TheDistance

DELTA .com

Welcome to
the Distance DELTA
The Distance DELTA is a unique programme for experienced English Language
Teaching (ELT) professionals. Developed by International House London and
the British Council, the programme prepares experienced teachers for the
Cambridge Diploma in English Language Teaching to Adults (DELTA).

Who is the course for?

The Distance DELTA is for practising teachers in the field of ELT who wish to
upgrade their qualifications and are keen to develop their teaching skills.
Designed for teachers who would like to continue working while they study, the
Distance DELTA provides an alternative to intensive and part-time face-to-face
courses.

As with any distance learning programme, it is important that you consider

carefully if your own learning style and environment would make you an
effective distance learner. To follow the Distance DELTA programme, you need
to be able to dedicate an average of 10 to 15 hours per week, over 8 months,
to DELTA-related work and you need to be able to work to set deadlines.
For more information, see Entry Requirements below.

How does the Distance DELTA work?

The Distance DELTA is an integrated programme which enables you to follow a
DELTA course whilst still working in your school or institution. The 8 month
programme comprises:

• A 2-week Orientation Course, run at International House London and in

selected regional International House and British Council centres.
• A distance component which covers all aspects of the Cambridge DELTA
syllabus and assessment.

International House London

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The Orientation Course

The Orientation Course is an essential part of the programme. It introduces you
to the main themes and approaches to be followed during the distance
component and provides a sound grounding in the skills of analysing, planning
and reflecting objectively on your own teaching. Unit 1 of the programme,
including your first formally-assessed Portfolio Assignment leading to the
Cambridge DELTA, is completed during the Orientation Course. As a result, the
Orientation Course is an intensive yet rewarding part of the programme.

As a distance learner, it is important that you make contact with others who are
following the same programme so that you can share ideas and opinions. The
Orientation Course is the first step towards becoming part of the Distance
DELTA learning community.

The Orientation Course is held at International House London and in

selected International House and British Council regional centres
(where demand permits).

The Distance Component

The distance component covers two essential elements: research and
written work, and the development of practical teaching skills.

Research and written work

• Core course materials are delivered on a CD Rom, in 8* units to be
completed to a set schedule. Each unit of work contains information,
tasks and guided reading projects which require you to reflect on your
own teaching and your own teaching context. The unit also contains a
formally-assessed assignment which contributes to your overall
assessment on the course.
• There is a dedicated website which contains updated course content and,
most importantly, discussion group work monitored by an experienced
DELTA tutor.
(*Unit 1 is completed during the Orientation Course)

Practical teaching skills

Your reflection on your own teaching development will be monitored by the
experienced DELTA tutors responsible for providing support and assessment
over the course of the programme. On a face-to-face basis, however, your
teaching will be monitored by your approved Local Tutor.

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How much work will I have to do?

You should ensure that you can dedicate an average of 10 to 15 hours per week,
over 8 months, to work on the Distance DELTA. This work will include reading,
completing assignments and, vitally, reflecting on your own teaching.

What support will I receive?

Throughout the programme, there will be a team of experienced DELTA tutors
working with you to ensure you gain as much benefit as possible from the
programme. In addition to the course materials described above, there are
several key elements in place to ensure that your learning is supported:
• You will be part of a study group (maximum 12 participants) who will
participate in online discussions, monitored by an experienced tutor.
• The Course Tutor team, comprising tutors from International House and
the British Council network, will provide guidance on your progress
during the course and outline ways in which you might develop your
ideas further.
• A support team of a Course Co-ordinator and the Course Administrator,
and an IT helpline are available should you need extra help.
• Your nominated Local Tutor will provide extra support at a local level
through seminars and observation of your teaching.

How is my work assessed?

Work towards the Cambridge DELTA award is assessed in 3 components.
1. A portfolio of assessed coursework
2. An extended assignment.
3. A 3-hour written examination
Components 1 and 2 are completed during the course. You will take the written
examination at the end of the course (December or June).

