Trainee Guide

Cambridge CELTA

Certificate in English
Language Teaching
to Speakers of Other
Languages
British Council Mumbai

Trainee Guide
Information for Course Participants

© British Council, Mumbai

The United Kingdom’s international organisation for educational opportunities and cultural relations. We are registered in England as a charity.
 Welcome to the course!

Welcome to the Cambridge CELTA course at British Council, Mumbai. We hope that you have a stimulating
and rewarding teacher training experience.

In order to make things clearer for you during the course, here is some essential information. Please read
this guide carefully.

Course staff:

Usha Venkatachalam

Main Course Tutor

Asha Sandilya

Assistant Course Tutor

Havovi Kolsawalla

Assistant Course Tutor

Aditya Rajan

Trainer-in-Training

Wilfa Lemos
British Council Mumbai

Course dates and times

The course starts on Monday 13 February and ends on Friday 10 March, 2017. Sessions will start at 9am
every day and your regular course sessions will normally end by 6pm.

Please also note that an integral component of the course is observation of experienced ELT qualified
teachers.These observation classes may fall outside of the regular course timetable.

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Course Content

1. Course Requirements and Objectives

The Cambridge CELTA (Certificate in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages) is an introductory
course for candidates who have little or no teaching experience of teaching languages. To meet the course
requirements, candidates are required to attend the whole course and to:

· practise teaching in a class at two different levels for a total of six hours;
· observe experienced teachers teaching adult classes of learners for a total of six hours;
· maintain and submit a portfolio of all course work including all written assignments and materials
relating to teaching practice and tutorials.

The CELTA course program is designed to enable successful candidates to:

1. develop an awareness of language and a knowledge of the description of English and apply these
in their professional practice;
2. develop an initial understanding of the contexts within which adults learn English, their motivations
and the roles of the teacher and the learner;
3. develop familiarity with the principles and practice of effective teaching to adult learners of English;
4. develop basic skills for teaching adults in the language classroom;
5. develop familiarity with appropriate resources and materials for use with adult learners of English
for teaching, testing and for reference;

2. Course Programme

Course programmes are designed by individual centres using the Cambridge CELTA syllabus and course
objectives as guidelines.

This is an overview of what we will be covering in the course:

1. Language Awareness.
· Basic concepts and terminology used in ELT for describing form and meaning in language and
language use.
· Basic concepts and terminology used for describing language skills and sub-skills.
· Language description and syllabus design for the teaching of general English to adults.
· The practical significance of similarities and differences between languages.

2. The learner, the teacher and the teaching / learning context.

· The adult learner’s educational background and traditions.
· The context for learning and teaching English at adult level.
· Different motivations for learning English as an adult.
· Different learning and teaching styles at adult level.

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3. Planning for effective teaching of adult learners of English.
· The principles of planning for effective teaching of adult learners of English.
· The practical realities of planning for effective teaching of adult learners of English.
· The selection and evaluation of appropriate materials and resources for specific lessons.
· The selection and evaluation of appropriate exercise types, activity types, and tasks, for specific
lessons.
· The evaluation of lesson preparation.

4. Classroom management and teaching skills for teaching English to adults.

· The effective organisation of the classroom.
· Classroom presence and control.
· Teacher and learner language.
· The use of teaching materials and resources.
· Practical skills for teaching at a range of levels.
· The monitoring and evaluation of adult learners.
· The evaluation of classroom management and teaching skills.

5. Resources and materials for teaching English to adults.

· Commercially produced resources and materials for teaching English to adults.
· Non-published resources and materials for teaching English to adults.
· The selection and evaluation of resources and materials for use in teaching, and testing adult learners
of English, and for reference.
· The adaptation of resources and materials for specific groups of adult learners of English.

6. Professional development for teachers of English to adults.

· Self-assessment: understanding weaknesses and developing strengths.
· Working in context: preparing to become a teacher, colleague and employee.
· Professional development: support systems, publications and courses for teaching English to adults.

Evaluation and Grading

Assessment will be continuous and integrated, i.e. it takes place throughout the course, and each
assessed component contributes to the overall grade.

Evaluation and grading is defined by Cambridge ESOL in the following way:

The three components of assessment:

1. Assessment of Teaching Practice (TP)

· A total of six hours assessed teaching with adult learners in a class of the required size. (50%
maximum of five students, 50% minimum of ten students).
· A minimum of two levels, one of which must be pre-intermediate or lower.
· Candidates should demonstrate successful achievement of all teaching practice criteria by the end of
six hours TP.

