Hilal Hastaoglu » Blog Archive » *** From the pen of my colleagues :) ***

 

All this time, you all had a chance to see how I handled the CELTA. So, just in case some of you might think I’m a nerd (heheh), here are what my colleagues had to say about the course. They can’t all be nerds! hehe..

Scott KESSENICK
Nationality: American
Age: 23

Prior to enrolling in the Istanbul based ITI CELTA course I had completed a TEFL course back in the United States. Compared to the Celta, the TEFL course appeared somewhat impractical. While classroom theory was taught and the course did a reasonable job introducing technical teaching vocabulary, there was a definite lack of teaching practice. What I found most useful about the CELTA course was the evaluation of my own teaching as I was given the opportunity to practice with real students. The theoretical or abstract limitations normally imposed by an instructional classroom environment were removed and I was critiqued on the basis of my real performance as a teacher. In other words, for a total of six teaching practice hours, I became a genuine tutor working with real learners. I believe that this was invaluable to my development throughout the course and that this is an element that should not be overlooked when deciding which type of teaching certification to pursue.Moreover, with specific respect to ITI, the teachers were superb and there was never a lack of enthusiasm or support on their end. The average teacher to student ratio in my CELTA course was 2 teachers for 6 students, which in my educational experience is unprecedentedly low. So it is needless to say that the personal attention was incredible, and I think that every student in the course felt as though they were individually guided according to their needs. After finishing the Celta course I would highly recommend this certification to anyone who is remotely interested in teaching English as a foreign language. Furthermore, I would specifically recommend Istanbul’s ITI as a great company through which to obtain the certificate.
 

Gunseli AKSUT
Nationality: Australian & Turkish
Age: 32

Do you want to be a teacher? I was so miserable in my “exciting” designer job and had thought about becominga teacher for years, but was scared to make a leap. “Who am I to become a teacher? I’m just a girl from Australia with a funny accent and an interest in art history and design.” But, it turned out that there was nothing to be afraid of and that teaching can be learned if you are dedicated enough. So what’s so great about the CELTA?

1. Well first of all you learn from fantastic teachers who really know their stuff and make their lessons enjoyable. 2. You learn so much in such an interesting way that I guarantee you won’t fall asleep in class. 3. You get heaps of support, encouragement and genuine feedback so you know how you are doing. 4. You learn with a small group of students, only 6,and get to interact, learn together and support eachother. 5. You get to observe experienced teachers and see the techniques they use. This course is one of the best things I’ve ever done.I’m so glad I made that huge decision to teach. But, be prepared for some serious work. Most of the time I thought I was at uni. again with all the paperwork, assignments, lesson plans, handouts etc. At times the course gets so intense that you feel overwhelmed by all the work and at those times you have to forget about doing the housework and be prepared to live on toast and coffee because you don’t have the time to look after yourself It’s all worth it though. I recommend this course for all those who have a desire to teach. 

Ilknur CAN
Nationality: Turkish
Age: 30

I have been a student for 19 years through my 30 years of life. I had no idea about being a teacher so far until the CELTA course started. I was quite acquainted about the theories of teaching as I had had formation at university while I had been studying English Philology; however, I felt quite weird during my first Teaching Practice session and very nervous. CELTA, not only teaches you the teaching theories and techniques in a surprisingly detailed and interesting way, but also gives you the chance to stand up in the middle of an actual classroom and teach to students of various levels of English. Comparing my first TP session with my last, I already feel like an English teacher!

Alev SOGUT
Nationality: Turkish
Age: 34

I heard of CELTA long time ago and felt that I would give it a try one day, but I just could not give up my career in finance - until last September when I realised that one could be happy only by doing what he/she likes most in life. So I quit my job and enrolled in the CELTA Course. I had the opportunity to learn a great deal from great tutors and peers who were helpful and supportive throughout the course. The input sessions provided us with the basics of teaching and guided us through the vast literature on TEFL. The teaching practice sessions were a great challenge for all of us and we really had to work hard, but the result was satisfying. Through hard work and efficient feedback from tutors and peers, we managed to plan and run lessons, which is a very positive start in a teaching career. One important lesson I got from the CELTA Course is that there is no end to learning in teaching. To be a good teacher you have to be an enthusiastic learner.

Emiko Foster
Nationality: Australian & Japanese
Age: 56First it’s one of my most expensive paper! Considering how long I’ll be working from now(hope 5 years max), AU$500 a year. That’s my motivation to work during the course. Apart from my calculater mind, it was very interesting to me, all sessions were practical and hands-on. Now I’m ready to work anywhere in the globe, in the middle of the desert in China or in the middle of traffic jam in Tokyo. Also I could see update Turkey through four young Turkish women. It was really enjoyable to talk with those educated women about all sorts of things from girlie issues to Turkish society. I learnt a lot. Without this experience, I would have had a different view to

Turkey.

This entry was posted on Thursday, March 15th, 2007 at 12:25 pm and is filed under experienced, celta, colleague, colleagues, English, teacher, advice. You can leave a response to this entry.