how is the course organised?
All our courses include:
- 120 contact hours (real-time live sessions on ZOOM)
- minimum 80 self-paced self-study time on top of that (incl. lesson planning, writing assignments) = to every CELTA week, add ca. 10-14 hours of self-paced individual study time in preparation for TP and assignments (this is not scheduled and does not require fixed hours or logging into ZOOM)
Contact hours include:
- Team meetup - you socialise with your team
- Guided Lesson Planning (GLP) - you consult your lesson plan ideas with tutors
- Assessed Teaching Practice (TP) - you teach 8 assessed lessons at 2 different levels
- Group Feedback - you discuss the lessons of the day with your co-trainees and the tutor
- Input sessions/ Workshops - you learn how to teach your future lessons in an interactive way
- Tutorials - twice during the course you will get a written summary of your progress from the tutors. One of these, happening half-way through the course, will be a conversation with your current TP tutor to help you decide what to focus on in the second part of your ONLINE CELTA.
ALL OUR COURSES FOLLOW THE SAME PRINCIPLES:
OUR TRAINEES COME FIRST.
WE WANT OUR COURSES TO BE ENJOYABLE: WE OFFER PROGRAMMES YOU CAN DO AT YOUR OWN PACE IN A MORE RELAXED WAY WITH ENOUGH TIME TO LEARN AND CONSOLIDATE.
COURSE SCHEDULE: part-time courses
This schedule is meant to give you a general idea of what an intensive ONLINE CELTA week looks like.
The actual course schedule is far more detailed.
You get it at the start of the course so you know when your assignments are due from the get-go.
As we try to adjust the content and pace to the individual needs of our trainees, the course schedule is subject to ongoing changes. New updated timetables are issued on a weekly basis.
COURSE SCHEDULE: slow full-time courses
This schedule is meant to give you a general idea of what an ONLINE CELTA week looks like.
The actual course schedule is far more detailed.
You get it at the start of the course so you know when your assignments are due from the get-go.
As we try to adjust the content and pace to the individual needs of our trainees, the course schedule is subject to ongoing changes. New updated timetables are issued on a weekly basis.
Input Sessions or Workshops
Input sessions reflect the CELTA Syllabus and follow a timetable that is adapted to the needs of every group. They are highly practical, interactive, with demos presented by course tutors and practical problem-solving tasks. The content is linked to your assessed lessons and written assignments. This is your prep time and an opportunity to collaborate with other teachers.
Input is about one third of the course time and there will be tutors for you to resort to 100% of the course time.
Assignments
The 4 written assignments (750-1000 words each) are based on clear instructions - further explained in input sessions. They are linked to your coursework and highly practical:
- The Skills Assignment: Skills Related Tasks
- The Language Assignment: Language Related Tasks
- The Learner Assignment: Focus on the Learner
- The Self-Reflection Assignment: Lessons from the Classroom
Assignments are practical but reflect some background reading based on the carefully selected sources we provide. You will not need to look for sources and materials on your own.
Each assignment can be resubmitted once only, after you receive comments from the tutors.
You need to pass 3 out of 4 assignments and submit them all.
Teaching Practice or TP
In the CELTA course you are required to teach a total of 6 clock hours and to observe other teachers/ tutors/ trainees. At CELTA ASTURIAS, you teach eight 45-minute assessed lessons. You quickly get used to the lesson time frame and time management is easier.
You will be able to teach at two different levels: 4 lessons with a group of Pre-intermediate students (A2) and then the final 4 lessons with a group of Upper Intermediate students (B2). The students are all adults (10-12 students per group) and come from different parts of the world. The only language of communication with students is English.
For every lesson, you will get TP points (written instructions on what to include), a lesson plan template (with sample lesson plans) and a Guided Lesson Planning consultation with the tutor on ZOOM. You can get answers to all your questions before you start planning.
You submit your lesson plan and slides for assessment before each lesson.
After each lesson, you complete your self-reflection and then you take part in a discussion session called TP feedback, analysing the observed lessons of the day.
Finally, you will get a written report from the tutor which lists your strengths and action points for the next lesson.