I'm a big fan of the Cambridge CELTA (Certificate in English Language Teaching to Adults), which is a TEFL (Teaching English as a Foreign Language) course designed for new teachers who want to work with adults. The course provides training that's well-suited to experienced professionals, recent graduates and those looking for career change. In this post, I'll take you through three ways to do great at your Cambridge CELTA: preparing for the course; managing your anxiety; and making the most of your practice teaching experience. If you're interested in becoming an English teacher but don't know where to start, read on!
Prepare for the course.
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Prepare for the course.
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Practice teaching experience is a big plus in your favor, so if you have any, take advantage of it! If not, try to get some. It's also important that you read through all of the course materials before starting at least once and make sure that you understand them as well as possible so that when things come up during class or during feedback sessions with your tutors (teachers), they don't catch you off guard or make things more difficult than they need to be.
Be aware of your own strengths and weaknesses--this will help guide how much effort goes into each part of preparation before classes start: reading material-wise; lesson plan-wise; etcetera... You should also have an idea about how much time each aspect takes up so that when it comes down to crunching numbers later on during exam week/s (when there isn't much time left), everything falls into place properly without having any surprises along the way!
Manage your anxiety
The CELTA course in Australia is demanding and stressful, so it's important to manage your anxiety.
The first step in managing your anxiety is being aware of how it affects you. If you feel like your heart is racing, or if you can't sleep at night because all that's going through your head are images of failing the exam and having to go back home with nothing but a certificate that says "I tried", then these are signs that your stress levels have gotten too high for comfort.
You need to find ways of reducing this level of stress before it becomes overwhelming - perhaps by talking through issues with friends and family members who understand what the CELTA means for them personally; maybe by taking some time off work so as not to worry about deadlines while studying full-time; or even just by reading up on relaxation techniques such as breathing exercises (which will help calm down any racing thoughts).
Make the most of your practice teaching experience
Practice teaching is the most valuable part of CELTA. You can use your practice teaching experience to help you get a job, and the knowledge and skills you gain will stay with you forever.
Practice teaching is also the most challenging aspect of CELTA because it's real-world work that isn't always easy or pleasant. In order for this part of your course to be successful, here are some tips:
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Don't expect perfection - You may make some mistakes or find it difficult at first, but don't give up! Just keep trying until everything clicks into place for both yourself and your students; this will take time but eventually become second nature (and hopefully even enjoyable).
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Be prepared - Make sure everything is ready before class starts so there aren't any delays when things get underway later on down the line; also remember where things are kept so nothing gets lost along the way either."
Cambridge CELTA can be a challenging but rewarding course if you're prepared, manage your anxiety and make the most of every opportunity!
To do well on the course, you need to be prepared, manage your anxiety and make the most of every opportunity. It's not easy but if you work hard, there is no reason why you can't do it!
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Prepare well:
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Read previous tutor reports from past students so that you know what kind of feedback they received from their tutors (this will help with writing task 1).
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Manage your anxiety:
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Don't worry about making mistakes - everyone makes them! If a tutor points out something wrong with your work or asks for clarification on something they didn't understand, don't panic; just stay calm and explain what happened in detail so they can understand where exactly things went wrong or unclearly explained in the first place (don't forget to include examples). In fact, sometimes these kinds of questions are designed specifically for this purpose - so don't be afraid if one arises during an evaluation session because it could actually help improve both parties' understanding!
Conclusion
The Cambridge CELTA is one of the best TEFL courses in the world, but it can be challenging. If you're prepared, manage your anxiety and make the most of every opportunity then you'll do great!
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