Hilal Hastaoglu » istanbul

First of all I’d like to introduce myself. My name is Emek Dedeoğlu and I’m currently working at a private school teaching kids between the ages of 7-14. I’ve heard CELTA from a friend who is working at a university. After a quick research I decided to take it in order to improve my teaching skills and apply more of the methodology I know to my practical teaching as well as getting a better job. After one week I realized that I was not aware of the content of the program I had decided to attend. It was ‘much more’ than what I had expected in many aspects. CELTA did not only help me with practical studies but also provided me with embodying my knowledge about teaching.
To me; the most challenging part of the experience was it being full time and the deadlines coming one after the other as it was an intense course. I would also admit that being observed is not something you completely feel fine with.

Most of the other teaching training courses involved in-house training or a longer term experience. Although I had been teaching for 6 years before CELTA, I thought it is better to start from the basics. I would definitely recommend the course to people who are thinking about doing the course if they really want to raise their awareness on teaching and improve their skills. I would still say that do not push yourself hard on conforming with the ‘criteria’ that you will hear of during the experience because there can be no such criteria as the tutors have different approaches and understandings; being careful about your deadlines and doing the best you can do will bring you the ultimate result but in the long run I would say it is worth taking the course. 

My teaching before and after CELTA is totally different, I never hesitate or question the time spent in my classrooms as I know what I’m doing well now, it also improved the idea of how planning a lesson works. Awareness and setting up the most effective activities in order to reach the aim of the lesson has helped me a lot. 

 Turkish students’ biggest problem (actually it is a problem for all non-native speakers of English) is that they tend to speak Turkish in the classroom; for YL it is easier to cope with; giving them awards when they speak English motivates them, for adults it is a good idea to give clear instructions and the task language clearly.
Teaching English in Turkey makes you satisfied as there are too many people who want to learn the language and they are eager no matter what their age is but honestly you do not get paid as much as you should have as an English teacher. 

To sum up; I wish luck to everybody who wants to take CELTA and build up a career in teaching. I hope you can find what you look for in life…

 Here is an interview Katie (from TEFL Logue) had with me

Interview With Hilal, Recent CELTA Graduate In Istanbul

Part 1

Part 2

It was a long long long long day. We had 2 of my colleagues doing their TP’s. Once they were done, we had a “professional development & careers advice” lesson (very very very useful). Then we all checked our folios’ to see if we had anything missing. When we were done with everything, we all went out to Taksim in Istanbul and had dinner together. Our tutors had fish & chips (I guess it’s a British thing hehe). I had the most delicious hot dog in the world. It may have tasted as so, because I received my CELTA certificate with a PASS before I ordered anything!!

Can you believe it? Hilal and a PASS on the same piece of paper!!! Woooohooooo!

Final 5 words about the CELTA:
Constructive * Effective * Leading * Terrific * Amazing

So, you had the opinion of my colleagues. Perhaps, you’re not yet convinced. To convince you
that the course was worth it (as I claim in my entries), our tutors were kind enough to give
you all some info. & advice about the course.

Amanda GAMBLE
CELTA tutor
International Training Institute, Istanbul

Why is the CELTA a course worth taking?

Anyone who has looked into the TEFL world will see there are hundreds of different courses to take so how can someone who is new to this field decide which course is the best? Different courses offer different things: some can be done online, some won’t break the bank, some are short….. So what should you look for?

A course….
* with hands on experience - one where you actually get into the classroom and really practise how to teach
* that gives an internationally recognised certificate on completion
* that gives you the opportunity to see experienced teachers in action
* that gives a balance of practical ideas as well as some of the theory behind teaching
* during which you get constant support from your tutors
* which you can give and receive feedback on a day to day basis and gets you to reflect
* which gets you to think about specific areas of teaching through written assignments
* which by the end of it you feel that you can actually go into a classroom and teach something

Which course provides all this and more? The Cambridge CELTA…..but there are three important questions you need to ask yourself before applying for this course.

1. Can I work as part of a team? This is important because you plan lessons with your colleagues, give them feedback, work together on projects etc. Team work is not only necessary during the course but in your life as a teacher.

2. Am I organised? There is a lot of paperwork on the course. If you don’t keep up to date with it all, the course will be difficult. Teaching also includes some paperwork - it’s not all just about being in the classroom.

3. Am I open to criticism? You receive constant feedback from your colleagues and tutors. It is important that you can take this feedback on board in a mature way and respond to it in order to develop and progress. After qualifiying, getting regular feedback on your teaching is a great way to develop yourself.

If you can answer YES to these three questions, then apply for the CELTA. As well as learning a myriad of things about teaching, you get to make some great friends and have lots of fun along the way.

Sharon LEACH
CELTA Trainee
International Training Institute, Istanbul

I think the CELTA is a great start for those interested in teaching English as a foreign language. With its hands-on approach and emphasis on self-evaluation and reflection, it is challenging, empowering, stimulating and interactive. It’s all about self-discovery and entering the endless, but wonderful cycle of learning and teaching. Doing the CELTA helps give you more confidence to go into a classroom . You’ll develop a greater awareness of the needs of the students and an understanding of the rationale behind classroom activities. You’ll also make some great new friends!

