Starting this summer, International House London will be offering a new level 6 course, the Trinity Certificate for Practising Teachers (Cert PT). This is an opportunity for teachers already working in the industry to enrich their classes by improving their skills. This qualification allows trainees to choose the focus of their studies themselves, to work independently and to transform their career by gaining a respected qualification. In this blog we’re going to take a detailed look at what this course involves, and who it might be suitable for.
What skills will you gain from this course?
The Trinity Cert PT will be run as an additional option to a course which we we currently run, our Practical Teacher course. This allows those trainees wishing to take the Trinity Cert PT course to focus on developing resources, practical ideas and methods to liven up classrooms and motivate students. The knowledge gained in the first two weeks of the course will then be applied during the later section of the course to achieve the Cert PT qualification.
The focus of the Trinity Cert PT is designing materials. This can be adapted to a range of contexts, to fit around the learners, abilities and needs you work with, and the skills you’d like to focus on.
Who is the course for?
The Trinity Cert PT is a level 6 qualication. For context, a CELTA is a level 5 qualification, and a Delta is a level 7. The Cert PT course does not require a CELTA to be able to apply. Those with a CELTA or other level 5 teaching qualification and 6 months teaching experience can take the course, for those without a CELTA, 2 years of teaching experience is required.
The course requires a minimum English level of C1, opening up opportunity for more practising English teachers to boost their qualifications and enrich their classes.
What does the course involve?
The initial course will be a two week face-to-face course in our Covent Garden school including guided learning, group work, individual work and tutorials, followed by 2 more weeks of independent learning, during which trainees will have access to another one-to-one tutorial by Zoom or email. There will be 30 hours of face-to-face classes during the first 2 weeks as well as 20 hours in independent study, then 50 hours of independent work following the course.
In order to gain the qualification, teachers are being tested on their ability and skills when it comes to designing materials, not actual teaching a class. For this reason there are no practical teaching hours involved in the course. The focus instead is on developing the resources of teachers who are already practising teaching on a daily basis in their own classrooms.
How will you be assessed?
The Cert PT is assess through four written assignments on the following topics: evaluate a resource, adapt a resource, create a resource, reflect on the use of a resource. Assignments will be started during the course and then completed during the self-study period in the weeks afterwards. You will work with teaching resources that are relevant to you and your teaching context. You can try new materials in your classroom, and gather feedback and data from peers or students to use when writing the essays. You will have a tutorial during this time to support you with the assignments.
If you are interested in joining us for our Trinity Cert PT course, why not find out more information by visiting our website, or contacting us.