As an experienced English language teacher, you might be thinking of how you can advance your career and level up your teaching skills. If you are aiming to take the Cambridge Delta diploma qualification, the IH Certificate in Advanced Methodology (IH CAM) will help you prepare for this.
The IH CAM is a methodology-based course, aiming to increase theoretical knowledge and improve practical teaching ability. By taking this course, you will gain a greater insight into English language teaching through sessions covering theories of language learning, language learners, skills and systems.
Tania Podieniezhna, ADOS (YL) at IH Kyiv, took the course recently. Here, she shares her thoughts and experience on the IH CAM.
Why did you decide to take the IH Certificate of Advanced Methodology with International House’s OTTI?
It was recommended by my colleagues at IH Kyiv who had taken it some years ago. They said it really boosted their theoretical knowledge of modern ESL methodology.
How did you find the IH Certificate of Advanced Methodology content?
The content was very useful and helped me with my lessons. Apart from some revision from the CELTA course, we learned a lot of new things. It helped me to become a more reflective teacher, more aware of what I'm doing in the classroom and why. There were some topics I didn’t find relevant (e.g., Theories of Learning and Teaching), but later they really helped me at my Delta Module 2.
What is the most valuable aspect of the IH Certificate of Advanced Methodology?
Communication with the trainers and trainees, discussions, sharing experience and opportunity to ask questions. Another really valuable thing was the feedback from our trainers on the homework we did every week. We had fantastic trainers, Ryan, Andrew and Bernardo, who were helpful and eager to share their experience.
Would you recommend taking the IH Certificate of Advanced Methodology?
Absolutely, especially if you’re going to do Delta. There were 2 trainees on my Delta course who had done CAM, me and my colleague, and all the other trainees said they were surprised at how much we knew, and that they regretted not taking CAM before doing Delta. Frankly speaking, doing Delta without any theoretical preparation is doomed to become a stressful, even daunting experience. CAM is a perfect solution.
How did you find the process of learning and being taught online?
I really liked it that the course lasted about 6 months and we took only 1 module per week, so it wasn’t overwhelming and gave me time to process things and relate them to my teaching practice.
Would you recommend the OTTI (Online Teacher Training Institute) to a friend or colleague?
Yes, it’s a really effective platform for online learning.
The next IH Certificate in Advanced Methodology course starts on October 17th, 2020.
