How is the Delta different from the CELTA?

So, you’ve finally done it. You’re ready. You’ve been preparing. You’ve been teaching for some time after your CELTA, and you’re ready for the next step – be it a senior teacher / middle management position, an eventual move into teacher education, or maybe even a move to curriculum or assessment design. You’ve decided to take the plunge, and embark on the Delta – so what should you expect?

What is Delta?

You may remember (hopefully you do) how your CELTA or initial qualification courses were organised – very often, with assessed teaching practice, interactive, lively input sessions on a variety of topics, and an incredible amount of work. Some of these things are still important on the Delta, however, many points you encounter will be quite different.

The Delta is divided up into three modules, rather than being one “cohesive” course, and each of the modules has a different focus. These are defined by Cambridge as covering the following:

Module 1: Theory and Methodology, assessed by an exam which can be taken regardless of a preparation course
Module 2: Practical Component (with assessed teaching practice)
Module 3: ELT Specialism (curriculum design and course planning, unless you take the possible focus on ELT management, which is its own sort of thing)

So, those inputs we were talking about? The assessed teaching practice? Those are all part of module 2, which is generally considered to be one of the most challenging parts of the course. The overall organisation, particularly if you’ve done a CELTA, should be mostly familiar to you. So where does this leave the other two modules?

The main differences

The first difference that you’ll encounter, whether you’re embarking on the first or the third module, is that there’s going to be a lot more work which is required from you. In this article, we’ll be mostly focusing on the first module because the preparation process for both is similar.

As the first module focuses on methodology, there is going to be a large focus on reading and independent preparation. On courses like CELTA, you’re given inputs which are clear, concise, digested chunks of information which are designed to give you the essentials.

On the Delta, you’re going to be diving into the readings, texts, books, and articles which your trainers were using to design your inputs earlier – that is, you’ll be exposed to the theories and ideas which underlie all of the techniques which you’re accustomed to using in your own lessons (and, if you’re anything like I was, even more than that!). The reading which is required to succeed in these modules is extensive, and you should be ready to devote the necessary time to this in order to succeed.

In Module 1 preparation, for example, the tutor’s primary role is to help guide you along, showing you the key texts, theories, and ideas that you need to be familiar with and help you understand, process, and apply them in the context of the exam.

This means that a lot of your interaction with your tutor is going to be via the feedback which you receive on the tasks you submit. Delta Module 1 is, after all, assessed by an exam, so the preparation is focused both on learning and being exposed to the necessary theories and how to complete the exam tasks in an appropriate way which will be accepted by the markers in order to ensure that you’re able to show the depth of your knowledge on exam day.

Occasionally, some trainees feel that the second sort of feedback is a bit superficial, or even pedantic, but it’s every bit as important as the theoretical knowledge if you want to achieve the best result that you can.

This isn’t to say that your tutor is going to be hands-off – there will, of course, be inputs and consultations designed to give you time to ask questions and be guided through the ocean of information you’re exposed to, however, these are designed to be the introduction to what you’re learning – they’re just the start, not the finish, and you will still need the methodological knowledge gained by being well-read in key topic areas.

If your background in teaching is limited to what you learned on CELTA, as was mine when I completed the Delta once upon a time, then you’ll be introduced to a new world of ideas which, at least from my experience, need time to process and get your head around fully.

There is, of course, good news. The good news is that here at Grade Education Centre, we have a team of professional, well-qualified tutors who are ready to help you in your development. If you think the Delta is for you – and you still think you’re ready to take the plunge – then get in touch with our teacher training department to find your course today.