2. Written assignments
Four written assignments of three different kinds:
1. one on language systems of English
2. one involving reflection on classroom teaching and identification of action points
3. two exploring aspects of teaching and learning through a focus on
a) adults and learning contexts
b) an analysis of teaching / learning materials

· Written assignments should not be less than a total of 3000 words. These are internally assessed and
externally moderated.

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· Any written assignment which fails to meet the specified assessment criteria may be resubmitted on
one occasion only.
· The work of candidates whose standard of written English has required resubmission on more than
one occasion will be sent to Cambridge ESOL before a Pass grade is recommended.

3. Candidates’ professional development

No specific tasks or assignments are set to focus on this area, but in designing and assessing each of the
written assignments and the supervised teaching practice, the related syllabus focus and assessment
criteria are included as appropriate.

Grades of award
The Certificate will be awarded to candidates who meet course requirements and whose performance
meets, or exceeds, the criteria in all three assessment components

Pass A
Candidates’ planning and teaching show excellent understanding of English language learning and
teaching processes.
 Candidates can plan effectively with minimal guidance. They can analyse target language thoroughly and
select highly appropriate resources and tasks for successful language and language skills development.
 Candidates can deliver effective language and skills lessons, using a variety of classroom teaching
techniques successfully.
 Candidates show very good awareness of learners and can respond so that learners benefit from the
lessons.
 Candidates can reflect on key strengths and weaknesses and can consistently use these reflections to
develop their teaching skills.

All CELTA assessment criteria are achieved and most are well achieved.
CELTA requirements for written work are met.

Pass B
Candidates’ planning and teaching show good understanding of English language learning and
teaching processes.
 Candidates can plan effectively with some guidance. They can analyse target language well and select
appropriate resources and tasks for successful language and language skills development.
 Candidates can deliver effective language and skills lessons, using a variety of classroom teaching
techniques successfully.
 Candidates show good awareness of learners and can respond so that learners benefit from the lessons.
 Candidates can reflect on key strengths and weaknesses and can generally use these reflections to
develop their teaching skills.

All CELTA assessment criteria are achieved and some are well achieved.
CELTA requirements for written work are met.

Pass
Candidates’ planning and teaching show satisfactory understanding of English language learning
and teaching processes.
 Candidates can plan effectively with guidance. They can analyse target language adequately and
generally select appropriate resources and tasks for successful language and language skills development
 Candidates can deliver satisfactory language and skills lessons, using a variety of classroom teaching
techniques with a degree of success.
 Candidates show some awareness of learners and some ability to respond so that learners benefit from
the lessons.
 Candidates can reflect on some key strengths and weaknesses and generally use these reflections to
develop their teaching skills.

All CELTA assessment criteria are achieved. Some may be less well achieved.
CELTA requirements for written work are met.

Fail

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Candidates’ planning and teaching show minimal understanding of English language learning and
teaching processes.
Candidates’ performance does not match all of the Pass descriptors.
Some CELTA assessment criteria are not achieved and/or CELTA requirements for written work are not met

External assessment of the course

It is a Cambridge ESOL requirement that each CELTA course is moderated by an external assessor. The
assessor will visit the centre near the end of the course to moderate judgements made by the tutors about
candidates’ performance on all aspects of the course and to discuss recommended final grades. During the
visit, the assessor will sample candidates’ assessment portfolios and written assignments, will observe
teaching practice and TP feedback, may observe an input session, and will be available for candidates to
give feedback or hear views on any aspect of the course.

You will receive more detailed information about the assessor’s schedule nearer the time of the visit.

General Information

Venue

The course will be held at British Council | 901, Tower 1 | One Indiabulls Centre | Elphinstone Road (West)
| Mumbai 400 013 | India
T: +91 22 6748 6819 |
The Landmark is Deepak Talkies if you are travelling by car or taxi and by train the closest station would be
Elphinstone station from the Western railway and Parel Station from Central railway. Please note that you
enter from Gate 1 only. Please also note that the venue is One India Bulls Tower 1 and not the Finance
Centre India Bulls

ID Cards
You will be issued with an ID badge on the first day of the course. You must wear this at all times while you
are on the course. For security purposes all staff must be able to easily identify you at all times.

Illness or Absence
Please phone +91 22 6748 6819 to report if you are ill or know that you are going to be late for any reason.
Cambridge requirements are that you attend the whole course and all absences must be explained
and recorded.

