CELTA TEACHER TRAINING

Teaching Practice

In the afternoons (full-time course) or on Monday (part-time course) the class is divided into smaller teaching practice groups usually with 5 or 6 trainees. Each group has a tutor whose job is to help with preparing lessons, observing your teaching and leading feedback sessions.

During the course, trainees teach a total of 6 hours of independent teaching. Teaching is divided up into different length lessons, and teachers teach, on average, every other day. When trainees are not teaching, they observe their peers teaching.

Our ESL students are real ESL students learning English and are in classes specially created for Teaching Practice. These are offered to the public as free English classes taught by students training for a TESOL course. Typically the classes will be of mixed nationality and multilingual. Classes vary in size but usually have no more than 12 participants. They are all adult learners, and vary in age from 18 to 60. Trainees teach classes at two different levels, including a low level. Each trainee is given a lot of help in preparing lessons, and become more independent as the course proceeds. The aim is for trainees to be independent at planning and executing lessons by the end of the course.

Feedback

Feedback on lessons takes place immediately after teaching practice. This is an opportunity for trainees to reflect on how they taught, listen to peers give their views, comment on others’ lessons and to hear the tutor's comments. The aim is to give constructive feedback honestly and supportively so that trainees learn from their experiences and are able to put this into practice when they prepare future classes. The tutor also gives detailed written feedback.