Charity Bazaar at EMU

Our Intermediate Prep School Students are holding a Charity Bazaar in the grounds of the English Preparatory School today. All proceeds will go to Ozen Old People's Home and the Animal Protection Association. Hurry and buy your cakes, books, DVDs and hand-made crafts before everything sells out!!

The Free Rice Challenge

Steve Neufeld and METU (N. Cyprus) have challenged the SFL teachers and students to take part in the FREE RICE CHALLENGE.


What is Free Rice?

Free rice is a website where users play various educational, multiple-choice games in order to fight world hunger. For every question the user answers correctly, 10 grains of rice are donated.


How Do I Play?

1- Go to www.freerice.com and sign up. (EMU email addresses do NOT work, so please use an alternate email address)

2- Search and join the EMU SFL Instructors Group.

3- Start playing to donate rice and beat the METU staff.


How Can My Students Play?

1- Go to www.freerice.com and sign up. (EMU email addresses do NOT work, so please use an alternate email address)

2- Search and join the EMU SFL Students Group.

3- Start playing to donate rice and beat the METU students.

Good luck!!!

The 4th Forum on Curricular Issues

The English Preparatory School hosted the 4th Forum on Curricular Issues (FOCI) on 9th - 10th December. This year's theme was Collaborating with Colleagues to Consolidate  the Curriculum.  Various Universities from Turkey attended the forum including Sabanci, Koc, Izmir Economy and Istanbul Technic.

Civic Involvement Project

Elmaziye Özgür Küfi & Zehra Nalbantoğlu were recently invited to Kibris TV to talk about the Civic Involvement Project in the English Preparatory School. 

The programme, in Turkish, can be watched at http://youtu.be/8Cv1elqoBgQ

Well done ladies!!!

Teachers' Day in SFL

We had a potluck party to celebrate Teachers' Day. There was lots of good food, drink but most importantly we spent valuable time socialising with our colleagues!!

Thank you to everyone who came and HAPPY TEACHERS DAY to everyone. 

 

Workshop - Power Point

Many thanks to Ayse Ozverir for training SFL teachers 

on how to use power point in class.

IT Training @ Lefke Gazi Lisesi in Lefke

After a workshop Ildeniz and I presented @ GAU last year, I was approached by some teachers from Lefke Gazi Lisesi to do workshops regarding the use of some programs like powerpoint, swish, games-html, learning management systems - Edmodo, presenter 7 and so on. They wanted such workshops so that they can use the newly purchased and installed "Smartboard" technology more effectively in their teaching.

Workshop - Developing and Testing Productive Skills

On Sept 29th, Oxford University Press and Deniz Plaza sponsored a workshop by Gareth Davies on Developing and Testing Productive Skills. During the workshop one area Davies covered was the criteria teachers should take into consideration during a speaking test i.e. task completion, fluency, vocabulary, accuracy, pronunciation and intonation.

For more information visit Davies blog at http://oupcz.blogspot.com/ and http://www.haberler.com/ogretim-elemanlarina-workshop-3033471-haberi/

Many thanks to Gareth Davies for an informative workshop!

Social Network for Learners of English

English Corner Online is a NEW social network for learners of English. Learners can

• Practice speaking English with learners all over the world

English Corner Online is a meeting place for people from all around the world who want to practise speaking English. Sign up, make friends and start speaking!

• Practise writing too!

English Corner Online is not just for speaking — you can also practise your writing. Start a story or add to someone else's and watch as the story develops.





Of course, as this is new you may also want to check out the network yourself!!

Web 2.0 for teachers - free downloadable book

Want to try something new in class? Stuck for ideas?


Nik Peachey's book - Web 2.0 Tools for Teachers can be downloaded from his blog for free. The book includes suggestions on how web 2.0 tools can be integrated in the classroom. 


Nik's technology task sheets can also be downloaded for free. 

Why not share your ideas, comments & suggestions?

Got ideas, comments or suggestions you'd like to share on professional development? Just visit the public noticeboard and add a 'sticky note'. 

• Click on one of the sample sticky notes (yellow, green, blue, pink) on the right of the board.
• Write your message.
• Add your name if you like or if you prefer you can remain anonymous. 

