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What was your professional or academic background before starting the course?
Prior to starting the CELTA course, I had spent three years as an English language teaching assistant in Japan. After returning back home to the UK, I enrolled on the MA TESOL program at Birkbeck University – a degree course that I was pursuing at the same time as the CELTA teaching course at UCL.
How did you hear about the CELTA, and why did you choose it over other teaching qualifications?
During my time as an MA TESOL student in London, whilst I was able to greatly increase my knowledge in regards to the various academic studies and theories that are associated with English language teaching, I was unable to obtain the required classroom teaching practice hours that I needed in order to successfully secure an English language teaching job. After having spoken to one of my professors at my university, I was advised to undertake the CELTA teaching certificate at UCL, as it would enhance my CV, whilst simultaneously allowing me to put into practice the various methods and theories that I had spent the last year studying about.
What aspects of the course did you enjoy the most?
I really enjoyed that the course allowed us to spend six hours observing professional English language teachers conduct their own classes. Through these various observations, I was able to ‘steal’ certain activities and tasks that I thought were quite useful and tailor them to suit the students in my own teaching practice classes instead. These observations also enabled me to get a better idea of how a typical class should be structured in terms of classroom layout, error correction and whole class feedback.
What skills did you develop through the teaching practice component?
The main skill that I was able to develop through the teaching practice component in particular was my ability to give clear and concise instructions to my students – which ultimately allowed them to complete given tasks efficiently and effectively.
What were some key teaching methodologies or techniques you learned that you didn't know before?
Prior to joining this particular course, I was unaware of how to correctly use the ‘Phonemic Alphabet Chart’ – and quite frankly I didn’t want to learn about it either, as it looked quite scary. However, throughout the duration of the course our tutors gradually introduced us to it, to the point where we became able to effectively use it for teaching pronunciation and correcting errors.
How did the feedback process help you improve as a teacher?
We would spend the final hour of each day getting feedback from our tutors and fellow classmates about each of our individual teaching practice sessions. I think that this process was extremely helpful as it allowed me to get honest feedback from individuals who were in the same position as myself. I was also able to effectively utilise any given feedback to improve my future teaching practice sessions, which increased my confidence as a teacher and improved my overall lessons as a whole.
What kind of teaching role did you pursue after completing the course, if any?
Since completing the CELTA course at UCL, I have mainly worked with EAL students at a primary school in London. By utilising the various techniques and methods that I had learnt on the CELTA course, I have been able to create a set of tailored classroom activities for my current pupils to use, in order to allow them to successfully increase both their written and spoken English language abilities within the academic environment.
Would you recommend the CELTA to others, and if so, why?
The CELTA course at UCL is an invaluable experience to all of those wishing to pursue a career in the field of English language teaching. It is a highly regarded and widely recognised language teaching qualification, which means that you can build a successful career for yourself abroad as well as at home if you so choose to. In addition to this, the global reputation of UCL should not be underestimated, as pursuing the CELTA qualification at this institution in particular will definitely give you a leg up in the industry as a whole.
What advice would you give to future CELTA students?
The month-long CELTA course was definitely a very intense experience – which at times felt like it would never end. But it definitely made me into a better teacher, so I have absolutely no regrets! I am also grateful that I was able to learn so much from both my tutors and classmates on this specific course – people who I plan to keep in contact with for the rest of my life!