Library & Computer Facilities

CELTA Library
You will have access to a core CELTA library throughout the course. However, the books will be needed by
all trainees on a day-to-day basis, so these books cannot be borrowed overnight unless you ask
permission from your course tutor and sign them out.

Computers
There are laptops linked to internet and a printer installed in the resource room for you to use at any time
on the course. Access to computers can been tight with trainees sharing the main terminals. If you have
your own laptop, it will be a good idea to bring it along. However, please note that there is no requirement
to submit word processed assignments and assignments may be hand-written as long as they are clear
and legible.

Resources

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Photocopying

Please follow these guidelines for photocopying:

· A training support assistant will be responsible for all your photocopying requests. He will
collect photocopying at 10.30 am and at the end of every day at 4.30 pm. He will return copies
to you promptly on the same day or first thing the next morning if you hand them in at 4.30 pm.

Stationery
We will supply you with a folder for your study notes and an official folder for your assessment portfolio
which will be sent to Cambridge English at the end of the course for external evaluation. In addition, we will
provide board pens and stationery for your classroom teaching and study needs. Please bring anything
else you think you may need.

Assignments and Workload

The course is very intensive and demanding, requiring full commitment on your part. Firstly, there is a great
deal of material to be covered on the course and participants usually feel the pressure of assimilating this
and putting it into practice. Secondly, course participants may find it stressful to be observed regularly by
tutors and peers. However, most participants find the course challenging and stimulating. So, be prepared
to work very hard but remember to pace yourself.

Assignments
You will be asked to complete four written assignments on the following topics:

· Adult learners and learning contexts

· The language system of English
· Language skills
· Reflection on classroom teaching and the identification of action points

Each assignment is between 750 and 1000 words and the total amount of assessed written work (i.e. all
four assignments) is not fewer than 3000 words. Marking criteria are included with each assignment. All
assignments are internally assessed by tutors and externally moderated by the course assessor.
Assignments will be given a pass or fail or you may be asked to resubmit either the complete assignment
or part of the assignment. You can only resubmit each assignment once.

Outside course hours

You will be required to:
· do pre-session reading tasks
· do post-session consolidation assignments
· observe "live" lessons
· do four written assignments

Teaching Practice
You will have to:
· spend a considerable amount of time liasing with colleagues to produce cohesive and varied lessons
for your students.
· plan and prepare your teaching slots.

Organisation of Notes

You will receive many handouts and it is easy to become disorganised, so try to spend 10 minutes each
day putting them in order. Suggested headings to organise your notes:

Administration Learning and the learner

Language analysis Phonology
Presentation Teaching Practice (TP)

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 Practice Observation
Receptive Skills Vocabulary
Classroom methodology Productive skills

Candidates' Portfolios

It is your responsibility to keep a file of all assessed work on the course. When the assessor visits the
centre, she will need to see these files in order to check your progress during the course and the standard
of your written work. You should, therefore, keep them organised and tidy. To facilitate this, you will be
given a folder to keep all marked work and the following documents in.

· CELTA 5 record form (to be kept up to date)

· Marked written assignments

There are also plastic envelopes for each TP slot and each envelope should contain four documents
relating to your teaching on that TP slot:
· Teaching practice feedback sheets
· Lesson plans (clipped to feedback sheets)
· Self-evaluation sheets for each lesson taught
· copies of lesson handouts, worksheets given to learners

This folder must remain in the teaching centre at all times. An incomplete folder may affect your grade.

Teaching Practice
There will be two groups of volunteer students who have been specifically recruited for this course at two
different levels. The exact numbers of students will be confirmed on the first day of the course, but there
will be at least 12 in most lessons you teach.

Trainees will be divided into groups, each group teaching one level for half of the course, and then
switching levels for the second half. Trainees will teach lessons of 40 minutes duration at first and finally
60 minutes with three of the group teaching and the others observing. The minimum amount of teaching
required by Cambridge English is 6 hours per candidate.
The tutors will observe all candidates teaching at both levels.
As TP progresses, different aspects of teaching will be explored. At first, for example, general rapport and
classroom management is the focus. This is followed by the achievement of aims and provision of practice,
balance and variety of activities, etc. Have a look at the Focus on Feedback triangle for more detail.

After each TP, there will be an oral feedback session in which teachers, peer observers and tutors
contribute their views on the lesson. Active participation in these sessions is essential, as self-reflection
and awareness are key elements of the course. There will also be written feedback by the tutor. An hour is
allowed for feedback. It is important that all attend these sessions.

