Unpacking and explaining the CELTA syllabus and assessment criteria

1. First languages:
   Do not confuse this with nationality.
   There are something in the order of 6500 languages spoken on this planet and you need to know a little about the languages your learners speak.  You do not have to speak the language(s), although it helps considerably if you can, but you should know something about them and their major characteristics.  For more, see the guide to types of languages.
2. Cultures:
   Cultures are more closely tied to nationality and there are two major differences that you need to consider:
   1. Power relationships:
      In some cultures there are distinct and wide variations in power relationships.  Other cultures have narrower gaps.  Learners from the first sort of culture will expect teachers to be authoritative and in charge, others may expect a more equal relationship.
   2. Tolerance of risk:
      In some cultures people are averse to taking risks, especially in public, and will be reluctant to guess or say something they are not sure about.  Learners from other backgrounds will be happy to experiment and unfazed by getting things wrong in public.
      For more, see the guide to learning styles and culture.
3. Educational backgrounds:
   This is allied to cultural differences.  Adult learners will bring with them expectations of how best to learn and be taught and their views will often be based on how they were taught at school and elsewhere.
   It is foolish, and probably counter-productive to ignore or disparage their experiences.

1. understand the different motivations and expectations that adults bring to learning English
2. identify ways in which personal factors may affect language learning
3. make practical use of this knowledge and understanding to plan and teach with sensitivity
4. develop and maintain motivation, identify and respond to expectations

1. There is an essential guide to motivation on this site which explains all you need to know for CELTA.  The main thing to remember is that most people have a mixture of motivations.
   Most learners will also expect the input they receive to match their reasons for learning.  They will also expect that the way information is delivered will help them to learn.
2. A range of personal factors affects learning and most of them are covered in the guide to how learning happens.  They include, for example, age, motivation, cultural backgrounds, attitudes to English-speaking cultures and so on.
3. In your planning and teaching, you need to show that you are taking these issues into account and not teaching something because you know about it but using things that appeal to your learners.
4. This requires you to consider task and institutional motivation.  In other words are the tasks and activities engaging and obviously helpful?  Do your learners feel comfortable and positive about where they are working?
   Your enthusiasm and commitment will transmit itself to your learners.

1. demonstrate an awareness of the different learning preferences that adults bring to learning English
2. demonstrate an awareness of the different roles teachers may adopt at different stages of teaching and in different teaching/learning contexts
3. make practical use of this awareness in planning
   and teaching

1. Before the 2018 changes to the syllabus and the assessment criteria, this part referred to something called learning styles and much was made of the theory that people learn in fundamentally different ways.  Most of the theory has been comprehensibly debunked.
   Nevertheless, it remains true that all learners are different and some prefer being told things, some prefer to work things out for themselves and others like working in groups or alone etc.
2. Your role may vary in a number of ways.  You may, for example, be:
   an informant: telling people things about the language and language skills
   a manager: making sure an activity is understood and runs smoothly
   a resource: answering questions and helping people
   a monitor: keeping quiet and listening
   a counsellor: advising learners on how best to do tasks and learn what you are teaching
3. When you plan, think carefully about what you will be doing at various stages and what your role should be.  This will make sure you are in the right place at the right time and not too intrusive but available.
   To help a little, there are guides to activity types and getting and giving feedback on this site

1. understand in broad terms the context in which teaching is taking place with special reference to the learners, the physical surroundings and the availability of resources
2. understand the broad range of learning needs including the needs of learners with learning difficulties and/or disabilities
3. make practical use of this understanding in adapting teaching to contexts and learners’ needs

1. Note that this says, understand in broad terms, i.e., not in detail.  You need do three things:
   i) understand the characteristics of the learners (see above)
   ii) set up the classroom in a way that helps rather than hinders the activity you are using
   iii) use available resources as necessary, not just because they are there.
   On this site there are guides to grouping learners, arranging a classroom and using resources.
2. Adult learners in particular often come to the classroom with fairly precise ideas of what they need to learn and how they will use what they learn.  You must find out what those needs are.
   You may also find that some of your learners need special consideration because they have poor eyesight, hearing difficulties or other issues to deal with.  Make sure you give it.
3. At the planning stage, think carefully about what you are going to use in the classroom and whether some learners will have any difficulties.

