celta-course.com -- CELTA course lesson plans -- Helen Shelton

Helen Shelton

Simon Gillow, one of the three tutors Helen had on the course (on all CELTA courses at IH Barcelona you have at least two tutors), wrote in his assessment of the lesson that it was "an excellent start to teaching this level".

Helen had "quickly established rapport" (something that is always going to be vital with any class) and after, perhaps, a few nervous moments, "adjusted [her] language well". That's something else that's very important - tuning the language you use into a level your students are going to understand comfortably, with the switch to a different level, in Helen's case jumping up from Elementary to Upper Intermediate, being something of a challenge.

Going into class well-prepared

The "excellent start" probably had a lot to do with the preparation work Helen had done. On your CELTA course you aren't by any means expected to know everything there is to know about English grammar, but you are expected to know the language you are supposed to be teaching. Simon felt that the preparation Helen had done "paid huge dividends" as she was "truly able to bring the learners to an understanding of this complex area".

The tutor observing the lesson provides fairly extensive feedback on it, both in writing and orally. A selection of Simon's comments:

Liked it

The way, in the first stage of the lesson, Helen combined introducing herself and presenting the language (Stage 1 on the lesson plan).

On the whole, rather than explaining, Helen "gave the learners space to work things out for themselves".

Helen used the text in the course book to focus on the language in context (Stage 3 on the lesson plan)

The decision to look at meaning first, before form (Stage 5 before Stage 6 on the lesson plan)

She "listened well to the learners, responding well to their comments."

Not so happy

The fact that "the crux of the matter", that we don't used stative verbs in the continuous, wasn't sufficiently explicitly stated, or put in writing on the board - or mentioned early enough in the lesson

On occasions, Helen's delivery was too fast and "unnecessarily wordy" (a mistake lots of teachers, even experienced ones, make!)

Simon Gillow

What are dynamic and stative meanings?

Most verbs have dynamic meaning; they describe single acts, or activities or processes. "I have been living in Barcelona for 23 years," for example.

Verbs with stative meaning describe states of mind (emotion, knowledge or perception) or states of affairs (to do with being or having). "I like Barcelona very much", or "I have two kids", for example.

Landed a tough assignment?

If, like Helen, you land a "teaching point" that just makes you want to phone your Mum, don't panic!

First of all, your tutor will help you out with whatever pointers you might need...

And then, if necessary, a little research in a grammar book like Michael Swan's excellent Practical English Usage will put the lesson in a more practical light.