Insight into CELTA 6 – The Grade

Like any other course or assessment many of us want to achieve the highest grade possible. The CELTA course is no different and the possibility of achieving the highest grade is just as achievable through hard work and determination.

CELTA Assessment is ongoing and focuses on your lesson planning, teaching, written assignments, development and your professionalism.

The assessment criteria is set by the University of Cambridge and you will be notified of the criteria at the start of your course.

At the end of the course, candidates may be awarded one of the following grades on their certificates.

Pass A

This means students have exceeded the written assignments criteria and teaching practice performance. The student is able to teach and manage a class of students independently.

Pass B

This means students have met the written assignments criteria and teaching practice performance at a significantly higher level than that required to meet pass-level criteria. Some continued guidance would be needed.

Pass

This is what most students achieve and it means overall that the student had met the criteria for written assignments and teaching performance. Continued guidance in a classroom setting would be needed.

Fail

Student has failed to meet criteria in some, or all assessed component and so has overall not obtained a grade for the CELTA.

Don’t worry about your grade, just do what is asked from you, focus on the feedback you receive and improve your teaching as weeks go on. If you do this you’ll be able to achieve the best grade.

Insight into CELTA 5 – Course requirements

This blog focuses on the criteria that needs to be met in order to pass the CELTA course.

-The TP practice that is observed by the teacher requires you to do a total of 6 hours of classroom teaching, you must pass them all.

-Observe experienced teachers teaching EFL classes for a total of 6 hours. This is usually done out of the CELTA course time slots, so time needs to be taken out of your personal life to book this in with a teacher.

-Maintain and submit a portfolio of all assessed written assignments, assessed lesson plans, feedback forms, self-evaluation forms, resources and your CELTA 5 booklet. The CELTA 5 is a candidate record booklet that monitors student’s progress and needs to be signed by both the teacher and the student after each TP and teaching observation sessions.

-Out of 4 assignments, 3 assignments need to be passed. Each centre sets assignment questions.

Note that this criteria is specified by the University of Cambridge.

Insight into CELTA 2 – Best of Buddies

 

By now you’ve settled in, know your course colleagues names, met the course teachers and have a full schedule of what is going to happen in each week of the CELTA course.

Teaching practice groups have been formed, these will most likely to stay the same throughout the course so you will become best of buddies by the end of the course.

In these groups you will be going together to a class full of English learners and teach them.

You will also help each other to prepare 45-minute lessons, write lesson plans, make resources and give each other feedback on how the lesson went. Your teaching practice teacher will be assessing your teaching from the back of the class each time you teach.

Each one of you will have to teach something on all the skill areas, so speaking, listening, reading, writing, grammar and pronunciation at least once. This is a CELTA must.

Ensure at all times you observe each other whilst teaching and learn from each other’s mistakes.

Insight into CELTA 1 – Be prepared!

Starting the CELTA course? Considering starting it? Or want some insight into the course?

In these blogs I’d like to give you a bit of an insight into the CELTA life as you train either for the part time 12 week or the intensive 4 week course.

Preparation is key. That includes getting your stationary, folder, plastic wallets, writing pad and some of the essential reading materials/books.

I had bought all the books that were recommended, however in hindsight, I’d borrow most of the books from the library. The only book that needs to be purchased is a good Dictionary with a Thesaurus, as this is handy through out the CELTA course and when you start to teach.

Below are some must-reads:

– How to Teach English by Jeremy Harmer

– Learning Teaching by Jim Scrivener

– Grammar for English Language Teachers by Martin Parrott

Reading Harmer and Strivener will give you indepth information on how to teach individuals to whom English is a second or an additional language. Martin Parrotts’ book will ensure you get a good grasp of the English grammar as you will be teaching grammar to these students.