CELTA PRECOURSE-TASK

Jiten Bhagat

CELTA PRE-COURSE-TASK
JITEN BHAGAT

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Task-1

1. The context, that I will be doing the CELTA course, is as a totally inexperienced person, who
wants to get into the field of teaching English. I believe I will be doing the CELTA course in a
multilingual environment in an open mixed gender group with students of varied abilities. It
will be an all day, once a week course. I presume the participants will be from different
countries and different backgrounds, some with teaching experience and some, like me,
new to teaching and wanting to get into this field. I can also assume that the majority of
teachers will come from an English speaking background though there could be teachers
from non-English-speaking backgrounds as well. The participants will almost certainly have
a wide variety of reasons for wanting to do the course. It probably will be a group with mixed
abilities, as there could be different levels of education and experience within the group.

2. I still really don't know what context I will be teaching after I finish my course. I am doing
the course because a formal qualification in teaching English to students of other languages
is required to work in an institute, school or even to give private lessons. Teaching adults or
children presents its own set of different challenges.
In Greece, if I decide to teach privately, the context would generally involve monolingual,
mixed gender, classes in small groups. It is quite possible there could be one-to-one
lessons as well.
As I have opted for the part time CELTA course; which runs for about five months, I hope
this will give me the time needed to zero in on how and to what kind of students, I would
begin my teaching career with and the necessary tools to accomplish this with.

Task-2

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1. I decided to teach adults primarily because most adult students are in the classroom of
their own accord and are not forced, or pressured into being there. I feel they are more
responsible and have a certain goal as to why they want to learn the language.
While the grasping power of a child may be greater, i think with adults there is more
commitment and a greater attention span.
Adults are also more often than not, a lot more motivated than children as
they have a reason for wanting to be in the class room. I believe they are
they are also a lot more focused.

2.

Being an adult, I feel that I can bring a lot to the table. I understand the frustrations and
difficulties associated with being an adult and learning a second language as I have
been in that position myself. I have been a learner myself, as a student of Greek and
German, so I can see it from the learners perspective too. As an adult, I would also
empathize a lot more with my adult learners. I also like to have fun, and am enthusiastic
and friendly. I find it easy to relate to others and can easily put myself in other peoples
situations. I know how daunting, exciting and frustrating it can be to learn a language.

3. Characteristics of adult learners:

a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
f.
g.
h.

Motivated, with a specific reason and goal for being in the classroom
Have certain expectations of themselves.
Hopefully, more self-disciplined.
More mature and experienced.
Have a more serious attitude.
Are responsible.
Their attention span in greater
Generally tend to be more patient.

Task-3

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1. The things, I would like to find out about a group of learners who I have decided to
teach, are:
a. Age range of the group.
b. Mixed or similar abilities.
c. Motivations or goals.
d. Abilities of the students- spoken, written and listening.
e. Cultural background.
f. Educational background.
g. Is the group monolingual or multilingual?
h. Size of the class.
i. Their interests and hobbies.
2. I would find out by:
a. Introducing myself at the beginning of the first class and asking students to
introduce themselves and respond to those questions.
b. Try and get them to be as comfortable as possible with each other and with me,
and to talk about themselves.
c. Giving the learners a questionnaire.
d. Ask the students to write a brief note about themselves.

Task-4

I think the most challenging learners would be the ones who study English because of
pressure from family, employer or their peers and not because they want to learn the
language. It could also be tough if the student is unsure about his/her goals. Also if the
student's aim for learning English is to be able to socialize with neighbours or friends, it
could be a challenge, as according to me I dont think that is a big motivating factor.

Task-5
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.

Is patient
Does not complicate things unnecessarily.
Gives clear information and feedback.
Paces lessons to match the learners.
Inspires confidence.

Task-6

My associations with the word grammar:

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a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
f.
g.

Structure
Order
A set of Rules
Terminology
Language
Pattern.
System

Task-7
1. Correct
2. Ive been to the movies last night (incorrect)
I went to the movies last night (correct).
3. He often come late (incorrect)
He often comes late (correct)
4. Correct
5. Can I have a coffee black, please? (incorrect)
Can I have a black coffee, please? (Correct).
6. Correct

Task-8

1. The students listen and learn from the teacher; so if the teacher makes mistakes,
those are replicated by the students.
2. Teachers need to be able to explain grammar clearly and in as simple a manner as
possible.
3. A teacher should be able to give clear examples.
4. Should be able to answer questions and clarify doubts on grammar.