The portfolio includes:

• 7 Portfolio Assignments, 6 of which are internally assessed. The seventh
is externally assessed. 5 of the assignments include the observation
of your teaching. The first formal observation is completed during
the Orientation Course. Observations 2, 3 and 4 are completed by
your Local Tutor. The final observation is part of your externally-
assessed assignment and is observed by a Cambridge-approved
DELTA Assessor.

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The Extended Assignment is a case study of a learner (4000 – 4500 words) and
is externally assessed. Throughout the course, you will be given guidance on
completing this assignment.

The Written Examination is a 3-hour examination, held in early December

and early June. You may take the exam either at International House London or
you can transfer to a British Council local centre or another approved
local centre. (Please note that transfer centres may charge an
administration fee).

Who is the Local Tutor?

All participants on the Distance DELTA need to nominate a person who will be
willing to act as their Local Tutor during the course of the programme.
Normally, the Local Tutor is either the Director of Studies or a teacher trainer
within your own institution who is responsible for your development
programme during the year. They should be appropriately qualified, with
experience of Cambridge or similar teacher-training schemes and extensive
experience of providing teacher support.

The Local Tutor is responsible for the following :

• running regular monthly seminars on DELTA-related topics
• informal observation of your teaching
• formal observation and assessment on 3 occasions during the
programme (marking written work and observing a lesson)
• making arrangements for your externally-assessed practical lesson
The role of Local Tutor is voluntary, and prospective Local Tutors need to be able
to dedicate around 5 hours per month to each candidate (possibly fewer if there
is more than one candidate).

Many Local Tutors find the work involved in the Distance DELTA provides a
useful framework for creating development plans, and in particular find the
seminar programme useful for all staff members. In addition, Local Tutors
receive support through the following:
• a briefing pack complete with observation standardisation tasks
• guidelines for seminars and appropriate materials
• a dedicated website area for the exchange of ideas, as well as support
from the Course Co-ordinator
All applicants for the Distance DELTA must nominate a prospective Local Tutor and all
prospective Local Tutor must submit a completed application form. This
application will then be forwarded to Cambridge ESOL for approval. Candidates cannot
follow the course without the support of an approved Local Tutor. For more information
for prospective Local Tutors, see Local Tutors: Information for applicants

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Who is the DELTA Assessor?

Your final assignment within your coursework portfolio will be assessed by an
external Assessor, appointed by Cambridge ESOL. Assessors are experienced
teacher trainers who are very familiar with the Cambridge DELTA scheme. They
are nominated by Cambridge ESOL to carry out external assessment.
Candidates normally complete their externally-assessed practical assignment in their own place of work and every
effort is taken to ensure that an Assessor can be found in the country where you work. However, it is sometimes
necessary for an Assessor to travel from a different country. Please note that Cambridge ESOL will reimburse
local rail travel within a country but that the cost of all travel between countries and all flights,
national and international, are the responsibillity of the candidate or their sponsor. Cambridge ESOL
will reimburse accommodation and subsistence expenses.

Course Participants: Entry requirements

Entry requirements 1: Qualifications and experience
The Cambridge DELTA is a qualification for practising teachers in the field of
ELT. Typically, candidates following the course will have:
• a first degree
• an initial ELT qualification
• a minimum of 2 years full time (1200 hours) teaching experience of ELT
to adults within the past five years
• a range of teaching experience involving work in different teaching
contexts and experience of teaching adults at different levels
• an appropriate awareness of language, and language competence in
English to enable them to follow the course and complete all assessed
elements successfully.
The entry requirements above are in accordance with those laid out in the
Cambridge ESOL DELTA Syllabus & Assessment Guidelines.

