23 Sep The first DELTA Module 2 at IH Bucharest: 7 points summing up the trainees’ feedback

Author: Ilinca Stroe

The Teacher Training Centre of International House Bucharest became just about a year ago the only place accredited to run all the three modules of the DELTA course in Romania. Of course, we were planning to provide the modules face to face. That kind of direct interaction was desirable especially for Module 2, the only one that includes teaching practice. But the pandemic had it otherwise. So due approval was asked for and given by Cambridge for an online Module 2 which we premiered in the summer of 2021. It required great adaptation and extra effort, and in the end it was a first we were quite happy with.

The honest feedback we received from the trainees on their completion of the module can only help us build up on this first experience and become an even more solid and appealing provider of the DELTA course in Romania and the region. Because for us feedback is definitely key to confidence and improvement.

1. Overall experience of the course: 50% excellent, 50% good

The trainees appreciated the fact that the course provided them with all the information they needed, and things got only better as the course progressed, especially due to an “amazing trainer”. Some of the respondents suggested the pace was a little too fast, and more time should have been allowed for designing controlled practice activities such as guided discoveries.

2. Interview process: 75% excellent, 25% good

Most of the trainees thought the interview process was well managed, “easy and clear”, with the centre providing everything that was needed for it to run smoothly. One trainee lamented the fact that the course, at first advertised as face-to-face, had to be delivered online, after all, and so their initial travel arrangements suffered some inconvenient changes.

3. Input sessions: 50% excellent, 50% good

Again, the input was found to improve from good to excellent as the course progressed. The sessions were considered “very helpful”, conveying everything that was needed for the trainees to perform well and meet the assessment criteria. One respondent pointed out that, “for optimal effect”, more time should be allocated for input, as the syllabus is quite dense, while another stated that the input “was an excellent way to refresh my memory and learn new things”.

4. Support and feedback on assignments: 25% excellent, 75% good

Some trainees would have preferred to be able to hand the trainers a draft before the submission proper. There was some confusion as to whether help was to be given by default by the tutors, or asked for explicitly (“some of my peers weren’t sure if they were allowed to ask for help”). One respondent mentioned that they received assistance on request, and they were happy with it. Apparently, feedback improved considerably during the last month of the course.

5. Support and feedback for teaching practice: 75% excellent, 25% good

Some of the trainees pointed out a slight delay in feedback during the first month of the course, but the expectations and requirements related to the teaching practice were overall “quite clear”. There was a feeling that the tutors “had [the trainees’] best interests at heart”, and on the other hand the Romanian learners attending the TP classes “were great to work with”.

6. Access to course resources on the Google Drive: 50% excellent, 50% fair

While some of the trainees said they “found all the resources [they] needed for the course”, others thought the resources for teaching and research were insufficient at first, but improvement was seen once they asked for extra help. There were suggestions that a website especially dedicated to course resources should be created, as it would make the materials “more visible and easier to find”.

7. Experience with the course tutors: 75% excellent, 25% good

Both of the course tutors were found to be “very well prepared but very different in their approach”. Taking into account “the human factor” was much appreciated, and supportiveness, helpfulness and clarity on the part of the tutors were particularly valued. Some of the words used by the respondents to describe their overall perception of the tutors were “outstanding”, “excellent”, “very experienced”, “very positive”, “easy to talk to”.

Having delivered our first DELTA Module 2 course, we ourselves feel we have learnt a lot from our trainees, being now better able to identify exactly the points where we can operate changes so that the next Module 2 we run is better, more impactful and more rewarding for trainers and trainees alike.

International House Bucharest runs regular CELTA and DELTA courses for teachers of English at its Teacher Training Centre, as well as training events online, onsite or at partner locations. To sign up for a course or event, contact celta@ih.ro.