For me, the biggest take-away from the Delta was it helped me to understand why we did certain things in the classroom, things that we were told to do on our CELTA course and we simply did without question. With the Delta, things started to fall into place and started to make much more sense. I started to understand the theory underpinning what I was doing. This has been an ongoing process ever since but the Delta was the starting point.
Post-Delta I began to feel more confident in my teaching. That confidence came from having a better understanding of methodology and refining the techniques I was using. I prepared more engaging, better-quality materials which made more pedagogical sense and I was able to deliver more effective lessons that I knew the students were getting more out of. The course also deepening my understanding of language. I was now undaunted by the tricky questions student would ask. Like most people, I want to be as good as I can be at whatever I do but with something like teaching, attaining a higher standard requires at least some help. It’s not always immediately apparent how you can improve professionally by yourself and therefore there is a real need for training. The Delta was the perfect way for me to up my game. I believe if you do the course, you will notice the difference and so will your students.
With the Delta came an array of career opportunities. My primary objective was to get into teacher training but it’s led to everything from examining for different exam boards, including for the Cambridge Delta, doing consultancy work all over the world and publishing material both in print and online. I’ve only ever dabbled in ELT management but of course that is another post-Delta option and a common motivation for many taking the course. Whatever direction you want to go in, I’m a firm believer that having diversity in your work, and also simply having a greater number of work options, keeps you fresh and keeps you motivated.
One of the plus points of teaching training is that you often work on a course with other trainers and therefore there is a sense a camaraderie and teamwork which is sometimes absent from teaching. But just as importantly, being a trainer has broadened my skillset in numerous ways. For example, just giving other teachers and trainees feedback on their lessons is not as easy as it would seem. How do you tell someone, constructively, their lesson wasn’t very good and better still, how do you get them to realise that and tell you how it could be better? There is also a mentoring element to training and that too requires a different set of interpersonal skills.
So, whatever direction you go in post-Delta, you will be able to tailor that path to one that suits you and takes you to where you want to go. I’m sure it’ll be a rewarding one and possibly even a little more lucrative!
Nick Witherick
