intimidating. I need to remember - and use - all the things that helped me for my TP2 and the feedback received after TP2, as well.

Well, we'll see! Time for a drink. :)

Oh, and let me not forget: Week 1 is OVER!

Pre-CELTA thoughts

(Image Source: http://oecdeducationtoday.blogspot.gr/2012/03/teachers-summit-highlights-need-for.html)

Hello world!

My name is Angelos Bollas and I am about to start a CELTA course at CELT International Teacher Development Centre.

Even though I have been working for 8 years as an on and offline English Language Teacher in Greece and the UK, I realised that I was in need of formal teacher training. Not only have I faced difficulties in my job all these years, but also I have just come up with a very serious issue: when I decided to start a blog about language education, I had nothing to write about. or so I thought.

For the last two weeks, I have been preparing for my CELTA course. Other than grammar revisions and clarifications, I have started studying books and journals on methodology, classroom management, teacher development, and so many other issues the names of which I did not know even though I was "using" some of them.

At first, I thought really weird about it; yet, now, I believe that it is only natural that this would happen. Being too involved with something, does not allow room for reflection, not to mention evaluation. It is the same thing that native speakers face when they are asked to explain a language issue. Most of my native-speaker friends (who are not teachers) cannot define the term "Present Simple." The same happened with me when I asked my self to describe my way of teaching. "My way of teaching is my way of teaching and in order for anyone to find out more about it, s/he should attend one of my classes," this is what I believed.

However, reading through various ELT methodology books, I realised that my inability to describe/define my teaching practice was because it was nothing well thought or consistent for that matter. It is quite important for me to pause for a while and let other observe and comment on my job. After all, this is the only way to ensure that one improves in the field that s/he is passionate about. 

Needless to say that I am very pleased with my choice to go through teacher training after having spent some years in actual classroom teaching. I think that my professional experience will give me plenty food for thought and reflection. 

6 days are left.. I wish me good luck!