As part of the CELTA, trainees complete four written assignments. The first is called Focus on the Learner (FOL). This assignment asks you to look closely at the students in your teaching practice group, who that are, why they’re learning English, what motivates them, and what specific strengths and weaknesses they bring to class.
The goal is to connect what you observe in class with how you design your lessons, to see your students as individuals and to make informed decisions that best supports their learning.
The Assignment
The FOL assignment asked me to:
- Gather information about learners’ backgrounds, motivations and learning preferences. I and my fellow trainees created a shared document where we collaborated to take notes about our students.
- Analyze examples of students’ strengths and weaknesses.
- Identify one grammar issue and one pronunciation issue with evidence from learner output,
- Select activities to address each problem with justifications.
My Process
The first time I submitted the assignment, I described learners in detail and made good choices for pronunciation issues, but I misidentified a grammar issue as a lexical one. My tutor asked me to resubmit with a clear grammar focus and appropriate activity.
On the second submission (corrections are in green in the PDF below), I revised the grammar section, provided stronger examples, and passed the assignment.
What I Learned
- Clarity matters: It’s easy for a novice teacher to blur grammar and lexis. This assignment sharpened my ability to distinguish them.
- Learners’ backgrounds shape learning: Understanding the French/Haitian Creole influence on pronunciation (e.g., dropped final -s) helped me anticipate and address recurring challenges.
- Activities need to be evidence-based: Choosing practice tasks that fit what learners actually struggle with is more effective than generic exercises.
I’ve included the complete PDF of my FOL assignment (with my revisions) here:
This assignment pushed me to think like both a teacher and a language analyst. It reminded me that successful lessons begin with knowing your learners deeply, their goals, challenges, and voices.
