Delta

Who is the Delta for?

The Cambridge Delta (Diploma in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages) is aimed at teachers of English with an initial teaching qualification and teaching experience who would like to deepen their understanding of teaching principles and of the language itself and to broaden their range of teaching skills.

In addition to personal development, obtaining the Delta can also lead to improved career prospects and lead on to further academic qualifications (credits are awarded for Delta on many MA courses at UK universities).

What are the Delta modules?

The Delta consists of three modules. Each of the three modules is assessed separately and successful candidates receive a separate certificate for each module. Candidates who have passed all three modules then also receive an additional full Delta diploma.

Module One: Understanding Language, Methodology and Resources for Teaching
In this module you explore language systems (grammar, lexis, phonology, discourse) in depth, look at how theories of second language acquisition have influenced teaching methodology, examine different approaches to dealing with language systems and skills in the classroom and critically evaluate teaching materials and language tests.

The assessment on this module is via a written examination (2 x 90-minute papers) taken at the end of the course. The tasks in the examination reflect skills that teachers need such as evaluating a piece of student writing, identifying linguistic features in an authentic text, understanding the principles behind the design of teaching material and evaluating the suitability of a test for a given purpose. The examination is externally assessed.

Module Two: Developing Professional Practice
This module focuses on developing your classroom skills and involves practical application of ideas looked at in Module One.

The assessment is via a portfolio of assignments completed during the course.

There are four assignments focusing on teaching language systems and language skills. These consist of writing a background research essay exploring a feature of language or skills use and planning and teaching a lesson informed by the research. Both the essay and the lesson are assessed. You will teach these lessons to your own regular classes. One of these assignments is externally assessed.

There is also a professional development assignment which is completed in sections during the course. This involves setting personal development goals, reflecting on progress made in achieving them and also planning, teaching and reflecting on a lesson involving experimental practice.

Module Three: Extending practice and ELT specialisation
In this module you will have the opportunity to explore a specialist area (such as teaching business or academic English or teaching examination preparation classes or teaching young learners)

You complete one extended assignment (4000-4500 words) which involves planning a course for a specific group of students and includes such tasks as designing a needs analysis, selecting teaching materials and designing ways of evaluating the effectiveness of a course.
The assignment is externally assessed.

Grades and certificates

Each of the three modules is assessed separately and successful candidates receive a separate certificate for each module. Candidates who have passed all three modules then also receive an additional full Delta certificate.

For each module there are three possible pass grades:

• Pass
• Pass with merit
• Pass with distinction

Candidates who do not pass a module the first time have the opportunity to pass it at a later date by:

Module one – retaking the exam at a later session

Module two – completing an additional externally assessed assignment within one year

Module three – resubmitting the extended assignment

 

Taking the Delta at the Berlin School of English

Delta Modules One and Two
Integrated part-time course September 2019 – May 2020
The course will be divided into two semesters:
Semester 1: 07 September – 11 December 2019
Semseter 2: 08 January – 27 May 2020

The knowledge and skills required for success in Module One and Module Two are closely interrelated and we therefore offer a course that integrates work on these two modules. Candidates will complete all the Module Two assignments during the course itself and be ready to take the Module One examination in the first week in December.

• 130 hours of input sessions (Wednesday 16.00 – 20.00*)
• 1 diagnostic observation at the beginning of the course (part of the Module Two Professional Development assignment)
• 3 observations and assessment of lesson which are part of the Module Two Language Systems and Skills assignments
• Oral and written feedback on all observed lessons
• Written feedback on drafts of assignments for Module Two
• Two one-to-one tutorials (and more if requested)

* There is a Saturday orientation day at the start of the course. There are no classes on the following days: 2 October, 6 November, 8 April, 15 April

In addition to the contact hours there are:

• Approximately 100 hours of guided reading** and tasks linked to Module One
• Approximately 100 hours of independent research**, preparation and writing of the assignments for Module Two
• 10 hours of observation of other teachers

** We provide a detailed reading list and have an extensive library of resources but you will need to obtain your own copies of some key texts.

Delta Module Three
Delta Module Three orientation and individual support (February – May 2021)
For DELTA Module Three we will provide eight hours of input and individual support (face-to-face and online). Candidates will be expected to submit their extended assignment in June.

 

Entry requirements and how to apply

Minimum entry requirements

• An initial teaching qualification (CELTA or equivalent)
• Two years’ full-time teaching experience
• C2 level of English

Application process

1. Completion of an application form and tasks (including the submission of a sample lesson plan)
2. Interview

To be accepted on to the course you need to show that you:

• can reflect on your current teaching
• have good language awareness and knowledge
• can write academic English
• can make the necessary time commitment required for the course
• will be teaching classes suitable for the Module Two assignments

Fees

Integrated Module One and Two Course: € 2700 (not including Cambridge exam fees)

An initial non-refundable deposit of € 350 must be paid when registering for the course.
The balance of the fees (€ 2350) can be paid in two ways:

1. As one payment (discounted to € 2250) two weeks before the course start date
2. In eight monthly installments

Module Three orientation and support: € 300 (not including Cambridge exam fees)
Cambridge examination fees (these fees are set by Cambridge and are subject to change)

Module One:	€ 146
Module Two:	€ 179
Module Three:	€ 102

Candidates are responsible for tutor travel costs for observations of lessons (in Module Two) outside Berlin and Hamburg.

Downloads

DELTA course information (140 KB, DOC)
DELTA application form (386 KB, DOC)