Celta Pre-Interview Task

/ CELTA PRE-INTERVIEW TASK
Agouza, Cairo
2017
Name:
Please mark the course you would prefer to attend (all dates are for 2017) *
29 January-23 February / 19 March-
13 April / 23 April -18 May / 2 July- 27 July / 30 July- 24 August / 27 August -28 September / 1 October -26 October / 12 November -7 December

CELTA PRE-INTERVIEW TASK

The object of this task is to help you start thinking about language from a foreign learner’s point of view, and to begin to consider approaches to the classroom. The task below will form the basis of the interview and you are asked to write your answers in note formunless otherwise instructed. Some of the questions in the task will be discussed with you in more depth if you are invited to interview.

PLEASE WRITE YOUR ANSWERS IN THE SPACES PROVIDED.

PART 1 – LANGUAGE AND METHODOLOGY

SECTION A-GRAMMAR

The following sentences contain errors in the use of the verb tenses which are often made by learners. Correct the errors. Give the name of the correct tense and a brief explanation of how it’s being used in this context.

Example:Do you go to Rania’s party next Friday?

Correction:Are you going to Rania’s party next Friday?

Correct Tense Name: Present continuous

Use: The present continuous is used here to talk about future arrangements.

1. I have arrived in Cairo last Monday.

correction:

correct tense name:

use:

2. I’m usually visiting my parents once a week.

correction:

correct tense name:

use:

3. When I got to the airport, I realised I left my passport at home.

correction:

correct tense name:

use:

4. I can't come to your house tonight, because I'll have dinner with my family.

correction:

correct tense name:

use:

SECTION B-CLARIFYING LANGUAGE

1-You are teaching a group of learners at pre-intermediate level when the words much and many + noun come up. How could you clarify the difference between the two? Think about how you can make the meaning clear, trying to avoid over-complicated language.

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

2. Imagine that you have to teach some vocabulary associated with ‘transport’ (e.g. bus, bus stop, ticket, etc) to a group of elementary learners.

How would you teach these words and other ones related to them?

How would you check that the students had understood?

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

3. Label the seven underlined words using the correct word class. The first has been done as an example.

Mystudents rightlyexpect meto research my grammar before I deliverthe lesson.

My = adjective rightly = me = to= research = grammar = deliver = the =

SECTION C: METHODOLOGY

1) The following[1] are examples of lengthy instructions which a teacher might give in class. How would you change them to make them easier for elementary level (with limited English) students to understand?

Example: Now actually I would really like it if you could now stand up yes everyone please.

Simplified: Stand up (or just a gesture)

a. “If I were to ask you for your opinion on smoking what do you think you might say to me?”

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

b. “Would you like to tell everyone the answer you were thinking of again, because I don’t think they heard it when you spoke so quietly and I’m sure we’d all be interested in hearing it again if you could please?”

c. “Well that wasn’t really what I was hoping you’d say when I asked that question. I was actually looking for the name of the verb tense not an example sentence but what you gave me was fine only does anyone I wonder have the answer I’m looking for?”

Taken from Scrivener, J. Learning Teaching, Macmillan, 1994

2)You plan to use a newspaper text in your class for reading practice. Here are some of the activities you have planned for the text. Decide what order you would do them. Explain your rationale for the order.

a. The learners find examples of the past tense in the text

b. The learners read the text and answer ten questions on the information in it

c. Give the learners the headline from the article and they predict the possible content- they read to check

d. The learners discuss their opinions on the text

SECTION D: PRONUNCIATION

Mark the main stress on the word below by underlining the vowel of the stressed syllable.

Example: hospital / understand

1. allow2. prediction3. controversial

4. photograph5. photographic6. photographer

7. prefer8. preference9. record (noun)

10. record (verb)

SECTION E: LANGUAGE IN CONTEXT

1. Look at the exchange below and the labels on the right.

A: Would you like to come to the cinema tonight?INVITING

B: Yes, I’d love to.ACCEPTING AN INVITATION

We call these labels (i.e. ‘inviting’, ‘accepting an invitation’) FUNCTIONS. It is simply a way of categorising the speaker’s intention. Look at the short dialogue below and label the function of each utterance. Put your answer in the column on the right.

A: Hey, Bob!ATTRACTING ATTENTION

B: Yeah?………………………………

A: Give me a hand with this suitcase, will you?………………………………

B: Sorry, but Jenny’s waiting for me.………………………………

A: O.K. Never mind.………………………………

This dialogue is clearly a very informal one between two speakers who know each other. Write a similar dialogue in the space below on the same topic – using the same functions – between two people who don’t know each other.

A ……………………………………………………………

B ……………………………………………………………

A ……………………………………………………………

B ……………………………………………………………

A ………………………………………………………………

PART 2 – APPROACHES TO TEACHING AND LEARNING

Please write about 150 words(no bullet points)for the following task:

Think of two different learning experiences in your life, one of which was successful and one which was not. Highlight the three main factors in each case which made the experience successful or unsuccessful.

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Please remember that you may be asked to deal with the points discussed in this task at greater depth in the interview.

We hope that having done this task you have a clearer idea of the three factors involved in being an effective language teacher:

-successful management of people

-a clear understanding of the language you are teaching

-the ability to put this understanding to practical use in the classroom.

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