This is a simple and easy tool, which could also be exploited for use in class... and it's free :) 

The Civic Involvement Project group - Edmodo Workshop

Tahir Eslik held a short training session on Edmodo with the Civic Involvement Project (CIP) working group. The Civic involvement project was set up by Zehra Nalbantoglu at the beginning of the 2010-2011 academic year. Intermediate students in the English Prep School spend a few hours a week working on projects such as recycling, helping homeless animals, and helping the elderly. 

How we can we best use the data projector/computer/internet in the classroom?

It seems that many institutions have installed or are installing data projectors with a desktop computer and internet connection in their language classrooms.  The SFLs of METU.NCC and EMU have joined this trend this year.  Here is a page we set up to share ideas and debate the pros and cons: http://tricider.com/en/admin/8Njw/IejbC. Read more for the background to this idea.  Otherwise, look forward to hearing your ideas and concerns there! 

Summer 2011 - Teacher Trainer Journal

Congratulations to Sezgi, John, Nilgün & Steve. Please check out the latest edition of the Teacher Trainer Journal to read their articles:

Sezgi   - Encouraging teachers to fulfill their potential

John, Nilgün & Steve - Working with words on the web

Well done guys!!!

Professional Development Working Group

After the success of the 1st SFL Workshop Fest, the Professional Development Working Group was formed.

Group Members: Nurcan Garip

                               Hatice B. Güneş

                               Yelda İliç

                               Ayşe Özverir

                               Güran K. Ruso
                               Nadiran Tanyeli
                               Nevin Adalar

If you have any ideas / suggestions regarding Professional Development, please feel free to have a chat with us or contact us at sfleps.profdev@emu.edu.tr 

New Academic Year, New Ideas

New academic year,
New students,
New generation,
New technology......


     How about me? The teacher? 


     Wouldn't it be great, if someone showed me something NEW?


Why not have a look at Russell Stannard's website - ELT / ESL Training Videos at http://www.teachertrainingvideos.com/ Russell's site is a gold mine of new ideas to use with your students in class including ideas for teaching 'other languages' and 'videos to recommend to your students'. The site is updated regularly and you can also sign up for a free monthly newsletter.


Why not try out a new idea in class? And of course, don't forget to share you're experience  :) Just click reply and tell us all about it.

The 1st SFL EPS Workshop Fest

After a lot of hard work, stress and questioning ourselves on whether we, the workshop fest committee, would ever pull it off - we did pull it off!!! The 1st SFL EPS Workshop Fest was held on June 20th, 2011!!! From what we hear, it was a success, with many happy people asking for another one ASAP. Steve Neufeld started the day off with The Grammar Translation Method is dead.  Long live GOOGLE translate and finished with a closing plenary on Technology, Teaching and Training: Pragmatic issues and concerns. Thanks Steve - you definitely gave us a lot to think about for the next academic year... and of course some things to steal :) THANK YOU to our other presenters, Tahir, Nevin, Ildeniz, Ayse Ozverir, Musteyde, Nil, Erkan, Fatma G., John, Zehra N., Elmaziye, Emine, Ipek, Ramadan, Nazan, Feryal and Aysegul :) Wow, lots of people!! Next year, we hope to see a lot more people presenting... (this is a BIG hint inviting people to start getting ready NOW). The day finished with a short salsa dance show, (thanks Nibel for organising this), a prize draw (Guran or 'super woman' as she affectionately become known amongst the committee left no stone unturned when it came to getting prizes) and of course the FOOD and DRINK or the 'cocktail' sponsored by Deniz Plaza - THANK YOU Nafi. 

At the end of the day filled with many happy faces... the workshop fest committee were more than happy to go home, have a well-earned rest and get a good night's sleep. The day after, we found ourselves already planning the next one..... so start getting your presentations ready now.... we all have something to share... no matter how small we think it is ... just go for it. You can do it :)


Who are the workshop fest committee? Hatice Gunes, Nevin Adalar, Nurcan Garip, Ayse Ozverir & Guran K. Ruso.