CELTA input seminars, teaching practices and preparation for and feedback on the teaching practices take place on the British Council premises at Alfred House Gardens, Colombo. The input and teaching practice rooms are comfortable, air-conditioned and fully equipped for teaching and learning with whiteboards, projectors and DVD / CD players.
Trainees have access to a CELTA library containing over 100 books, which they are free to borrow during the course. For teaching practice, there are sets of course books, workbooks, teachers’ books and audio materials to use with classes, and trainees have access to the British Council’s photocopying system to make copies of their own classroom materials. Finally, printing facilities are available for trainees to produce hard copies of lesson plans and written assignments.
Trainees have opportunities to observe professional teachers in the British Council Colombo Teaching Centre, teaching a range of levels and using a state-of-the-art interactive whiteboard, audio and digital coursebook equipment.
In addition, the premises contain a general library with over 50,000 books. CELTA candidates are entitled to membership of this library for the duration of their course. There is also a café and canteen with a spacious terrace.
Please note that when the British Council premises at Alfred House Garden are extremely busy with regular English-language classes, CELTA courses may be held off-site. In the past, CELTA courses have been held at the following venues:
- The Edulink campus at 498 R A De Mel Mawatha (Duplication Road), which is a minute’s walk away from the British Council and its facilities.
- The Ladies’ College campus at 66 Sir Ernest de Silva Mawatha in Colombo 7, which is 5-10 minutes’ journey away from the British Council by car or trishaw.
- The Nagarodaya Centre at 155a Dr Danister De Silva Mawatha (Baseline Road) in Colombo 8. The Nagarodaya Centre is a government and community centre that is well-staffed, contains spacious rooms that are ideal for training seminars and teaching-practice classes, and provides lunch, hot drinks and snacks during the day.
In the event of a CELTA course being held at the Ladies’ College or Nagarodaya Centre, computer, printing and photocopying facilities, plus a library of approximately 130 books important or useful for CELTA, will be installed in the building for the course’s duration.