Task-9
1.
2.
3.
4.

Pronoun
Indefinite article
Conjunction
Adverb
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5. Adjective
6. Model verb
7. Pronoun
8. Preposition
9. Verb
10. Noun
Task-10
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.

Lexical
Lexical
Auxiliary
Auxiliary
Auxiliary
Lexical

Task-11
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.

Lexical
Auxiliary
Auxiliary
Lexical
Lexical
Lexical
Auxiliary
Lexical

Task-12

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

Advice
Permission
Logical deduction
Ability
Possibility

Task-13

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

Past tense form

ing form
3rd person-present simple tense
Base form
Past participle form

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Task-14
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.

Hear
Do
Help
Think
Take
Steal
Go
Drink
Arrive

heard
did
helped
thought
took
stole
went
drank
arrived

heard
did
helped
thought
taken
stolen
gone
drunk
arrived

irregular
irregular
regular
irregular
irregular
irregular
irregular
irregular
regular

Task-15
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.

Past, continuous
Modal ,perfect
Present perfect
Past continuous
Past simple
Future continuous

Task-16
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.

Present continuous
Past simple
Present simple
Past perfect
Present simple
Future perfect
Past simple/ past continuous
Present perfect continuous

Task-17

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

Past time
Future time
Past/present
Past/present
Past/present

Task-18
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1. Am, is, are

2. ing form of the verb

Task-19

1. Future time
2. Past/present time
3. Past time

Task-20
In all the given sentences, a present simple form of the verb should be used,
as opposed to the continuous (-ing) form of the verbs used in the sentences.

Task-21

With a dictionary, you can:

a.
b.
c.
d.
e.

Look up the meaning of words

Pronunciations of words
Find the synonym or antonym of a word
Check the spelling of a word
Check the spelling of a word

Task-22

1. Hes the tallest person in the family.

High is used with mountains, buildings etc.
2. Im feeling a little tired.
Enervated is too formal.
3. The ideas in it are original and intelligent/well explained.
Pretentious conveys a negative meaning.
4. Her grandfather gave her a loving tap/pat/touch on her face.
A slap is not associated with loving.
5. Every day I like to go running/walking/rowing after work.
Footing does not fit the sentence. Footing means foothold, grip.
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Task-23

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.

Adverb/adjective strikingly handsome

Verb/noun made/bed , did/housework
Adverb/adjective absolutely fabulous
Verb/preposition depend/on
Adverb/adjective highly emotional
Adjective/noun vicious circle.

Task-24

1. 1-b
2. 2-c
3. 3-a

Task-25

1. 1-b
2. 2-c
3. 3-a

Task-26

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.

Their
South
Language
Peaceful
Young
Call
Search
Equation
Sugar

Task-27
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1. Guarantee
2. Cavalry
3. Mechanisation
4. Language
5. Retreat
6. Speculative
7. Success
8. Balance
9. Identify
10. Articulate

Task-28
1
a.
b.
c.
d.

Photograph
Photography
Photographer
Photographic

All these words belong to the same word family. Non-native speakers can get confused with
the fact that the stress points shift in the same word family.
2
a.
b.
c.
d.

To record/ a record
To increase/ an increase
To present/ a present
To import/ an import
In words of 2 syllables, where the verb and the noun are written in the same way, the
verbs have the stress on the last syllable and the nouns on the first syllable.

Task-29

1.
2.
3.
4.

Mother
Forget
Announce
Tonight
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5.
6.
7.
8.

Notable
Mention
Patrol
Indicative

Task-30

BBC news website scanned through

My emails scanned through
Specific emails read in detail
Grammar book in detail
Browsed through my face book page -- scanning

Task-31

1.
2.
3.
4.

Intensive reading
Skim/gist reading
Reading to infer
Scan and then intensive reading.

Task-32

Time consuming
Continuous use of bi-lingual dictionaries prevents the person from getting the meaning of
the word from context
It also prevents the reader from thinking in the language he is learning

Task-33

The listeners might find the accent or the pronunciation of the speaker difficult to
understand.
They might find the speed at which the speaker speaks too fast.
They cant go back to something that they have missed.
They also cant find clues out of context.
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Task-34

Listened to the newsscan listening

Two strangers sitting in front of me on the bus discussing the upcoming elections and the
state of the economy in Greece-casual/attentive listening
Listened to some good musicappreciative listening
On the phone with the taxes department regarding a problem with my papersintensive
listening

Task-35

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.

