TEFL/TESOL Certificate (CELTA) Professional Development and Written Assignments Syllabus

Professional Development and Written Assignments syllabus — full chapter and topic list

Expand any chapter to see its topics and sub-topics. This is the whole examinable outline for Professional Development and Written Assignments in TEFL/TESOL Certificate (CELTA), not a summary of it.

1. 1

   The Four Written Assignments

   4 topics

   • Focus on the learner
     • Profiling an individual learner's needs
     • Identifying strengths and weaknesses
     • Recommending learning activities
   • Language-related tasks
     • Analysing meaning, form, phonology and use
     • Anticipating problems and solutions
   • Language skills assignment
     • Selecting and analysing an authentic text
     • Designing skills-based tasks
     • Justifying task rationale
   • Lessons from the classroom
     • Reflecting on teaching strengths
     • Identifying areas for development
     • Action plan for future growth
2. 2

   Reflective Practice and Observation

   3 topics

   • Self-evaluation
     • Structured post-lesson reflection
     • Identifying patterns across lessons
   • Receiving and acting on feedback
     • Engaging with tutor feedback
     • Setting and tracking action points
   • Learning through observation
     • Observing experienced teachers
     • Peer observation tasks
3. 3

   Continuing Professional Development

   3 topics

   • Career pathways in ELT
     • Teaching contexts after CELTA
     • Further qualifications (Delta, MA TESOL)
   • Ongoing development
     • Professional associations (e.g. IATEFL)
     • Conferences, journals and online communities
     • Keeping a teaching journal
   • Professional and ethical responsibilities
     • Safeguarding and duty of care
     • Equality, diversity and inclusion in the classroom

Professional Development and Written Assignments flashcards for TEFL/TESOL Certificate (CELTA)

21 of 51 cards from the Professional Development and Written Assignments deck — real questions with worked answers.

1. In the CELTA 'Focus on the Learner' written assignment, what is the main aim?

   To identify a learner's (or group of learners') needs and learning preferences by analysing their background, strengths and difficulties, and then to recommend and justify appropriate activities or resources to address those needs.

2. What two broad categories of information are typically gathered for the CELTA 'Focus on the Learner' assignment?

   Learner background/profile information (e.g. age, L1, nationality, learning history, motivation, learning style) and a language/skills needs analysis (specific strengths and weaknesses in language systems and the four skills).

3. Name common methods used to collect data about a learner for the 'Focus on the Learner' assignment.

   Learner questionnaires, informal interviews/conversations, diagnostic tasks or tests, observation in class, and analysis of the learner's written or spoken output.

4. What are the 'four skills' that a CELTA learner-needs analysis covers?

   Reading, Listening (receptive skills) and Speaking, Writing (productive skills).

5. What are the 'language systems' that a CELTA needs analysis examines?

   Grammar, Lexis (vocabulary), Phonology (pronunciation), and Discourse.

6. In ELT, what does the term 'L1' mean and why is it relevant to the 'Focus on the Learner' assignment?

   L1 is the learner's first/native language; it is relevant because L1 influence can cause predictable errors (interference/transfer) in pronunciation, grammar and word choice in English.

7. What is meant by 'L1 interference' (or negative transfer)?

   When features of a learner's first language are incorrectly carried over into English, producing errors — e.g. word order, false friends, or sounds that do not exist in the L1.

8. In the CELTA 'Language Related Tasks' (LRT) assignment, what must a trainee analyse about a given language item?

   Its meaning, form, pronunciation, and appropriacy/use, plus anticipated problems learners may have and how to check understanding (e.g. concept checking).

9. What does MFP/MPF stand for when analysing language for a CELTA assignment?

   Meaning, Form (Pronunciation) — the three core dimensions a teacher must analyse for any language item: what it means, how it is constructed, and how it is said.

10. What is a CCQ in CELTA terminology and why is it used?

    A Concept Checking Question — a simple question that checks learners understand the meaning of a target item without using the item itself or asking 'Do you understand?'.

11. Give an example of a CCQ for the sentence 'She used to smoke.'

    'Does she smoke now?' (No) / 'Did she smoke in the past?' (Yes) / 'Did she do it regularly?' (Yes) — these check the past habit meaning.

12. When analysing 'form' for a language item, what details should a CELTA trainee include?

    The grammatical structure/parts of speech, the pattern (e.g. subject + used to + base verb), affirmative/negative/question forms, and any contractions or spelling rules.

13. When analysing 'pronunciation' for a language item, what features should be noted?

    Word/sentence stress, individual phonemes (using phonemic script), weak forms, contractions, and connected-speech features such as elision or linking.

14. What is 'appropriacy' (use) when analysing a piece of language?

    Whether the item is formal/informal, spoken/written, and the context or register in which it is naturally used.

15. In the CELTA 'Language Skills' assignment, what must a trainee select and justify?

    An authentic reading or listening text and accompanying productive (speaking/writing) tasks, justifying why the text and tasks suit a particular group of learners.

16. What is the difference between a 'receptive' skill and a 'productive' skill?

    Receptive skills (reading, listening) involve understanding/decoding language input; productive skills (speaking, writing) involve generating language output.

17. What does an 'authentic text' mean in ELT, as required for the Language Skills assignment?

    A text produced for real-life communicative purposes by/for native or competent speakers, not specially written or simplified for language teaching.

18. Distinguish between 'gist' (skim) reading and 'detailed' (scan/intensive) reading tasks.

    Gist/skimming reads quickly for the general idea or main points; scanning locates specific information; detailed/intensive reading processes the text closely for full comprehension.

19. What is a 'sub-skill' of reading or listening? Give two examples.

    A specific micro-strategy used when processing a text — e.g. reading for gist (skimming), reading for specific information (scanning), reading for detail, inferring meaning, predicting, and understanding text organisation.

20. In a receptive-skills lesson, why is a 'lead-in' or pre-text stage used?

    To generate interest, activate learners' background (schematic) knowledge of the topic, set context, and pre-teach essential vocabulary so the text is more accessible.

21. What is 'top-down' versus 'bottom-up' processing in receptive skills?

    Top-down uses prior knowledge, context and expectations to make sense of a text; bottom-up builds meaning from individual sounds/words upward to the whole.

See more Professional Development and Written Assignments flashcards →

Planning Professional Development and Written Assignments for TEFL/TESOL Certificate (CELTA)

Professional Development and Written Assignments (TEFL/TESOL Certificate (CELTA)) FAQ