Activities
English Language Programs
EL Fellows for 2006-2007
National English Language Fellow Coordinator
Jill Cargile –Turkish-American Association, Ankara
Senior Fellow:
Monica Wiesmann-Hirchert – Ministry of Education, General Directorate of Educational Technology, Ankara
Fellows
Mora Hockstein – Abant Izzet Baysal University, Bolu
Sakeena Ali - Akdeniz University, Antalya
David Mulvihill – Cukurova University, Adana
Kevin Mullen – Gaziantep University, Gaziantep
Laraine Sands Altun – Istanbul Technical University, Istanbul
Renee Therriault – Karadeniz University, Trabzon
Suzie Sims-Fletcher - Mugla University, Mugla
Rohini Parikh – Selcuk University, Konya
Updated: October 12, 2006
Turkey English Language Fellows Program Sites 2006-2007
Description of Sites
ABANT IZZET BAYSAL UNIVERSITY
Abant
Izzet Baysal University (AIBU) is located in Bolu, Turkey, about 150
miles northeast of Ankara. Bolu is a convenient and scenic location.
It lies just off the highway that joins Ankara and Istanbul, and the
campus is set on top of a hill overlooking the small town of Bolu,
several lakes, and pine forests. The total student population at AIBU
is approximately 20,000. The English Language Teaching (ELT)
department, founded in 1994, currently has a total enrollment of 180
students including day and evening sections. There are 8 instructors
and 2 research assistants in the ELT department, many of whom have
international experience. A small MA program in ELT exists; this
year 7 new students joined the program. The English Language Fellow
posted at AIBU is responsible for teaching several academic content
courses (Psycholinguistics, Testing and Evaluation, Methodology) and
several skills courses (Speaking, Listening and Pronunciation) to
undergraduates. http://www.ibu.edu.tr/
CUKOROVA
Çukorova
University ranks as one of Turkey’s 10 most prominent universities and
is the leading university in the southeast region. The ELT Department
in the Faculty of Education trains approximately 1,000 students to
become teachers of English and works with local teachers to support
in-service training. The Research and Application Center for Teaching
Foreign Language Preparatory Program is for undergraduate and graduate
students. Çukorova University has 10 faculties, 3 colleges, 7
vocational colleges, 2 graduate institutes, 26 research and application
centers and 1,903 teaching staff. http://www.cu.edu.tr/Content/Asp/English/index.asp
GAZIANTEP UNIVERSITY
Gaziantep
University is of the leading universities in eastern Turkey. Gaziantep
University was founded in 1973 and has a current student population of
13,472. The main campus is located at Gaziantep with its extention
campuses situated in the neighbouring cities and districts of Adiyaman,
Kilis, Nizip, Oguzeli, Besni and Gölbasi. It has seven different
faculties, each one housing several departments, and three graduate
schools. A large majority of the over 200 students in the English
department complete a full year of intensive English language study
before beginning their coursework. During the B.A. program, students
take several courses in literature (Classical Greek Drama, Medieval,
Victorian, Modern American Fiction, etc.), literary theory and
criticism, translation, EFL methodology, German, and cultural studies.
Graduates go on to teach English language, literature, and culture, or
continue their studies at the graduate level. http://www.gantep.edu.tr/
Ministry of Education, The General Directorate of Educational Technologies
The
General Directorate of Educational Technologies is one of the 44 units
of the Turkish Ministry of National Education, which serves over 42,000
schools throughout Turkey. It is responsible for adapting and applying
the most recent technologies into the Turkish education system. It
provides teachers and students with the latest technological
developments, setting an effective learning environment. The General
Directorate of Educational Technologies also conducts research,
evaluation, and develops implementation plans to establish an efficient
relationship between formal education and open-distance learning. It
processes official placement and graduation exams as well as enables
data processing through central and regional offices of the Ministry of
National Education. http://egitek.meb.gov.tr/index.asp
MUGLA
Founded
in 1992, Muğla University in southwestern Turkey already has more than
20,000 students. The ELT faculty, established in 2000, has four
teachers and 250 students and works in collaboration with the Faculty
of Letters with an additional four teachers. The department issues a BS
in Education that integrates a research-based program with practical
applications of pedagogy and methodology. Students learn classroom
action research, and have three semesters of observation/practice
teaching in local schools. The program was adopted after extensive
study and observation of American schools of education.
The
Higher School of Foreign Languages has 70 teachers and 880 students.
As students take English full time for a year, the School of Foreign
Languages is striving to align its testing and curriculum to the Common
European Framework (CEF) and set the standards and expectations for the
student’s study for their following four years.
Muğla university
endeavors to become one of the technical education leaders in Turkey
with campuses spread over a wide area including Ula, Ortaca, Milas,
Dalaman, Fethiye and Yatağan. www.mu.edu.tr
SELCUK
Selcuk
University is the second largest university in Turkey with more than
70,000 students, 3,100 teachers, 2 campuses, 2 medical schools with 2
research hospitals, the Rectory Administration Offices and 25 regional
vocational schools. Located in the middle of a vast Anatolian plain,
Konya was once the capital of the mighty 11th century Selcuk Turkish
Empire which gives the university its name. Today Konya is a thriving
and conservative city where ancient ruins from the beginning of
civilization blend with modern trams, shopping centers and world famous
whirling dervishes. Founded in 1975, Selcuk University has 1,000
students in the English Language Teaching Department and is a widely
respected teacher training institute throughout Turkey. The ELT
graduates are generally expected to become English teachers. The
distinguished Faculty of Letters has 600 students who are developing
literary appreciation from the best of English literature. Selcuk
University is in the process of developing American Studies curriculum
with a broad focus on culture, literature, drama and poetry. Selcuk
University offers a wide variety of sporting, cultural, scientific and
technological activities to a vibrant student population. The potential
and enterprise of this university will be realized in coming days. http://www.selcuk.edu.tr/
TAA Ankara
Founded
in 1951, the Turkish-American Association is the bi-national center in
Ankara associated with the American Embassy. The TAA's English program
includes 28 teachers and approximately 600 students. A wide range of
courses are offered - English courses for children and adults, Turkish
courses, and the English TEFL Centre's EFL Teaching Certification
course. TAA is the official testing center for TOEFL, GRE, GMAT and SAT
and offers preparation courses for these exams. In addition to an
excellent general library, there is also a Teacher Resource Center
which provides the Ankara English teaching community with a wide
selection of teacher development books and regular teacher training
sessions. The TAA is also the home of the Access Program, which is
administered in 8 cities throughout Turkey. See http://exchanges.state.gov/education/engteaching/access.htm
Regular cultural events, including theater and musical productions, art exhibitions, lectures, conferences, cultural orientation seminars, American holiday celebrations, dancing, patchwork quilting, and an international play group for toddlers are held in support of the TAA's mission of cultural exchange between Turkey and the United States. To further this exchange of culture and language, in November 2006, two new TAA Language Program franchises will open in Konya and Cayyoglu. http://www.taa-ankara.org.tr