Taking the CELTA course full time is an intense month of work and study. During the course, you won’t have much time for anything else so it is important to be prepared before you start so you can be focused during the course and absorb as much information as you can.
In this blog, we have some tips on how to make the most of it.
CELTA Success During the Course
Work hard
The CELTA course is a heavy workload both when you are at the CELTA training centre and also when you are preparing classes in the evenings. To be accepted onto the course, you
will have displayed the skills and knowledge to be able to successfully complete the CELTA. To convert potential into success requires trainees to study and implement teaching
methodologies in the classroom. The course will involve long evenings and challenging times in the classes, but the course is relatively short, and consistency and commitment will pay
off.
Capitalise on your strengths and avoid comparisons
Some CELTA participants will have teaching experience while others won’t. Those who don’t will bring other skills and experience to the classroom. Teaching experience can help but can also be bring bad habits or overconfidence to the classroom. Experience of travel and communicating with non-native speakers can help a trainee deliver lessons clearly while a
more experienced, non-language teacher may struggle.
When observing other teachers, don’t compare yourself to them, see what you can learn from their classes, the good and the bad. Observing others can help us better observe our
own teaching habits and learn tricks to improve.
Be thorough
When you are working late in the evening preparing, it can be tempting to cut corners. One thing you can guarantee is that the part of the lesson you fail to prepare thoroughly will be
where problems arise. Students will always ask the question you hoped wouldn’t come up, or a student will be absent and upset your group numbers for an activity.
It is these moments where the teacher trainer will be looking at how a trainee teacher contingency planned, problem solved, keep the flow of the lesson going to achieve the aims.
Successful CELTA trainees will prepare thoroughly to ensure successful classes both for the students and their own confidence.
Learn from your mistakes
When starting a CELTA there will be people with mixed experience of both teaching and languages. This means that things will go wrong and there will be challenging situations.
The important factor is to recognise that getting things wrong is an important part of learning and will ensure we don’t make the same mistake next time.
Conclusion
The CELTA course is intense, but it offers great opportunities for an exciting career. Enjoy the course and don’t let difficult episodes get you down – all teachers have been there.
Follow this advice; do some pre-course preparation to approach the CELTA more confidently and successfully.