Cambridge ESOL DELTA Recognition

I'm really pleased that OFQUAL has now recognised the Cambridge ESOL DELTA (Diploma in English Language Teaching to Adults~including 16 to 18 year olds)  as equivalent to an MA. It helps to make all the hard work worthwhile phew. Here's the article from an ELT website.

DELTA recognized as being at same level as Master's degree

Ofqual, the exams regulator of the UK government, has confirmed that Cambridge ESOL's Delta qualification for teachers is at the same level as a Master's degree or a professional diploma in the European Union. This is a result of Delta being placed at level 7 of the UK government’s Qualification and Credit Framework (QCF), making it the only English language teaching diploma currently included at this level.

Welcoming this new recognition, Cambridge ESOL's Chief Executive Dr Mike Milanovic says: “Teachers holding this qualification demonstrate a very high level of expertise indeed and we're delighted by this acknowledgment from Ofqual. This reflects the quality standards associated with the Delta qualification which is great news for teachers and the millions of students around the world learning English.”

Delta is a qualification aimed at those wanting to teach non-native English speakers and can be taken at any stage of a teacher's career.

http://www.eltnews.com/news/archives/2011/05/delta_recognize.html

Humanistic Teaching Approaches

Earl Stevick along with Carl Rogers can aptly be regarded as two of the leading pioneers of  humanistic/ student centred/ creative teaching approaches. Here Earl Stevick points out the importance of stepping back. I've included this as recent research has shown that the average waiting time a teacher gives to a student to answer a question is a mere two seconds. Then he or she usually answers his/ her own question which is usually of the display type (the teacher already knows the answer) rather than the open type which actually facilitates a real conversation.

“By failing – or even refusing – to get out of the way, the teacher becomes the Controlling Parent. Just how often to ‘get out of the way,’ and how soon, and how far, are matters of judgement which cannot be prescribed here or in any other book. In general, however, most of us would do well to step further aside, and sooner and more often, than we are accustomed to doing. As the teacher learns to limit himself, he can give more independent meaning and value to others in the classroom” (p. 123). Earl Stevick