Entry requirements 2: IT skills and access

The Distance DELTA is an electronically delivered programme and you must
ensure that you have adequate access and IT skills to enable you to follow the
course. These include:
• access to computer facilities with CD ROM drive
• adequate word-processing skills to enable you complete written
assignments
• competent in using the internet and e-mail
• regular access to internet facilities (minimum one hour per week)
• regular access to adequate word-processing and e-mail facilities
• anti-virus protection regularly updated

Entry requirements 3: Practical requirements

The Distance DELTA is an integrated programme, with practical and written
components forming the basis of all formally-assessed assignments. During the
course, you need to:
• be involved in ELT teaching on a regular basis
• teach groups of adults (i.e. learners over the age of 16 years). For formal
assessment purposes, you must ensure that there is a minimum of 5
students in the group you are teaching. On one occasion, there must be a
minimum of 10 students in the class.
• have the support of an approved Local Tutor
• have access to appropriate library facilities.
• (for April entrants) guarantee that you will be teaching for a minimum of
two months out of July, August and September

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Local Tutors: Information for applicants

Note to all applicants:
Approval to become a Local Tutor depends on your application being linked to that of
a named candidate. Wherever possible, Local Tutor applications should be submitted
alongside the application of the candidate(s) whom you wish to supervise. We regret that
we cannot extend full approval to prospective Local Tutors whose prospective candidates
do not submit a completed application.

All Local Tutor must:

• hold a diploma-level qualification in ELT.*
• have extensive experience of English Language Teaching to adults
• have experience of running in-service teacher development seminars
• have significant experience of observing practising teachers for
evaluation and development purposes
• provide evidence of their own continued professional development
*An MA in Applied Linguistics or TESOL will be regarded as relevant if supported by a significant
period of teaching and teacher-training experience.

Points to consider:
As a Local Tutor, you would be expected to:
• participate in the Local Tutor briefing and standardisation procedure
(provided as a distance course)
• provide support for your course participants* throughout the period of
the programme. Please note that the demands on participants on distance
courses vary markedly from those facing participants on
face-to-face courses.
• dedicate around 5 hours per month to Distance DELTA-related
development work for each candidate for whom you are responsible.
• arrange a number of informal observations.
• formally observe and assess lessons on 3 occasions.
• follow procedures for arranging external practical assessments
• write a brief summarising report on your participants’ progress at the
end of the course.
All prospective Local Tutors must submit a completed Local Tutor’s Application Form.

*A Local Tutor cannot be responsible for no more than 3 participants. In centres where more than 3
participants are following the programme at any one time, a second Local Tutor is required.

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BOOKS AND LIBRARY FACILITIES

Much of the work done on the Distance DELTA is individual research. This
means that in addition to the course books and resource books which you
generally use, you need to have access to appropriate library facilities. The
following list is an indication of some of the most useful texts referred to in the
Distance DELTA. Specific references for study purposes will be given in the
course material. However, please note that your reading will largely be dictated
by the areas which you need to research and as a result, you may wish to read
texts not included in this list.

ARTICLES IN ELT JOURNALS

The Distance DELTA website contains references to a wide range of articles in
ELT journals. These provide an efficient and economical means to
understanding theoretical issues. The following are the most useful journals:
• English Language Teaching Journal. www3.oup.co.uk/eltj. A CD-Rom
containing all journals 1981-2000 is available for Distance DELTA trainees
at a discount price of c. £35 (order form on Distance DELTA website)
• English Teaching Professional. www.etprofessional.com
• Modern English Teacher. www.onlinemet.com
• IH Journal of Education. www.ihjournal.com