Liz AYKANAT
CELTA Tutor-in-training
International Training Institute, Istanbul

I trained to be an English language teacher 14 years ago, and very quickly after the first couple of teaching practice sessions, I realised I loved it. It was a career change for me, and totally the right one. 14 years on and I still love it & I get a buzz out of seeing other people get the same enjoyment.CELTA is not for the faint-hearted. Whether you are on a full-time or a part-time course, it is intensive. You have deadlines to meet, research and assignments to do and input sessions to attend (& you really can’t afford to miss any). Perhaps the most demanding part is the teaching practice. In these sessions, you are in front of real students who are actually learning English and can put you on the spot by asking you difficult language questions - or by just not understanding what you have asked them to do. Added to this you are being observed by your tutors and peers - all of whom are frantically scribbling notes in order to give you feedback. However, there is nothing better than realising that students are actually using the language that you’ve just presented to them, or when the student thanks you for clarifying something they didn’t understand or for an enjoyable lesson. And when you take a risk and try out a new technique and it works - like magic - then you realise just what you are getting from the course. This is what makes CELTA real and rewarding.

Observing this CELTA course as a tutor-in-training made me realise that when I did my own course, it wasn’t just luck that I had a great group of supportive tutors. As I experienced myself, tutors are trained to ensure that you get the best out of the course. Every input session is presented so that it includes practical teaching techniques and methodologies that are used in the language classroom. If you watch the trainers (as well as listening to them), you will see and experience the real language classroom - even if the topic is something different like “administrative matters”.

In addition to this, the feedback is constructive and motivating. Even if something didn’t go as you’d hoped, you are not “criticised” but encouraged to think through the problem and given practical advice to help you overcome it next time.

Labels: amanda gamble, celta, celta tutors, istanbul, istanbul training institute, ITI, liz aykanat, professionals, sharon leach, tutors

Picture By © Corbis Photos


I travel between Asia and Europe, just so that I can get the CELTA certificate!

Picture By © Balsoy.com

Istanbul is the only city in the world reaching across two continents. Atleast 10 million people travel between Asia and Europe everyday. Usually 2 or 3 people travel between Asia and Europe, every other course, for the CELTA certificate! I am one of them.

When I was 5, we had Chinese neighbours. I would sneak out of our house and visit them daily! Whenever I was missing, my mom knew exactly where I was. However, just a few months ago I was teaching English to 2 boys and they had a private Chinese teacher. She didn’t know a word of English and I didn’t know a word of Chinese. I was starting to think that we will have a huge communication problem. Yet, as she spoke, I understood what she was saying! Ahhhh &^%$ was my first reaction!

I felt like Doctor Dolittle, a physician who rediscovers a very special gift he has suppressed ever since he was a young boy - the ability to understand and talk to animals (Dr. Dolittle - Directed by Betty Thomas).

Conclusion: The human mind is like a memory bank which stores almost everything! I guess my experience proves some theories of language learning/teaching wrong. Language is not always about loads of practice; instead it is about forming the right base to give opportunity for improvement.

P.S. I understand Chinese!

Making errors are part of learning!

Let’s face it; hardly anybody likes others finding their errors/mistakes! However, there are several ways to treat errors/mistakes without having anyone hate you for it!Error: Lack of knowledge – Don’t know the correct version yet - Fossilised

Mistake: Slip of the tongue (ooops!)

A - English as a first language: We know how to correct our mistakes/errors and we can recognize our mistakes for what they are.

B - English as a second language: Not only do they not always recognize their mistakes, but when their attention is drawn to them they often cannot correct them; they may even commit another error in trying to do so. (Reference: S P Corder: Introducing Applied Linguistics pp.256/7)

TREATMENT:

* Concept Questions * Face expressions * Gestures * Re-formulation * Peer correction * Using the white board * Repeat sentence with a blank (beep) for them to fill in with correction etc.

The other day, during our error correction class, our tutor read intonation as in-te-nation. She was asking us whether any of us say it in another way. I told her that I say in-tow-nation! Canadians say it different!

Conclusion: It may not always be an error/mistake; it may be a pronunciation difference.

When teaching pronunciation, we need to be very patient. We should remember that different languages use different methods of speaking. Some use the throat, some use the tongue etc.For example: “th” is difficult to pronounce (that, this, them, both, although etc.) Here is a perfect example from the movie “The Pink Panther” directed by Shawn Levy.

Enjoy….

If you want to improve your (MAGIC WORD) - - - - - - - - - -, you can play this really fun game called Puzzle Word by BigFizz.com

Here is a game for you to find what the MAGIC WORD is:Instructions:

Look at the list below; try to find the word for each number.1. …….. = animal doctor
2. …….. = we have it for breakfast (made out of eggs)
3. …….. = meow meow meoow
4. …….. = the 4th month of the year
5. …….. = monkeys love this fruit
6. …….. = the opposite of beautiful
7. …….. = a place where books are kept
8. …….. = the 8th month of the year
9. …….. = we can see it after rainy days, it has 7 colours
10. …….. = the opposite of old

I guess this is what lazy people invented!

These are some that I knew:

asap = As soon as possible
HW = Home Work
LA = Los Angeles (hehehe)
CELTA = Certificate in English Language Teaching to Adults

Can you think of any other?

My first day of Teaching was like AAaaaaaAaaAaAaaaaah!!$^3% *&^%9$£5%^;7;* (*&2^%$£$%*(*&^%$£$%^&*&^%

I think that explains it all.

If you got anything to say, go ahead!

I entered class and realised that I am 2 minutes late. “Geeeeee Hilal, what a great first impression you gave on your first day of your teacher training course!!” I thought to myself. Scanning the room I was trying to figure out who’s the teacher and who’s the teacher wanna be’s. Finally, I hear the magical words that got me to stop bombarding myself with sarcasms and curiosity which were; “Okaaaaay, since we are all here we may begin!”. So what was the first impression you gave or might have given to your tutors in your first training course?? I hope it was better than mine hehehe!