DELTA (ELT)

The Delta is a professional qualification in English language teaching consisting of three modules awarded by Cambridge Assessment, formerly UCLES, a part of the University of Cambridge. The diploma is often seen as a follow-up to the certificate known as the CELTA, once the individual has done at least two years of teaching and has decided on a more long-term and serious commitment to the teaching of English. The diploma may include related non-teaching responsibilities (administration, training of teachers, and so on) if candidates decide to complete the diploma's Module Three English Language Teaching Management (ELTM) option.

The diploma is awarded upon passing a course which includes supervised teaching practice, observation of other teachers, completion of a range of written assignments, completion of an extended assignment, and a written examination. The Delta is available in many different countries throughout the world. The course can be taken part-time over a year or more, or full-time over a period of two to three months. Distance learning is also available. It is widely recognized around the world, as is the CELTA. The Delta is accredited in England by the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority at Level 7 on the UK National Qualifications Framework as are master’s degrees in related subject areas. The Delta is also integrated into some MA programs.

In 2008, the Delta replaced the DELTA (Diploma in English Language Teaching to Adults), which was introduced in 1999. It, in turn, replaced the DTEFLA, the Diploma in Teaching English as a Foreign Language to Adults, which was administered jointly by the RSA and UCLES. The earlier two qualifications were equivalent in level but the DELTA was more narrowly focused on teaching English as a foreign language; that is, the old qualification focussed on teaching English to those who need it for exams, study, work or travel, whereas the new qualification includes the needs of immigrants settling in anglophone countries.

Delta modules

Each of the three Delta modules is awarded independently.

Module One: Understanding language, methodology and resources for teaching

Module One is assessed through a written examination. The examination is three and a half hours and includes 2 papers. The papers are structured as follows^[1]:

Paper 1 (1.5 hours)

Task 1 Task:Labelling task Task type(s): Six definitions of ELT-related terms are provided. Candidates supply the correct term. Timing: 5 minutes Task Focus:Knowledge of language systems; skills; methodology and approaches; assessment.

Task 2 Task:Short written response Task type(s):Six terms are provided. Candidates must choose four of these and supply a definition and an appropriate example. Timing: 1hour 15 minutes Task Focus:Knowledge of language systems; skills; methodology and approaches; assessment.

Task 3 Task:Longer written response Task type(s):Candidates are given a writing or speaking skills task from published ELT/ESOL course material or published exam material. Candidates are asked to identify the appropriate sub-skills/features of discourse (e.g. ordering information, linking information, use of appropriate salutation) which they would train specified learners in to complete the task. Timing:15 minutes Task Focus:Understanding of skills and ability to identify appropriate sub-skills. Understanding of features of spoken and written discourse which contribute to successful communication, e.g. register, cohesion, organisation, range of grammar and lexis.

Task 4 Task:Longer written response Task type(s):An authentic text is provided, e.g. a newspaper article, a leaflet, a brochure, a form. Candidates are asked to identify features of the text which are typical of its genre and to identify and explain the form, meaning, use and phonological features of three different language items or areas highlighted in the text. For one of the items or areas, candidates are also asked to identify possible learner problems with form, meaning, use and pronunciation, as appropriate. Timing:30 minutes Task Focus:Ability to analyse features of language and to identify problems learners may have with them.

Task 5 Task:Longer written response Task type(s):An authentic spoken (transcribed) or written text produced by a learner is provided. Candidates are given a set of specific areas to analyse in the text, e.g. use of collocation, communicative success, cohesion’. Candidates must provide a detailed analysis of the main strengths and weaknesses in the areas given. Timing:25 minutes Task Focus:Ability to analyse and explain learner errors in written and spoken discourse. Understanding of features of spoken and written discourse which contribute to successful communication, e.g. register, cohesion, organisation, range of grammar and lexis.

