annexure Testimonies about CELTA course TP1 2024

TP 1. 20 minutes. 30.9.08

I was only passed on TP1 and TP2. I was failed on all the others? WTF?

1st lesson, tomorrow, 20 minutes. I am the 5th of 5 trainees.

time x:00

This experiment looks at whether fluency increases with repetition.

We don't need to formally define fluency - it means that we are able to get our message across without painful delays.

The following adds detail to a skeletal lesson plan I have been supplied with by the course notes.

I have changed the plan (as advised by the course notes if I think it needs to be changed).

x:01

The previous person will have got everyone in the group to practice a little speech of about 3 minutes on a topic chosen from a list of topics. Different speakers may have chosen different topics.

We need an even number of students, so that students can pair up. If there is an odd number of students, I can make one of the groups a group of 3.

x:02

ask half the class to start off as listeners, and make a circle. People face outwards.

ask the others to make a circle around the other circle. people fact inwards.

(I do not attempt to micro-manage here what the group of 3 does. The simplest interpretation would seem to be that one person speaks and 2 people listen, but my policy is not to attempt to micro-manage this level of detail).

x:03

After the speakers have spoken (at the same time) for 2 minutes, ask them to stop, move to a new partner, and speak again for 2 minutes. After this, move to another partner and speak again for 2 minutes.

x:10

x:11

Now get the inside and outside circles to swap, and do the exercise again 3 more times.

x:17

At the end of all this, ask for comments on whether the speakers felt they were more fluent, after the repetition. Any other comments.

finish at x:20

it may be better not to micro-manage this. Instead we could ask for comments on fluency - and only go into detail if it is needed in order to draw comment.

My name is Richard. I am very pleased to be taking part in this course.

draw a circle, or display it on OHP.

what is it?

It's a circle.

Draw another circle with the same centre, and a larger radius.

what do we have now?

Two circles.

The people in the class will stand or sit in two circles.

The people in the outer circle face inwards.

The people in the inner circle face outwards.

Pair up with the nearest person in the other circle.

The person in the outer circle talks for 2 minutes. The person in the inner circle does not interrupt but may make encouraging utterances, e.g. yes, go on, ...

now ask the outer circle to move one place to the right, i.e. to a new partner, and do the exercise again. It is still the outer circle who are the speakers.

let them speak for 2 minutes.

Again, get new partners. Again, the speaker speaks for 2 minutes.

Leave time for review at end.

Those who were the speakers - did your fluency improve after repeating the exercise a couple of times?