Grammar
Batstone, R. Grammar 1994 OUP
Bygate, M., Tonkyn, A. & Grammar and the Language Teacher 1994 Prentice Hall
Williams, E. (eds) International.
Carter, R., Hughes, R. & Exploring Grammar in Context 2000 CUP
McCarthy, M.
Leech, G. Meaning and the English Verb 1987 Longman
Leech, G., Ivanic, R. & An A to Z of English Grammar and Usage 2001 Longman
Cruickshank, B.
Lewis, M The English Verb 1986 LTP
Parrott, M. Grammar for English Language Teachers 2000 CUP
Swan, M. Practical English Usage 1995 CUP
Swan, M. & Walter, C. How English Works 1997 OUP
Thornbury, S. About Language 1997 CUP
Thornbury, S. How to Teach Grammar 1999 Longman
Thornbury, S. Uncovering Grammar 2001 Macmillan
Heinemann
Lexis
Gairns, R. & Redman, S. Working with Words 1986 CUP
Lewis, M (ed) Teaching Collocation 2000 LTP
Lewis, M Implementing the Lexical Approach 1997 LTP
McCarthy, M. Vocabulary 1990 OUP
Schmitt, N. Vocabulary in Language Teaching 2000 CUP
Thornbury, S. How to Teach Vocabulary 2002 Longman
Pronunciation
Dalton, C. & Seidlhofer, B. Pronunciation 1994 OUP
Kelly, G. How to Teach Pronunciation 2000 Longman

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Kenworthy, J. Teaching English Pronunciation 1987 Longman

Roach, P. English Phonetics and Phonology N.B. 1983 CUP
Also cassettes and tutor’s book
Underhill, A. Sound Foundations 1994 Heinemann
Discourse
Cook, G. Discourse 1989 OUP
McCarthy, M. Discourse Analysis for Language Teachers 1993 CUP
Listening
Anderson, A. / Lynch, T Listening 1988 OUP
Rost, M. Introducing Listening 1994 Penguin
White, G. Listening 1998 OUP
Reading
Nuttall, C. Teaching Reading Skills in a Foreign 1996 Heinemann
Language
Wallace, C. Reading 1992 OUP
Speaking
Brown, G. & Yule, G. Teaching the Spoken Language 1983 CUP
Bygate M. Speaking 1987 OUP
Nolasco, R. & Arthur, L. Conversation 1987 OUP
Writing
Hedge, T. Writing 1988 OUP
Raimes, A. Techniques in Teaching Writing 1983 OUP
White, R. & V. Arndt Process Writing 1991 Longman
Tribble, C. Writing 1996 OUP
Learning and Teaching
Bartram, M. & Walton, R. Correction 1991 LTP
Baxter, A. Evaluating Your Students 1997 Richmond
Bowen, T & Marks, J. Inside Teaching 1994 Heinemann
For more
Ellis, R. Second Language Acquisition. 1987 OUP
information about
Hedge, T. Teaching and Learning in the 2000 OUP
... the course
Language Classroom
Hughes, A. Testing for Language Teachers 1989 CUP
click www.thedistancedelta.com
Larsen-Freeman, D. Techniques and Principles in Language 2000 OUP call +44 (0)20 7518 6999
Teaching (2nd edition) contact The Distance Delta,
Lightbown, P. & Spada, N. How Languages are Learned OUP (2nd edition International House London,
1999) 106 Piccadilly, London,
Nunan, D. Language Teaching Methodology 1991 Prentice Hall W1J 7NL, UK.
Richards, J. The Language Teaching Matrix 1990 CUP
Richards, J., Platt, J. & Longman Dictionary of Applied 1992 (2nd edition)
Platt, H. Linguistics
Richards, J. & Rogers, T. Approaches and Methods in Language 1983 CUP
Teaching
Scrivener, J. Learning Teaching 1994 Heinemann
Swan, M. & Smith, B. Learner English 1987 CUP
Willis, D & Willis, J (eds) Challenge and Change in Language 1996 Heinemann
Teaching International House London
Course Design/ Materials T H E I N T E R N AT I O N A L H O U S E W O R L D O R G A N I S AT I O N

Dudeney, G. The Internet and the Language Classroom 2000 OUP

Graves, K. Designing Language Courses 2000 Newbury
House
Nunan, D. Syllabus Design 1988 OUP