TP notes will be given ahead of time to facilitate planning and to give you time to look at books. In the early
stages of the course, TP notes are detailed and you can follow them closely. As TP progresses, you will
notice a weaning process which requires more input and planning from you and looser guidelines from us.

Please consult the TP Rota for more information about when you are teaching.

Teaching Observations

All trainees are required to observe 6 hours of "live" teaching or videoed lessons. This will be organised for
you by your main course tutor but it is your responsibility to ensure that you observe the required number
of hours. There are tasks for each observation and one part of the final assignment is based on completion
of these tasks.

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What are the Tutors' Aims?

The tutors have two main aims:

1. To give whatever input, feedback, advice, etc. you need to pass the course.
2. To facilitate your development as a teacher so that you may become the best teacher you can be.

In order to do this we will try to:

· Evaluate fairly: giving clear and honest feedback about how we perceive you are standing in relation to
the CELTA criteria
· Structure and inform: recognising your needs as exam candidates, teachers and people; interpreting
the syllabus and translating it into a course; planning appropriate tasks, activities and assignments;
selecting relevant information and presenting it clearly; giving you relevant materials
· Facilitate: encouraging you to raise your awareness about the topics and to reflect on your own work,
and take the risk of changing and moving on.
· .... endeavour to do all this in a way that allows you to enjoy the whole process. There will be
difficulties, but also, we hope, a pleasurable growth of confidence, understanding and skills.

Appointments with Tutors

There will be two sets of tutorials with the tutors during the course in which you will be able to discuss your
progress with one of the tutors. In addition, there will be supervised lesson planning sessions daily. Other
appointments can be organised informally during the course by booking an appointment time.
If you have any concerns at any time, please feel free to talk to one of the tutors.

Report and Certificates

Your course grade and course report will be sent to you within two weeks of finishing the course.
Cambridge ESOL will send the CELTA Certificates to the British Council approximately eight weeks after
the end of the course. Make sure that the British Council has your permanent address as we will forward
this to you.

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Course Tutors

Usha Venkatachalam (Main Course Tutor)

Usha has been teaching English as first language, EFL, ESL and Business English since 1981 in India,
Australia, Malaysia and South Africa. She has been involved in pre-service and in-service teacher training
since 1993 and is also a Cambridge CELTA assessor. Until July 2003, Usha worked as a CELTA trainer for
International House Sydney, Australia, and before that as a Business Skills trainer at British Council,
Malaysia. In addition, she is visiting faculty in Organizational Behaviour at the Indian School of Business,
Hyderabad and freelances as a teacher, corporate trainer and teacher trainer for British Council, Mumbai.
She has an M.Ed in TESOL from Manchester University, UK, a Diploma in Higher Education from Bombay
University and M.A. and B.A. degrees in English language and Literature from Kerala University.

Asha Sandilya (Course Tutor)

Asha has taught English as a first language, EFL and ESL in Ghana and India for over 30 years. She
freelances as a corporate trainer for Business English and Communication Skills and also works with
British Council Mumbai where she examines for many of the ESOL exams and is the Examiner Trainer for
West India. She was the Joint Course Co-ordinator, Journalism at the Xavier Institute of Communications,
Mumbai teaching writing and speaking skills to post-graduates. For five years she worked with Schoolnet
India Ltd and headed a multimedia lesson development unit. She has an MA (English Literature) a Diploma
in Higher Education, a Diploma in Journalism and a Certificate and Diploma in the Teaching of English from
CIEFL.

Havovi Kolsawalla (Assistant Course Tutor)

Havovi is now a freelance English language consultant. Previously she worked with the British Council for
17 years and has been involved with the delivery and administration of CELTA since 2005. She has varied
teaching experience as she has taught Indian and foreign students of all levels from the pre-primary
to adults and from beginner to advanced levels. She is a teacher trainer and has conducted many pre-
service and in-service teacher training courses. She is also an Examiner and Team Leader for the
Cambridge ESOL examinations in West India. She has an MA and B.Ed degrees from the University of
Mumbai, a Diploma in the teaching of English from CIEFL now EFLU, Hyderabad and an MA in ELT from
the University of Warwick, UK with a specialisation in Young Learners .

Complaints Procedure
There is a procedure for complaints by candidates if they are dissatisfied with their results at the end of the
course. More information on this can be obtained from the main course tutor.

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