1. understand the main ways that varieties of English differ from one another
2. demonstrate awareness of the need for teachers and learners to make informed choices about language models for teaching and learning
3. make practical use of this knowledge and awareness in planning and teaching

1. There is a guide on this site to varieties of English which covers what you need to know.  There are at least 12 recognised varieties of English worldwide and within all of them there are differences in dialect, accent and use.
2. Notice that this refers to teachers and learners making choices.  Learners need to be aware of what language is appropriate for them to learn and you need to be able to supply models which will help them do so.  If you have a strong regional accent, for example, ask yourself if its use in the classroom is helpful.
   If you are presenting language models, try to avoid ones which only work in a very limited range of situations (such as very colloquial or subject-specific language).
3. When you are selecting or designing materials to use in classrooms, bear in mind what is useful as a model for your learners.

1. Language form:
   This refers to the mechanics of tenses, grammar and so on and includes the language to talk about word classes, tenses, aspects, phrases and clauses.
2. Language use:
   This refers how language is used to make meaning and includes concepts such as notions, functions and communicative competence.

1. understand a range of the rules and conventions relating to words, sentences, paragraphs and texts
2. demonstrate a basic working knowledge of how the verb phrase and the noun phrase are formed and used in English, for example:
   – tense and aspect
   – voice
   – modality, including the expression of hypothetical meaning
   – finite and non-finite forms
   – the adverbial element
   – countability

1. The short basic language analysis course on this site covers these areas.  There is also a simple grammar for learners which will give you the data you need if you are beginner in this area.
2. All the example areas given by Cambridge here have guides devoted to them.  Click on the links on the left to go to those guides.

There are numerous guides linked from the initial plus index which you can follow to find out more.

1. understand basic principles of word formation and lexical meaning, for example:
   – meaning and definition
   – pronunciation
   – spelling
   – affixation and compounding
   – synonymy and hyponymy
2. understand the effect on word choice of factors such as:
   – co-text (e.g. collocation)
   – context of situation (style)

1. All the example areas given by Cambridge here have guides devoted to them in the language analysis course or elsewhere.  Click on the links on the left to go to those guides.
2. And the same applies in this area.

There are numerous guides linked from the initial plus index which you can follow to find out more.

1. demonstrate a working knowledge of the sounds of English
2. understand some features of connected speech, for example:
   – linking
   – assimilation and elision
   – word and sentence stress
   – intonation patterns

1. The initial plus pronunciation index has links to essential guides
2. The in-service pronunciation index has links to detailed guides concerning vowels, consonants and connected speech
3. There is a teach-yourself transcription course on this site to help you to learn to transcribe the sounds of English phonetically.

For all the skills

1. The difference between Receptive and Productive skills.
   The receptive skills are reading and listening.
   The productive skills are writing and speaking.
2. Top-down processing.
   When we read or listen we draw on our knowledge of the world, our understanding of the topic, our understanding of how things are usually ordered and structured and our understanding of the intentions of the writer or speaker.
   That's Top-down processing.
3. Bottom-up processing.
   When we read or listen we draw on our knowledge of the language systems, its grammar, lexis, spelling and pronunciation, to decode what we hear or read.
   That's Bottom-up processing.
4. Strategies.
   When we write or speak, we deploy certain strategies to communicate and these include structuring what we write conventionally, having ways to hold the floor when speaking, use style appropriately and so on.
   These strategies are what we are talking about when we consider the sub-skills.

There are guides to the skills that explain the concepts in more detail linked from the initial plus skills index.

