Cambridge English publishes CELTA entry at high C1 or above and centres assess suitability; a certificate is not always required. Syllabus Topic 2 (language analysis and awareness) adds a second layer: form, meaning, phonology, and teachable examples. Hobbs (2013) warns that short certificates can feel like survival when language load is too high. Ready trainees check both layers before they enrol.
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Scrivener (2005) names three broad teacher roles: explainer (mainly telling), involver (methodology that pulls learners into work while the teacher steers), and enabler (shared control and conditions for autonomous learning). They are checks, not lifelong labels. A practical TTC move: after one segment, name the dominant role, then redesign one minute toward more learner language use without dropping clarity when it is needed.
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Knowing a word takes more than seeing its translation once: it has three parts, form, meaning and use. Nation (2001) and Schmitt (2000) define word knowledge in these terms and note that understanding usually comes long before being able to use a word. A short self-check (recognising it by ear, spelling, meaning, making a sentence, collocation) shows the weakest part of each word, so you can practise that instead of rereading the translation.
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Scrivener (2005) starts from a blunt question — what is a teacher for? — and lands on a daily formula: teaching does not equal learning. Entertainer and transmitter images can hide weak language use; the professional job is building conditions for involvement and practice. A thirty-second post-lesson check asks how many minutes learners actually used the language, not only listened.
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Local TTC, Cambridge TKT, and CELTA are different jobs: institute pathway, knowledge test, and skills course with Teaching Practice. A certificate title is not long-term readiness (Hobbs, 2013), and assessed reflection can stay shallow unless it asks what changed for learners (Mackenzie, 2019). Before you enrol, check syllabus, observation/TP, certificate claims, language level, and post-course development.
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