Claire Fitzgerald is a CELTA tutor at IH Galway in Ireland
How long have you been an EFL teacher, and how long have you been a teacher trainer?
I have been an EFL teacher for ten years, and a teacher trainer for five years. I still work as an EFL teacher now.
Did you have a different career before EFL?
Marketing.
What are your hopes/aspirations for your trainees?
That they go forward and continue to learn about their craft following the CELTA.
When you were an EFL teacher what did you like most, and how do you bring that into the classroom for your trainees?
Elements of practice I focus on as a teacher and trainer are effective presentations, inductive methods of language instruction, error correction and inherently motiving practice tasks.
What advice would you give your trainees for successfully completing the course?
Use your time effectively, during the week and at weekends. Actively review tutor feedback from Teaching Practice and try to make links between this and following Teaching Practice sessions. See your areas for development in your teaching as learning building blocks on which to better your practice. Help your peers as much as possible and listen to their feedback.
What advice would you give your trainees for an interesting and rewarding career?
Continue to strive to be an effective and reflective practitioner. There is always something to learn so continue to devote time an effort into CPD. Encourage peer observation. Never stop seeing the person behind the language. Ask the students what they want and need and listen to their responses.