CELTA Pre-course Task

5/29/2012 2:49:00 PM

Task 1 1. In what context will you be doing the CELTA course? I believe I will be doing the CELTA course in a multilingual environment. 2. Do you know what context you will be teaching in after you finish the course? No, but I hope to be teaching in a monolingual environment, however I am unsure as to what the first language of the participants will be. Task 2 1.Think about why you decided to teach adults. I decided to teach adults because predominantly adults would have decided to enroll in an English language course of their own accord. By teaching a class of monolingual adults it cuts down the obstacles to addressing course material. With adults, while the ages may vary dramatically, attention spans, and commitment to the course material will likely be much higher than that of children. While literature suggests that children are better suited to adopting new languages, an adults commitment to the process may out weigh the benefits of an adolescents mental development. 2.Think about what you, as an adult bring to this learning situation. As an adult native English speaker I bring a body of knowledge of the nuances of the English language that a younger person, or nonnative speaker may not possess. Also as someone who has grappled with learning a second language as an adult I understand the frustrations and difficulties associated with having mastered one language, yet being unable to effectively communicate in a second language. Adults and children employ language in dramatically different settings and as an adult I can help tailor the lesson plan to better reflect the concerns of an older audience, straying away from the more rudimentary content geared towards a younger audience. 3.Look at your answers to questions 1 and 2 and use these ideas to help you to write down what characterizes adult learners. Patient Committed to the course content Having already mastered one language

Task 3 1. What would you want to find out about a group of learners that you had to teach so that you could plan your lessons? I would want to know what other languages they spoke, and to what levels of competency. I would also enquire as to what they hope to do with the English language upon their completion of the course, as well as their motivations for enrolling in the course. 2. How would you find out? By including questions in the pre course assessment that addressed previous languages and motivations. Task 4. 1. If you were teaching a group of learners, each of whom had different motivations for learning English, which learners would be the most challenging in terms of motivation? Understanding and discerning motivation among a group of learners will undoubtedly be incredibly challenging. The most difficult to navigate will be those who have not chosen to enroll in an English language course of their own accord. Learners who consciously chose to enter an English course for self or professional development will be much easier to address, as opposed to those who enroll due to pressure from family or other external factors and as a result are uncomfortable from the outset of the course. Task 5 Look at the list of qualities and skills that a teacher might have. Which do you think learners often rate in the top five? (From the list given) Builds rapport Is approachable Inspires confidence Is methodical and well-organized Is enthusiastic and inspires enthusiasm Task 6

Cognizant of the complex and nuanced nature of languages More interested in pragmatic application of English Cognizant of and prepared for the amount of effort learning a language would present. More calm, collected and respectful than younger learners

Make a list of associations you have with the word grammar. (They may not all be negative!) Semantics Diction Nuances Articulation Pronunciation Similarities in spelling, with massive differences in meaning (theyre, there, their) Similes Alliteration Puncuation Double entendres Sentence structure Grammatical rules (such as i before e, except after c) Nouns which are also used as verbs Task 7 Look at the following sentences and decide which are correct. Write a correct version of the examples that are incorrect. 1. Weve been looking for you for ages. 2. I went to the movies last night. (corrected) 3. He often comes late. (corrected) 4. They were waiting by the fountain. 5. Can I have a black coffee, please? (corrected) 6. People with 12 items or less can queue here. Task 8 Provide a list of reasons why English language teachers need to know about grammar. In doing so, try to give some thought to the learners perspective. To be better aware of the nuances and more subtle laws of English grammar. To instill a sense of confidence in the leader that their language teacher is capable of addressing concerns surrounding a myriad of aspects of the English language To be accountable and available to address concerns surrounding course material to the students.

To explain and explore the differences between explicit and implicit language, building upon text and in class assignments to encourage and enable a more robust comprehension of colloquialisms.

Task 9 Identify the underlined words in the following dialogue. Use a grammar reference book or a dictionary to help you if this is necessary. A: What are you (1) looking at? B: Well, its a (2) photograph of something very close up, but(3) I cant work out what it is. A: Yes its quite(4) abstract(5), isnt it? B: Yes. It could(6) be one of those(7) things for (8) unblocking a sink A: Oh, you mean (9) a plunger(10). 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. Subject (pronoun) Determiner Conjunction Adverb Adjective Verb

7. Pronoun 8. Preposition 9. Verb 10.Plunger

5/29/2012 2:49:00 PM

5/29/2012 2:49:00 PM