Category Archives: CELTA

The CELTA failure rate

Posted on 07/11/2010 by alexcase

The number of people who fail the CELTA is approximately 3%, with another few percent of people who choose to drop out. I happen to believe that standards should be set a lot higher – does anyone think that only … Continue reading →

Posted in Cambridge ESOL, CELTA | 27 Comments

Dumbing Down in EFL?

Posted on 15/09/2010 by alexcase

A few bits of ELT history that I wasn’t aware of until reading an article  on DevelopingTeachers.com The Trinity Diploma (then the Trinity College Licentiate Diploma) came first, with the Cert level certificate coming later. Similarly, the original RSA Cert was not … Continue reading →

Posted in Cambridge ESOL, CELTA, developingteachers.com, Diploma in TESOL, Trinity, Trinity CertTESOL | 1 Comment

Beyond standardisation

Posted on 28/06/2010 by alexcase

Putting more thought into the last post, I think we can be fairly confident that people who take different versions of the CELTA and get, for example, a B will have produced the same standard of lessons and essays during … Continue reading →

Posted in Cambridge ESOL, Online CELTA, Online TEFL certificate, Teacher training, TEFL certificate, TEFL qualifications | 1 Comment

The CELTA Ten Commandments

Posted on 12/06/2010 by alexcase

Say what you like about the Ten Commandments (unrealistic, need a scary fake God to make people pay attention, etc), I think we all must admit that we’d improve our lives and the world by keeping it in mind not to lust … Continue reading →

Posted in CELTA, Eliciting, Pairwork and groupwork, TEFL, TEFL certificate, Using a whiteboard | Tagged | 16 Comments

CELTA graduates to go through 24 teaching hour ordeal

Posted on 04/06/2010 by alexcase

Taking inspiration from the Mars500 simulated Mars mission, Cambridge ESOL has finally found a solution to the disconnect between the 6 hours of teaching in 4 weeks of the CELTA and real working life. All CELTA graduates will be locked … Continue reading →

Posted in CELTA | Tagged | 9 Comments

Development, blogs, books and Japan- An interview with Darren Elliott of Lives of Teachers blog

Posted on 09/01/2010 by alexcase

We all seem to be seeing your name around a lot recently. A masterplan to become the next Thornbury/ trying to keep yourself busy while your wife watches Japanese television/ sleep disorder/ other? I think it takes more than a … Continue reading →

Posted in Cambridge Delta, CELTA, Critical Mass ELT, Eikaiwa, Experience of Language Teaching, first TEFL job, MA TESOL, Teacher training, Teaching English in Japan, TEFL, TEFL blogs, TEFL conferences, TEFL heroes- Rose M Senior, TEFL heroes- Scott Thornbury, TEFL qualifications, TEFL reviews, TEFL villains- Jennifer Jenkins, TEFL workshops | Tagged | 8 Comments

Your DoS’s RMCITE (aka Nick’s Scale of Awesomeness)

Posted on 05/01/2010 by alexcase

A guest piece by Nick Jaworski of Turklish TEFL blog “Do you ever wonder why your Director of Studies likes others and not you? Do you ever get the feeling you’re being measured against some unknown scale? Well, this is … Continue reading →

Posted in CELTA, CPD, ELT management, links, personal learning network, TEFL blogs, TEFL interview questions, TEFL workshops, Twitter | Tagged , | 12 Comments

On the CELTA, Japan, and very small learners

Posted on 22/11/2009 by alexcase

An interview with Charlie Richards of Learning Tree English, a private language school for 16 and unders (sometimes far unders!) in Osaka. “I first came across your school through your excellent examples of young learner lessons on YouTube. Typical lessons … Continue reading →

Posted in CELTA, Cultural differences/ cultural training, Discipline in the classroom, EFL CD ROMs, English through craftwork, Lesson planning, Phonics, pre-school/ kindergarten/ very young learners, Teaching English in Japan, Teaching Japanese primary school children, Teaching young learners, Technology, TEFL career planning, TEFL games, textbooks, Using songs with kids, Using storybooks | Tagged | 2 Comments

Some new ideas about CPD in ELT

Posted on 22/07/2009 by alexcase

From July’s MET, and now here on my “CPD portfolio”* The aptly named article “CPD” by Keith Harding has some interesting ideas I hadn’t come across like a Self-SWOT Analysis and a snap-shot observation, but the really weighty matters are … Continue reading →

Posted in Cambridge Delta, Cambridge ESOL, CELTA, CPD, Diploma in TESOL, ELT publishing, Lesson observations, modern english teacher magazine, Peer observations, Teacher training, Teaching English Abroad, TEFL, TEFL career planning, TEFL qualifications, TEFL working conditions, TEFL workshops | 5 Comments

The other side of Oxford Street

Posted on 16/06/2009 by alexcase

A guest piece by “Holden Coalfield” “‘No thanks’, I said to the leafleter who offered me and everyone else a flyer for an English school as I walked out of Oxford Circus tube into this crowded and surprisingly tacky centre … Continue reading →

Posted in Alternative teaching techniques, Cambridge Delta, CELTA, Dodgy TEFL school owners, ELT management, finding good TEFL jobs, first TEFL job, Job security, Learner motivation, Oxford Street schools, Teacher training, TEFL, TEFL career planning, TEFL certificate, TEFL in the UK, TEFL qualifications, TEFL scams, TEFL working conditions | Tagged | 6 Comments