Intensive listening/ listening to infer meaning

Skim/gist listening
Intensive listening
Intensive listening
Listen to infer meaning
Scan listening/ skim listening

Task-36

Grammar is important, but the student also needs to make a conscious effort to speak at every
given chance as only by speaking will he be able to put into practice what he has learnt and get his
pronunciation right. Most students learning the English language in a foreign country also dont get
enough opportunities to practice speaking.

Task-37

1. No- the learner is not able to describe what he wants

2. Yes- conveyed the meaning correctly
3. Yes- the speaker can be understood
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4. No- here the question is how long have you already been in New Zealand? You cant really
make out if the answer is about the past or the future.

Task-38

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.

Transactional
Transactional
Interactional
Interactional
Transactional
Interactional

Task-39

1. It will make them feel more confident about their language.

2. Their communication will improve
3. They can practice what they have learned

Task-40
1. Spoken
2. Written
3. Spoken
4. Spoken
5. Written
6. Spoken
7. Spoken
8. Written
9. Written
10. Written
11. Written
12. Spoken

Task-41

1. The correct words are threw and caught.

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Threw and through as well as caught and court have the same pronunciation. So the
learner could gotten confused.
2. Brother, lives, Sweden. Sometimes learners forget to use vowels.
3. However hard I try, it never works.
Punctuation is wrong
4. First of all, he invited me to sit down. After that, he offered me a coffee. I was very
surprised by his politeness.punctuation mistakes.

Task-42

1. Sample a.
Punctuation, spelling, few words used wrongly (I remember you should be I think of you or
I am thinking of you). No paragraphing.
Sample b
Punctuation, spelling, wrong use of capital letters, no paragraphing.
2. Bring a written text full of punctuation errors and get it corrected by the learners. Get them
involved in writing letters, writing about themselves.
Certain writing activities like how to get to point b from point a.
Task-43

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.

Personal aim
Interaction pattern/ procedure
Lesson aims
Procedure
Anticipated problems
Stage aim

Task-44

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.

1-f
2-g
3-b
4-e
5-i
6-h
7-d
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8. 8-a

Task-45

1. Write down or copy down would have been better suited here. Jot is slang and I dont
think new learners would understand what jot means.
2. This is too long and confusing an instruction to give a new learner. Look at the question
and answer it would suffice.
3. The question is too long. The teacher needs to divide the question into different tasks.
Read the text on page 4 and answer the first three questions
Compare the answers with your partner
Write a short summary of the story
Discuss this with your partner.
4. Look at the question at the end of the page or the last question on the page and answer
it. This would be simpler.

Task-46

1. Listening to other students mistakes will prevent you from making more mistakes and it
could explain some things that never occurred to you.
The student can also strengthen his learning by correcting those mistakes.
2. The learners will start depending on the teacher for translations all the time.
Sometimes the meanings of words can be got out of context.
3. In the beginning, I would ask the student to work with another student. As the classes
progress, I would include certain activities which make the two students interact with each
other, not directly but in a group at first and slowly start building a rapport between the two
students. Also as the classes progress we could talk about how different cultures and
people are different, we could bring about a little compassion, respect and mutual
toleration to the lessons.
4. I will put this question forward to the class and if they all agree, then fine.
If not I would choose a topic they all agree on and probably write it on the board and ask
for inputs from all the students.

Task-47
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 The students playing the role of assistants will stand behind desks. The rest of the
students wanting information will move from desk to desk.
Students could have a form prepared for them to fill out regarding the courses they
would like to opt for.
Pictures and computers could be used

Task-48

1. Slim/thin
Slim is a desirable quality. Thin is considered a negative quality.
We could show the students contrasting pictures of someone who is slim and attractive
and someone who is really skinny
2. Wink/blink
Winking is making a sign to someone by quickly closing and opening one eye. Blinking,
on the other hand, is an involuntary function of the body where both eyes close and
open.
The teacher could wink and point out that that was a wink and likewise blink and show
the students.
3.

I used to get up early/ I am used to getting up early

I used to get up early is something in the past, I dont do it now.
I am used to getting up early is something that I do presently, in my daily life.
Show a picture of a kid and say that it was me as a child and explain that as a kid I
woke up early.
Explain to them that I have to be at my workplace by 7 in the morning every day, so I
need to wake up early every day.

