Module One


 

Hi all,

I just wanted to share my feelings of module one of the modular Delta course, with advice, as little is available or known about this on the internet. To simplify my explanations/opinions, I'll use bullet points. I completed the course recently, December 2009, and the exam on December 2nd 2009. The result is due in February 2010 - two months is the said time.

 

 

 

 

 

 

  1. First and second language acquisition.
  2. Language testing and assessment.
  3. Discourse analysis.
  4. Phonology (with a little Phonetics).
  5. Reading, Writing, Listening and Speaking skills.
  6. Language teaching methods/methodology/concepts.
  7. Vocabulary/Lexis - teaching.

 

 

  1. Advice Jeremy Harmer gave me: rather than read every chapter of a book front to back, first read the conclusion and then the first page or two of a chapter - this helps focusing on what you need to read, and helps avoid reading what you do not need to read. There is a lot of information that is not needed for module one's exam. Focus on what your tutors tell you to focus on. Bell school (my school) informed us well here with exactly what we needed to know. The books however include more than you need.
  2. Summarise your summary! You need to improve or learn summary skills. The exam demands short, concise and well-informed responses/answers/explanations. You are on a short time limit for every section of the exam, and you will be pushed to read fast, and write very concise and well informed responses. Past examinees failed due to writing too much, or writing what they were not asked to write about, or for simply being ill-informed. For practice, try writing about a certain topic i.e. why you think the author of your school textbook wrote the unit in such a manner - why is Exercise One like this? What is its purpose? How does Exercise One relate to Exercise Two? How does it relate to the whole unit? After you write your answer - summarise it. Use bullet points. What are your students' strengths and weaknesses? Write your answer - then summarise it!
  3. So - know a lot about language teaching, and be able to explain that knowledge concisely. This is the main point of module one in my eyes.

 

 

 

 

So! If you want to learn a lot, and can take the pressure, and really want to prove that you care about your profession: Go for it!

 

Best wishes,

 

Elliott Brett