Quote of the week


“I’ve come to a frightening conclusion that I am the decisive element in the classroom. It’s my personal approach that creates the climate. It’s my daily mood that makes the weather. As a teacher, I possess a tremendous power to make a child’s life miserable or joyous. I can be a tool of torture or an instrument of inspiration. I can humiliate or heal. In all situations, it is my response that decides whether a crisis will be escalated or de-escalated and a child humanized or dehumanized.” 

Haim Ginott

Free Online Courses for Teachers of English

Teaching English: How to Plan a Great Lesson: https://www.futurelearn.com/courses/teaching-english-great-lesson

English as a Medium of Instruction for Academics: https://www.futurelearn.com/courses/emi-academics

Teaching English Online: https://www.futurelearn.com/courses/online-tutoring

Dyslexia and Foreign Language Teaching: https://www.futurelearn.com/courses/dyslexia

Understanding IELTS: Techniques for English Language Tests: https://www.futurelearn.com/courses/understanding-ielts

Learning to teach: becoming a reflective practitioner: https://www.open.edu/openlearn/education-development/learning-teach-becoming-reflective-practitioner/content-section-0?active-tab=description-tab

Useful Videos

1. Teacher talk – Error correction: https://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/article/teacher-talk-error-correction

2. Encouraging speaking https://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/article/teacher-talk-encouraging-speaking

3. Humour in the classroom https://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/article/humour-classroom

4. Using songs in the classroom https://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/article/using-songs-classroom-0

5. Presentation for teachers https://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/article/presentation-teachers

6. Energising classes https://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/article/energising-classes

7. Game-based learning https://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/article/game-based-learning

8. Inviting Participation With Thumbs-Up Responses: https://www.edutopia.org/video/invitingparticipation-thumbs-responses

9. Building a Belonging Classroom: https://www.edutopia.org/video/building-belonging-classroom

10. Creating a Positive Learning Environment: https://www.edutopia.org/video/creating-positivelearning-environment

11. Scaffolding Discussion Skills With a Socratic Circle: https://www.edutopia.org/video/scaffoldingdiscussion-skills-socratic-circle

12. What’s Metacognition—and Why Does it Matter?: https://www.edutopia.org/video/whatsmetacognition-and-why-does-it-matter

13. 60-Second Strategy: Appreciation, Apology, Aha!: https://www.edutopia.org/video/60-secondstrategy-appreciation-apology-aha

14. The Power of Relationships in Schools: https://www.edutopia.org/video/power-relationships-schools

15. Demonstrating Self-Regulation With Tone of Voice: https://www.edutopia.org/video/demonstratingself-regulation-tone-voice

16. Encouraging Academic Conversations With Talk Moves: https://www.edutopia.org/video/encouraging-academic-conversations-talk-moves

TED Talks for Teachers

1. Every kid needs a champion: https://www.ted.com/talks/rita_pierson_every_kid_needs_a_champion?referrer=playlisttalks_from_inspiring_teachers

2. How to fix a broken school? Lead fearlessly, love hard: https://www.ted.com/talks/linda_cliatt_wayman_how_to_fix_a_broken_school_lead_fearlessly_love_hard/transcript?referrer=playlist-talks_from_inspiring_teachers

3. Teach girls bravery not perfection: https://www.ted.com/talks/reshma_saujani_teach_girls_bravery_not_perfection

4. The unexpected benefit of embracing failure: https://www.ted.com/talks/astro_teller_the_unexpected_benefit_of_celebrating_failure

5. 3 rules to spark learning https://www.ted.com/talks/ramsey_musallam_3_rules_to_spark_learning

6. Teach teachers how to create magic: https://www.ted.com/talks/christopher_emdin_teach_teachers_how_to_create_magic

7. How to make stress your friend: https://www.ted.com/talks/kelly_mcgonigal_how_to_make_stress_your_friend

8. How to escape education’s death valley: https://www.ted.com/talks/ken_robinson_how_to_escape_education_s_death_valley

9. Do schools kill creativity? https://www.ted.com/talks/ken_robinson_says_schools_kill_creativity

10. Let’s teach for mastery not test scores:

aylist-how_can_we_fix_the_learning_crisis

ELT Conference Announcements (I)

Towards Higher Education , Boğaziçi University School of Foreign Languages 2nd ELT Conference Teaching For a Better World in the 21st Century, 27-28 September 2019: http://www.theconference.boun.edu.tr/call_for_paper.php

The 19th International INGED ELT Conference Hosted by Atılım University, School of Foreign Languages on 14-15-16 November 2019 Ankara, Turkey. https://inged.org.tr/media/conferences/2019-call-for-papers.pdf

Eurasian Journal of Educational Research (EJER) Congress 2019 19-22 June http://ejer.com.tr/

Okan University Foreign Languages Department O’WAY OF Learning Seminar Information DATE: Friday, April 26th, 2019
Call for papers: due March 29th 2019 Further information available at: https://www.okan.edu.tr/en/owl/

Bursa Uludağ University-Bursa 5. Uluslararası Sosyal ve Eğitim Bilimleri Araştırmaları Kongresi (UBAK) Further information available at:
http://www.ubaksymposium.org/

YTU SFL Staff Orientation and Development Office (SODO)

Yildiz Technical University, founded in 1911, is one of the pioneering universities in education, scientific research, technological development and artistic work aimed at the progress of society educating creative, enterprising, questioning and ethical students equipped with universal values. As one of the largest sections of YTU providing language education for over 3000 students at the Department of Basic English and over 4600 students at the Department of Modern Languages, School of Foreign Languages (SFL) began teaching undergraduate students in the 1998-1999 Academic Year. We have over 150 instructors most of whom are working on the preparatory programme. Our instructors need to support large numbers of students every year. Our students must attend courses and pass the proficiency exam to gain admission to their departments at the faculties. Given these highly demanding conditions and hectic schedule, not to lose sight of our instructors’ professional and personal needs, Staff Orientation and Development Office has been newly established. Its primary function is to carry out the induction programme for newly recruited instructors, make them aware of our school’s mission and vision and also keep continuing professional development (CPD) in SFL on-going, relevant and practical. With these ideas in mind, we are open to new ideas and feedbacks from our instructors all the time.