Why take Delta Module Two Offline

We asked Maryna Myronyuk, our Director of Studies, about her Delta Module Two experience and here’s what she shared with us.

  1. Why did you decide to get the Cambridge Delta? First of all, because I wanted to look at the process of learning the language from the students’ perspective. Another reason is more ambitious, I had a wish to become a CELTA-trainer.
     
  2. Why did you decide to take the intensive 6-week course? Because in this case I didn’t have to divide my attention between different tasks and duties and could devote all my time to the course and, therefore, be more concentrated and, in a way, more productive.
     
  3. Was the course intensive? How did you cope with the course and manage to submit everything on time? Yes, it definitely was. Being a procrastinator at times, I had to force myself every now and again. I’m also very grateful to my peers who suggested working on written assignments at the weekends together. To make it clear, we worked on different areas of the language, so it is not about copying each other’s work or coming up with common ideas but more about motivation and support which was very important.
     
  4. Was it helpful to have your trainers around every day? As I am the one who likes asking a lot of questions all the time, I can’t imagine going through the course without constant access to the trainers.
     
  5. What was the best thing about the course? Doing research and reading some books on methodology and linguistics. I’d never had time for that before, and it turned out to be quite absorbing.
     
  6. If you could, do you think you would choose to do it online now that this option is available? I’m not that big a fan of online teaching. I prefer keeping everything under control and the internet and technical issues are something which might behave in a really unpredictable way. Moreover, it is easier to lose concentration when studying from the comfort of your home. So my answer is ‘No’.
     
  7. How did your teaching change after the course? My teaching has become much more student-centred, I often ask myself what my learners see in each task and how I can help them achieve their language aims.
     
  8. What would you recommend to anyone who’s planning to do an intensive Delta Module Two course? Ensure they are able to devote all their time and energy to the course. It might also be a good idea to read some books on developing receptive skills, as the approach won’t differ no matter what the context of the lesson will be. I should also say that I do not see much reason in delving deeply into the materials connected to teaching grammar or vocabulary as the range of sources will depend on the chosen target language of the lesson.