Paper 2 (1.5 hours)

Task 1 Task:Longer written response Task type(s):An extract from a test is provided, along with the context and purpose of its use. The extract may be from a public exam, a commercially produced test (e.g. a placement test or a coursebook progress test), or a teacher-generated test. Candidates must provide a brief evaluation of its effectiveness for the stated purpose. Timing:20 minutes Task Focus:Understanding of key concepts and terminology related to assessment. Ability to evaluate types of assessment and their purposes. Ability to relate principles of assessment to the classroom.

Task 2 Task:Longer written response Task type(s):An extract from published coursebook material is provided. Candidates must identify the purpose of specified individual activities and stages in the material, and comment on key assumptions about language learning that are evident in the exercises. Timing:25 minutes Task Focus:Analysis of resources, approaches and methodologies, and learners and contexts.

Task 3 Task:Longer written response Task type(s):Based on the same extract as Task 2, candidates must identify and comment on how specified activities and stages in the material support the activities and stages discussed in Task 2. Timing:10 minutes Task Focus:Analysis of resources, approaches and methodologies, and learners and contexts.

Task 4 Task:Longer written response Task type(s):Candidates are provided with ELT-related input, e.g. one or two extracts from material for teachers or from a methodology/resource book, a lesson plan extract, a transcript of teachers discussing a lesson, an extract from tutor feedback. Candidates answer specific questions about the material, e.g. interpreting the teacher’s role as exemplified in the material, discussing the implications this view of teaching has for classroom practice. this could include analysis of: both historical and current perspectives on approaches and methodologies, theories of language acquisition, resources, learner and teacher roles. Timing:35 minutes Task Focus:Analysis of resources, approaches and methodologies, learners and contexts, language acquisition and teacher roles

Module Two: Developing professional practice

Module Two is assessed through a portfolio of coursework, including observed lessons, background written assignments, and an externally-assessed lesson observation. In order to pass students must have passed an external observation and one fo the 3 internal observations. Failure to pass the external examination will result in the student failing the entire module.

Module Three: Extending practice and English language teaching specialism

Module Three includes research into specialist areas, principles of syllabus design and implications for specific learning contexts, designing syllabus and teaching programmes to meet the needs of learners in the specific context of the selected specialism, course design and development in the specific context of the selected specialism, the principles and practice of testing and assessment and application to the candidate’s specialist area, monitoring and evaluating the effectiveness and quality of courses and programmes of study.

Module Three is assessed through an extended written assignment.

Accreditation in the United Kingdom

The Delta is accredited by the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority as a Diploma in Teaching ESOL at NQF level 7 on the National Qualifications Framework for England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Following government restructuring of Further Education (FE) the Delta alone will be insufficient to teach ESOL/EFL in FE from 2010. An extension module has been created to help teachers and lecturers currently in employment and who already hold the Delta to upgrade their qualification to the required Level 4 certificate of subject specialism. However, teachers and lecturers employed from September 2010 onwards will be required to have completed a specialised Post-Graduate Certificate in Education (PGCE) at NQF Level 7, as well as the Level 4 certificate, regardless of Delta certification. Unlike the Delta, the PGCE confers professional teacher status (QTS/QTLS). That said, to be eligible to apply for a Delta course, applicants must have at least two years' full time (1,200 hours) experience of teaching English to adults in a variety of different contexts and at different levels, within the five years prior to enrolment and have an initial teaching qualification,^[2] such as the Cambridge Certificate in English Language Teaching to Adults (CELTA) or the Trinity College London Certificate in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (CertTESOL), whereas a preliminary teaching qualification and previous teaching experience is not a formal requirement for entry on to a PGCE programme.^[3]

See also

• CELTA
• Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL) for a discussion of travel-teaching

Notes

1. ^ http://teflteacher.wordpress.com/module-1-tasks/
2. ^ http://www.cambridgeesol.org/exams/teaching-awards/delta.html
3. ^ http://www.tda.gov.uk/get-into-teaching/teacher-training-options/pgce.aspx

External links

• DELTA - Official DELTA site
• Distance DELTA - Information on distance learning for the DELTA