Results day is always a bit of an emotional rollercoaster. After months of waiting, I have finally received news that I completed my final DELTA module. For those who are not familiar with this teaching qualification, DELTA stands for Diploma in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages* (see below). It is a regulated qualification awarded by the University of Cambridge. I am, therefore, DELTA-qualified six years into my teaching career.
After teaching EFL in various contexts - business English, exam preparation, CLIL and topic-based courses - for six years, I feel this is a suitable moment to look back on my teaching and reflect on my professional learning to date. Starting from this September, I shall focus more on teaching English for Academic Purposes (EAP) at universities in Milan and Bozen, Italy. It is a new challenge that I am very much looking forward to taking on. I won't leave the EFL world altogether - I shall keep doing what I have done at the British Council in Milan.
Over the next twelve months or so, I am planning on sharing some of my key learning points in teaching EFL in a series of blog posts. These posts are not meant to be comprehensive lists of do's and don'ts, but rather my brief accounts of exploring specific areas of teaching and learning. You are more than welcome to contribute your ideas too!
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* To give you some background context, many to-be English as a Foreign Language (EFL) teachers undertake pre-service training to gain an initial qualification. Most people go for the Cambridge CELTA or Trinity CertTESOL, either of which is offered globally through private language schools as teacher training centres. I did mine at International House Milan when it was still a thriving place for teachers and trainee teachers alike. After several years' teaching experience, ideally in a variety of EFL contexts, teachers who plan to make a long-term career in this field can choose to obtain a further qualification. The choice is rather between the Cambridge DELTA or Trinity DipTESOL.