CELTA teacher training course in Malta for 25 years
The Maltese experience of the Cambridge ESOL Certificate in English Language Teaching to Adults, commonly referred to as the CELTA, is 25 years old. In fact it was launched in Malta by the NSTS English Language Institute in May 1994.
The CELTA has been described as the ‘boot camp’ of all teacher training courses. While this may be true – it can be a tough journey towards becoming a communicative learner-centred teacher of English based on a very intensive schedule – it is also undoubtedly a rewarding and formative experience for all participants.
Originally designed by the Teaching Awards department at the University of Cambridge Local Examinations Syndicate as a pre-service course for novice teachers, in Malta especially, this course became a natural step of formal training and self-development for experienced English Language teachers too.
The hands-on training programme is based on practical workshops and seminars which expose course participants to learner-centred techniques and methodologies. It also encourages them to use them while they teach volunteer students throughout the duration of the course. One of the main strengths of this course is indeed this live lesson observation which is then followed by self-reflection on the part of the trainees, and honest, supportive verbal and written feedback given by the trainers.
Each course is formally assessed through the presence and scrutiny of an assessor, accredited by Cambridge Assessment English.
Assessors, who are themselves very experienced CELTA trainers, spend at least a day at NSTS, sampling all participants’ work, lesson observation feedback sheets and course schedules. They also observe the day’s teaching practice and sit through the feedback sessions. In this way, every course is assessed according to strict standardisation criteria which Cambridge demands, and course quality is guaranteed.
NSTS ELI has been offering the CELTA since May 1994 – 25 years of successful teacher training for a cohort of over 500 Maltese and foreign teachers. Many of these teachers have carried the benefits of this type of teaching over to the 40 local EFL Schools and Maltese Main Stream education. Indeed, many teach English regularly in local State, Private and Church schools.
This positive ‘ripple’ effect has clearly been recognised by local Education authorities who offer a partial CELTA course fee refund as a benefit within the Get Qualified Scheme and Jobs Plus.
NSTS offers two course formats: a full-time four-week intensive course (usually in May, August and November), and a part-time evening twelve-week course from December to February of each year.
The next CELTA course is scheduled for August, and the good news is that some places are still available. If interested, please contact us immediately on salesint@nsts.org.