4. Nervous/upset
Nervous is when someone is anxious or worried about something or someone.
Upset is when someone is unhappy, angry, disappointed or worried about someone or
something.
I could give an example saying that before an exam or a job interview, I get nervous
and if I dont pass the exam of get the job that situation makes me upset.
5. 4 weeks ago/ 4 weeks before
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4 weeks ago refers to the past

4 weeks before is also in the past but the point of reference is another event in the past.
So it is before a past event.
We could draw a time graph to illustrate the above.
Different pronunciation.

6. I do it is a present simple action

Ill do it is future action
We can explain that I do it is three words, while Ill do it actually consists of four
words. The Ill is I + will.
7. Read is present tense and the ea sounds like an i
Read is past tense where the pronunciation is more like red.'
We could also make use of the phonetic alphabet.

8. Put and putt.

Show them the different pronunciation by pronouncing it for them and also show them
the different phonemes.
9. Record(noun)
The stress is on the first syllable.
Record (verb)
The stress is on the second syllable.
10. Live(verb) / live(something happening now)
Live is a present verb and there is not a lot of stress on the i.
Live (something happening now) on the other hand has a lot more stress on the I and
is pronounced like an ai.
Show them the different pronunciation by pronouncing it for them and also show them
the different phonemes

Task-49

1. Reading
None of the students read the whole passage. Only parts of it were read by each
student. The students probably did not get the meaning of the text as they were more

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focused on the pronunciation of words, so they missed the meaning of most of what
was read.
The teacher could also have marked out the difficult words in the passage and
explained them before the reading began.
More time could have been given for the students to read the text individually, and
then the above exercise could have begun.
2. Speaking
The teacher gave the topic and the discussion began immediately.
Probably the topic should have been given earlier so that the learners would have had
time to prepare something to speak about or even to have had a discussion amongst
themselves before speaking out in the class.
The teacher could also use the board asking each student their views on living in the
city and separating the positive and negative ones. These could then be used to
expand upon and get all the students more involved.

Task-50

Confidentiality
Teachers need to know that the private affairs of students or institutions cannot
be talked about or brought out into the open.
They need to be trustworthy.

Setting standards
Teachers need to set high professional and personal standards.
High standards lead to both discipline and consistency.

Punctuality
All teachers need to be punctual. If the teachers are not punctual, that attitude
will seep into the students as well. Being punctual also gives the teacher
enough time so they dont have to rush with their lessons.

Course planning/ review

Course planning for teachers is important. They need to plan their whole
weeks lessons in advance. It is like a map for the teacher on what needs to be
taught and how to do it effectively.
A review is also equally important as it tells the teacher where he as well as the
students stand after the weeks lessons. If something was lacking, then
adjustments and improvements can be made in the following weeks course
plan.
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Record keeping
Record keeping is important as it gives an idea of how the student is
progressing in the classroom. Proper records kept throughout the course help
both the teachers and the students. It helps them keep track of each other's
progress and if the teaching methods are working.

Assessment
Assessment is a constant process, which the teachers have to do to see if the
student is progressing in his lessons or not. Assessments are a way in which
the teacher can measure the students skills like writing, listening and hearing.

Curriculum development
This is important for both the teachers and the students to develop. It increases
their knowledge base.

Pastoral care
It is important to create a nurturing and supportive setting for the students.
Teachers should be able to empathize with the students.

Team work
It is an important part of any working environment. This applies to both
teachers and students. It makes the classes more enjoyable and increases the
chances of success in the classroom.

Relationship with students

It is important that the students and the teachers develop a good, healthy and
friendly relationship. Students become more trustful of their teachers and are
not hesitant about asking something.

Cultural awareness
Students from different cultural backgrounds may have different learning styles.
Teachers need to aware of the cultural diversities in their students and act
accordingly.

Self-development
Teachers always need to be developing themselves in order to become better
teachers and to be able to adapt to the ever changing dimensions of society.
This also helps to provide a better learning system for the students.

School/college policies and rules

Teachers have to comply with the requirements and policies of the institution
that has hired them. This is all professionalism and responsibility.

Membership of/ contribution to professional bodies

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I think any teacher would be happy to be a member of a professional teaching

body. This will help the teacher to keep up with the latest trends and teaching
methods.

Teacher training programs are an important step towards developing teachers

worldwide. It gives the teachers the confidence and the resources needed to
become a great teacher and helps them to enjoy teaching.

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