For both the receptive skills

For reading

1. identify some of the difficulties learners may face when trying to understand texts
2. identify ways of making reading texts more intelligible to learners

For listening

1. identify some of the features which indicate the purpose of utterances and listening texts and which help convey meaning
2. make practical use of this knowledge and awareness in teaching

1. identify some of the difficulties learners face when listening
2. demonstrate ways of helping learners understand listening texts and improve their listening skills

For speaking

1. identify some key features of spoken English
2. identify some ways in which spoken English differs from written English
3. make practical use of this knowledge and awareness in planning and teaching

1. identify a wide range of language functions and the forms used to express them
2. apply knowledge of language functions to planning
   and teaching

For writing

1. identify some of the subskills of writing
2. identify some features of written texts

1. identify the stages of producing written text
2. make practical use of knowledge about writing subskills, features of written language and stages of producing written text in planning and teaching

1. understand some issues relating to adult literacy and use of non-Roman script
2. apply awareness of adult literacy issues to practical teaching situations

1. identify some English spelling patterns and some strategies to help learners develop their spelling skills
2. identify some ways in which punctuation contributes to meaning in written text
3. apply a basic understanding of English spelling and punctuation to practical teaching

For teaching

1. understand the purpose and principles of planning for effective teaching of adult learners
2. distinguish between different kinds of teaching and different kinds of lessons, and select the kinds of lessons that are most appropriate for particular learners

1. plan logically sequenced lessons that are appropriate to the needs of the learners
2. devise lesson plans which include:
   • a statement of aims
   • a class profile
   • anticipation of difficulties and suggested solutions
   • description of teacher and learner interactions
   • details of resources to be used
   • staged description of procedures including anticipated timings
3. relate, where appropriate, the learners’ language needs to learning in other areas, showing awareness of the broader educational context in which the teaching/ learning of English is situated

1. evaluate their own lesson preparation before and after teaching through reflection and by taking note of comments from tutors, colleagues and learners
2. take account of this evaluation in planning future lessons

1. The plan
   1. Did you allow enough / too much time for everything?
   2. Was the level of challenge about right?
   3. Did you change or adapt your plan?  Why?
2. Teaching
   1. Was the lesson coherent and did it show clear development?
   2. Was there an adequate variety of interactions and activity types to keep the learners engaged?
   3. What could the learners do by the end of the lesson that they couldn't have done at the beginning?
   4. Did the materials engage and motivate?
3. The future
   What changes will you make to your teaching behaviour?

1. select and evaluate materials and resources (including use of technology and digital tools etc.)
2. understand the need for and begin to put into practice, with due regard for the provisions of copyright, the adaptation of resources and materials to meet the requirements of specific groups of adult learners

1. arrange the physical features of the classroom to suit the learners and the type of lesson, and ensure safety regulations are taken into account
2. set up and manage whole class work, pair and group work and individual work as appropriate

1. Time spent setting up a classroom in a way that allows the learners to interact as you want them to easily and helps activities flow smoothly is never time wasted.
   For more help in how a classroom should be arranged, see the guide to classroom organisation.
2. By the same token, grouping learners in a way that allows them to co-operate, work alone, confront each other, mingle and find others and so on is vital to the success of any activity. You cannot, for example work as a team of four if you are sitting in a row.
   The guide to grouping learners will help you meet this criterion in your teaching.

1. use their own English language skills and L1 where appropriate to enhance the effectiveness of their teaching
2. adjust their own use of language to the level of the class
3. give clear instructions
4. choose appropriate moments, and appropriate strategies for correcting learners’ language

1. make appropriate use of a range of materials and resources, including digital, in relation to specified aims
2. understand the implications of teaching with limited resources

1. work successfully with learners at different levels, using appropriate types of classroom activity to develop learners’ language and skills
2. involve learners of different ability levels in the work of the class and enable them to feel a sense of progress

1. monitor learner behaviours in class time and respond appropriately
2. incorporate into their lessons some basic assessment procedures
3. make planning decisions on the basis of assessment

1. make balanced and constructive self-appraisal of their own teaching
2. respond appropriately to feedback from tutors, peers and learners
3. assess their own strengths and development needs, make practical use of that assessment and set goals and targets for future development
4. make constructive appraisals of the lessons of their colleagues

1. demonstrate professional responsibility by following any institutional code(s) of practice and
   implementing institutional requirements including:
   • health and safety procedures
   • equal opportunities policies
   • record keeping and time-keeping requirements
2. understand the limits of their responsibility with regard to the welfare, health, safety and supervision of learners and know when to assume responsibility themselves or refer responsibility, ensuring that it has been assumed by someone else

• appropriate professional associations
• magazines
• digital resources
• journals and publications for teachers entering the field of teaching English language to adults