The DELTA Diaries: 4 thoughts after 1 month

As I mentioned a few posts back, I am currently taking the Cambridge DELTA course, an advanced qualification in English Language Teaching.

Since that post, a lot has gone on.

Module One of the course, which I am doing online through ESOL Strasbourg, kicked off in early April.

This part of the program covers a lot of theory about language acquisition, discourse analysis, English Language teaching methods...and many other points that I am either woefully or somewhat ignorant of.

After one month, I have 4 thoughts about the course.

1. This is a lot of work


When you read about doing the DELTA, it is always clearly stated that the course requires plenty of work.

I am here today to tell you that this is true. If you think you there are special circumstances that will exempt you from the workload, as in general intelligence, good test-tasking skills, or lots of teaching experience, think again.

2. Previous qualifications with the magic letters EL in them would have been useful


There is, however,  one special circumstance that does seem to be an advantage for going in for the DELTA: holding other qualifications with the magic acronyms "E" and "L".

I am one of "those candidates" who was accepted into the program based on experience, but I don't have a certificate-qualification-thingy including the letters "E" and "L". Oh yes, there is my Bachelor's degree in English Literature -- "E" and "L" -- but this is of precious little help when trying to learn what a suprasegmental is.

The learners in my course who already have "EL" quals seem a bit more comfortable for the moment.

3. I'm glad I have a book budget

I have been provided with 2 hefty reading lists; one is the "official ESOL Strasbourg" reading list, and another is an updated list suggested by one of our tutors. Surfing around the web, I have found yet other reading lists from reputable institutions.

So far I have invested in about 20 books at an average of about 20 euros each, so you can do the math. I must say the majority either have already been useful, or look like they will be useful.

I remember reading somewhere that proximity to a well-stocked ELT resource library was a real plus for the DELTA; since there certainly isn't one of those in Rodez,  I'm trying to build a modest version myself.



4. Online learning does, indeed, require discipline

I'm doing the course while working full-time, and I would say the workload is manageable, but significant. I'll be taking the formidable Module One test in early December, so my group has about 8 months to prepare.

For the first month of Module One, I put in 50 hours of work, including reading, preparing the assignments, studying, and interacting on the class wiki. I haven't officially "scheduled in" time for the class, but it has simply become my default activity.

My rule of thumb has been to work at least an hour per night on four out of five week nights, plus 6 to 8 hours total over the weekend.

In order to stick to it, I go into robot mode: I get home, do a few things around the house, and sit straight down to a 60-90 minute work session. Sometimes it is a real effort; but most times I look forward to it.


I've been discouraged a few times, but when I look back at how much I've learned in just one month, I figure that the endeavor is both doable and worthwhile.

Back to Barcelona

(Inside the Sagrada Familia)

As part of my job the past three years, I have been lucky enough to take study trips with my students to Barcelona.

This year, as in 2010, we went to the Alimentaria professional trade fair, a major networking event for the international food and drink industry.

We stayed only one night, and had a free day after the fair. I took advantage of this time to visit the Sagrada Familia Basilica, which I had last visited in 1987 -- before it had become a basilica.

The interior is spectacular, but also so spankingly new that it made for a sharp contrast with my vague memories of my visit 25 years ago. I don't recall much, but it seems at that time it was a somewhat creepy, half-open space.

Do you remember anything about the Sagrada Familia during the 80s?

Hitting the books

My life is about to veer off in a new direction: I am undertaking a major professional development course.

I have been teaching English as a Foreign Language for over 15 years now, but I don't actually have formal training in it.

Sure, I have a diploma in English literature from here, and a post-Bachelor teaching certificate from here, and, for 8 years, I taught French to high school students here.

Plus I have plenty of experience, which does count for something -- thank heaven!

But last fall, after having spent a few years haunting the ESL/EFL Twitterverse and blogosphere, I started to realize that something was missing, or at least I was missing something: formal training and a theoretical background in exactly what I do. Not just teaching, not just English, but teaching English as a foreign language.

So, starting next week, I will be hitting the books, preparing Module One of the Cambridge DELTA qualification.

This first part of the 3-module course is all online learning. A wiki will be involved, but so will old-fashioned reading and writing, with an official exam to take in Paris in December 2012.

As part of this experience, I hope to revive this blog, but it may take an educational bent...or I might end up publishing my teaching reflections on another online space.

So, I'm going back to school at 52, in a way that I never could have imagined even 10 years ago.

Wish me luck...

Diverse News

(My daughter is on the left...)

I haven't taken to this space for so long that it is intimidating.

It's not for a lack of anything to blog about; there is plenty of news.

I have been accepted to do the Cambridge DELTA program -- or perhaps I should write "programme" since it is a Cambridge thing and all.

Our elder daughter is finishing her "Licence" and will be going to a musical comedy academy in Paris next year.

My younger daughter just got back from a study trip to Mumbai. As a friend of mine pointed out, she remembers when study trips were no more than 100km from home. For that matter, when I was in school, they were called "field trips" and were usually in our town.

My husband is planning some office/garage expansion, although the house isn't really finished. And yes, we have been living here for 12 years. Such is life.

Times are beyond busy. My main objective for tomorrow?

To take the Christmas tree down.

The world from my window today

The world from my home office window, today at 8:30 am

The world from my home office window, today at 10:30 am

A certain fascination with train travel

I dropped someone off at the Rodez train station today.

Despite its modest proportions, I think the Gare de Rodez has quite a bit of charm to it.

But then again, I admit to a certain fascination with train travel.

I wish I did more of it.

A favorite building in Rodez

This is one of my favorite buildings in Rodez. I like to call it our little Pyramide du Louvre.

I'm not sure if it is still being lit up in the evening like it was at the time I took this photo, though.