My reflection on DELTA: is it worth it?

What is one thing you wish you had known before doing something?

For me, I wish I had been able to find more experiences from people who had taken the DELTA course.

That's why if you, like me, are looking for more experiences regarding DELTA or if you are in two minds and don't know if DELTA is a good option for you, keep reading and enjoy the ride!

It was Fall 2016.

After teaching ESL for 7 years, I felt there was something missing in my career: I had earned the CELTA in April 2014 in Toronto and immediately started to work in the same language school where I had taken the course.

After a few years, I felt both the desire and the need to up my teaching skills.

The reason?

I have always been into learning and teaching languages as well as doing research. At that point in my life, I wanted to delve into the different teaching frameworks I had come across during the CELTA: PPP, TTT, and TBL.

More importantly, I wanted to discover the reasons a lesson is scaffolded a certain way.

I wanted to bring my teaching expertise to the next level.

What did I do?

I took the plunge and decided to apply for the DELTA in October 2016.

I completed several pre-interview tasks about pedagogical knowledge and was invited to the interview where they asked me to analyze unit exercises, and discuss their rationale and underlying framework. I was admitted to the course for the following year (from January 2017 to June 2017).

The most challenging but also the most rewarding module was Module 2!

Why?

I spent hours reading about teaching pedagogy and analyzing how to teach my lessons’ target language.

I wrote background essays that examined the potential difficulties for students in MFP (meaning, form, pronunciation) of the target language.

I created lesson plans that included specific stages, the activities, the rationale for each activity and an approximate timeframe.

The DELTA was both an eye-opening experience and a game-changer for my career.

It opened my eyes because now I always ask myself “What is the rationale behind this lesson? What am I trying to achieve with this activity?”.

It raised my awareness of how tasks should be crafted, so that the students can make meaningful connections throughout the lesson.

I will never forget one of my two trainers, Patrick Huang, who always told me “Less is more”.

Before taking the DELTA, I put so much information into a 3-hour class. I wanted the class to be beneficial to the students and I thought “the more, the better”,

However, Patrick’s ‘Less is more’ advice was one of the biggest revelations throughout the six-month course. I can still hear his voice and I keep this concept in mind.

For example, with my students I like discovering phrasal verbs. I used to cover maybe 10 of them because I thought that this was the right amount.

During the DELTA, my trainer Patrick made me realize that five (phrasal verbs) is a sufficient number for the students.

During the course I learned how to allot more time to meaningful language practice, in order for the students to proceduralize the language and for point of need to emerge. I feel my students and I achieve much more in class.

Another advantage of “less is more” is that the students don’t feel cognitively overloaded.

I learned how to expand on the material and on the language that my students produce.

I learned how to dissect their language and use it.

Now I have the right tools to capture and address the emergent language, and to capitalize on the teachable moments by implementing flexi-stages and interactional tasks that allow the emergent language to arise.

I also wanted to raise my students’ awareness. By asking the students,

• ‘Why are we doing this?’ or

• ‘What are we practicing?’ or

• ‘Why are collocations important?’

they become more accountable for their own learning, and not simply doing an activity because ‘the teacher said so’.

As students understand this rationale they are encouraged to step away from that mindset and are led to more autonomous learning and critical thinking.

The DELTA has been one of the best decisions I have ever made.

It provided me with so much knowledge and insight into the learning and teaching process, that now I am a more confident teacher.

I find that the DELTA is more practical than a master’s degree since the trainees hone their teaching skills through the practical component.

When applying for teaching jobs, having the DELTA gives you an edge over the other candidates: not only does it show the potential employer your willingness and commitment to teaching, but it also speaks to your increased knowledge in the learning process and teaching techniques developed throughout the course.

The DELTA was a game-changer because it gave me the confidence to apply for teaching positions at universities and colleges, where I’ve been teaching since I completed the diploma.

Pursuing this qualification helped me to take on assignments where I am required to design curricula for General English and Business English, but also to write my own materials.

Of course, I still attend webinars and read books on how to create more effective lessons, especially during these times where teaching has moved online. As we all know, learning never ends.

If I could give one word of advice to my peers, it would be to take the DELTA: it might be quite expensive for many of us, however, it is such a beneficial investment that has given me the tools to create my own materials from scratch and to fine-tune my teaching knowledge.

🗨️ Over to you:

How has your experience been?

Or are you considering taking the DELTA?

Source of the speech bubble: https://emojipedia.org/left-speech-bubble

And if you are looking how to structure your lessons more, you don't want to miss the highlights from the webinar I attended on scaffolding!