7th CELTA Day

Hi dudes, what's up?

Last week, I went to attend my first observation of a CELTA certificated teacher class. I decided to watch one of our tutor's class. His name's Bjarne. It was amazingly clarifying to me how important CCQs are when explaining things to students. CCQs stand for Concept Check Questions. It's a very effective way of checking students' real understanding of vocabulary, grammar or meaning. In the traditional academic teaching method teachers used to spend hours trying to explain something which when asked, 'got it' students would nod and smile but remain 'clueless'. And, when they had to put what they just learned into practice, they proved thirty seconds later by some simple mistake that they totally haven't learned at all.
Therefore, CCQs are now a relevant part of our class preparation. Let's take an example. Bjarne was teaching vocabulary which was a lead-in task for a further listening task. He asked students to find two similar words in a text. Students came up with the words 'overloaded' and 'overwhelmed'. OK, so far so good, these two words
ave similar meanings, alright. But then he asked them: are the words completely similar? Yes, (but with a different aspect). Can you be overloaded with work? Yes. Can you be overwhelmed with work? Yes. But then again, can you be overloaded with emotions? No. Can you be overwhelmed with emotions? Yes. So, that's one of the peculiarities the words that are similar in meaning but can be used in different contexts. In a traditional methodology teachers would simply explain their meanings and students would never know how or when to use them.
But, with CCQs, teachers 'never' give the meaning, but rather make them think about it or come up with it. Furthermore, I could see how asking 'Do you understand?' can be one of the least useful questions you can ever ask in an English language classroom. Why? Because if students do understand the question 'Do you understand?' they will probably just say 'Yes' anyway, just to keep you happy. And they all nod and smile, but remain 'clueless'. Now, with CCQs teachers can make sure they are really learning and the classes run as smoothly as teachers would dream to be. It's a brilliant insight someone once had to invent them!

Cheerio,

Flávia Chiacchia

My first CELTA course class

Last Friday I had my first CELTA course class. It was awesome. The
teachers that are attending the course are so good and nice to work
with. The tutors are also nice and very experienced in teaching
techniques and methods. They were nice and tried to give us an
overview of what the course will be like for the next four months and
all the work we will have to do. We must be aware of everything
involving teaching and our classes will be monitored by the tutors,
concerning posture, voice, body language, tools, materials, techniques
and timing. They will also analyze our team work efficiency our
willingness to help one another in order to be able to deliver a great
class. I know it won't be easy, but I'm looking forward to my second
CELTA course day.

Flávia Chiacchia

My expectations on taking the CELTA course By Maria Lúcia

My name is Maria Lucia and I am a teacher at Wall Street Institute.
I have gathered some experience as an English teacher for the past fifteen years and I expect this
program to provide me with a deeper knowledge of the English language and teaching skills, also
a solid background for further development in my career.

I am convinced that Celta qualification will be highly important in my future teaching practice and I am
positive I'll be a successful learner.

Furthermore, the attractive prospect for employment opportunities abroad, getting to know new cultures, the practical and social aspects of living and working in a different country is very interesting.

I look forward to starting my Celta course.

Maria Lucia Andrade
Teacher at Wall Street Institute

My expectations on taking the CELTA course By Bonie Santos

I am very glad to have the opportunity to take a CELTA certification. This year was my first as a teacher and for this reason I hope to share experiences, solve doubts and especially learn a lot not only from the course itself, but also from all the experienced teachers I will meet there.

Being a CELTA-certified teacher means having proved skills on teaching reading, writing, listening and pronunciation techniques, as well as ideas for correction and warm-ups, and the most adequate way to give feedback to students. By taking the course, I hope to enhance my knowledge about those topics, practicing skills and studying about the learning process and theories. This way, I will be more able to help students acquire knowledge and deal better with the language.

I believe that the course will help me develop my teaching skills and also make me understand better the job I do, rethink attitudes and apply in everyday life what I learn during the next months. For me, what makes it worth being a teacher is the reward of seeing students improving, and that's why I want to take advantage of this opportunity.

Bonie Santos – Teacher at Wall Street Institute – Chácara Sto. Antonio