How to Pass Delta
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About this ebook
Thinking of improving your teaching CV? Need more qualifications to get that dream job? Want to refresh your methodology? If you answer yes to any of these questions you are probably thinking of doing the Delta, one of the best-known and most popular advanced TEFL/TESOL qualifications in the world. Or perhaps you have already started it.
This book aims to do exactly what it says on the cover. It is packed with practical tips and advice on how to get the most out of the Delta. Each unit has a discovery activity and comprehensive tips for each part of the three Delta modules. Written by someone with extensive experience of working with the Delta, as both a tutor and examiner, this ‘How-To’ guide will provide you with all the practical advice you need to get the most out of your course and reach your full potential.
Damian Williams
Damian Williams is a writer, author and teacher trainer based in the UK. He also co-runs Tailor-Made English, a specialist English language services company (tmenglish.org), which won the British Council award for best blog coverage of the IATEFL 2013 conference in Liverpool.During his journey through English language teaching, he's worked in Russia, Indonesia, Spain, Italy, the UK, Argentina and Brazil. Nowadays he writes coursebooks for major publishers and works as an online tutor for The Distance Delta, which sees him working with candidates from all over the world. He's also an examiner for Modules 1 and 3 and an assessor for Module 2.Currently, his main interests lie in critical thinking skills and how these can be applied to teacher training, and teaching transferable strategies to develop students' language skills.
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Reviews for How to Pass Delta
12 ratings2 reviews
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5very informative and clearly presented. The 'what it looks like' parts are a good breakdown of what each part should contain.
1 person found this helpful
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Excellent book, great methodology... I highly recommend it to those of you who are thinking about taking the Delta teaching exam.
2 people found this helpful
Book preview
How to Pass Delta - Damian Williams
Why How to pass Delta?
One question that often comes up at the beginning of Delta courses is Is there a ‘book’ for Delta? Well, the easy answer to this is that there isn’t. And neither could there be; it covers just too many areas, loosely categorised as follows:
1. pedagogy
2. research, teaching and course planning
3. development of the trainee’s ability to synthesise information from a range of sources and to critically analyse that information.
However, from the initial stages in becoming familiar with course content right through to the final assessment stages, there are a several common issues which come up again and again. This book aims to collate all of that practical advice into one handy guide, along with a series of discovery activities which will help familiarise you with key elements of all three modules.
What’s included
- key questions to ask a centre when choosing a course
- discovery activities which help familiarise you with the key requirements of each part of the Delta
- a range of tips, specific to each component of the course, aimed at showing you how to pass Delta
- three key points at the end of the tips, the main points to remember for each component
- suggestions for reading based on the most popular sources
- a glossary of commonly confused terminology
The book takes the form of a How to… guide, and is divided into three parts:
Part 1 deals with the Module 1 exam, setting out tips for each question in the exam paper.
Part 2 deals with Module 2, and gives you advice on passing each coursework component.
Part 3 gives practical tips on each part of the extended assignment for Module 3.
What this book isn’t
It is important to state quite clearly that this isn’t a methodology book, but rather a collection of practical tips to help you with the coursework and exam. It is not designed to be used as a stand-alone method for doing the Delta, but rather as an accompaniment to a structured preparatory course.
A list of suggested reading is given at the end of the book, divided by topic. This list is not meant to be exhaustive, however, and in no way do I endorse any of these as being ‘better’ than others. They are simply the most popular sources for each area, based on my experience with Delta course participants over the years.
In the section on Module 3, sample layouts of each part of the assignment are given. It is important to remember that these are only suggestions aimed at helping you get started writing each part. The actual choice of layout will vary depending on the content of your assignment.
And finally …
Congratulations on making one of the most important decisions of your teaching career in deciding to take the Delta. You may feel like you’re standing at the bottom of a mountain at the moment, and indeed there are some challenging days ahead. It will likely completely consume your life, and at times it may feel like it’s all too much. But remember this: you are about to start a useful and rewarding journey of self-discovery, awareness and development, make some great friends, and ultimately become a much better teacher for it.
I hope you’ll find this book to be a trusty companion along that journey.
How to pass Module 1
1a Getting to know Module 1
Overview of Module 1
Title of module: Understanding Language, Methodology and Resources for Teaching
Assessment format: a written examination consisting of two parts, each 1 hour 30 minutes
Exam format:
For examples of what the exam tasks look like, see the individual sections on each task which follow.
General tips for Module 1
When it comes to approaches and methods, don’t memorise lots of important dates and names of people behind the approach. It’s the practical knowledge and its application which is tested, not the background information.
Brush up on/learn terminology, especially relating to pronunciation, cohesion/discourse, grammar/lexis and testing. Check your understanding of the list of commonly confused terms in this book.
Build up a list of terms you have trouble with. You could try using Quizlet to develop your own study resource. Sandy Millin has created a bank of terminology useful for those doing the Delta here.
Practise looking through coursebooks and reading accompanying teacher’s books, which often offer valuable insights into the purposes and assumptions behind activities.
Above all, remember that the Module 1 is a test of your ability to work effectively under pressure, rather than a test of ‘how much you know’ per se. Practise exam tasks regularly. People often say that the most difficult thing about the exam is getting enough done in the time available. Aim to do some practice tasks under timed conditions every week. Little and often is the key.
Use the same numbering as in the rubric when writing answers in the answer booklet, in order to avoid any confusion (and potentially lost marks) when the examiner reads your script.
Use phonemic transcription for all examples relating to pronunciation.
Set your answers out clearly and concisely, using bullet points. The easier it is for the examiner to find marks, the happier they’ll be (though they will of course find them anyway if they’re there)!
Questions to ask about a Module 1 course
In theory, it’s technically possible to take the Module 1 exam without doing a preparatory course, and taking a course isn’t a Cambridge requirement. However, I would strongly advise against this. There are some very good Module 1 courses offered, both online and face-to-face. They provide invaluable support in ensuring you succeed first time.
When choosing a course, however, there are some