“Check out this part of the website where we’ve posted our interview with Nazlı DURNA and İzzet KAHRAMAN. We’re sharing our experiences and having a real critical chat about the courses in the ELT department. Make sure you don’t miss our interview – it’s packed with insights and diverse viewpoints!” The interviews by Mücahit and Yasemin:
Mücahit
Click to reveal the transcript
1: “What do you think about your subject courses overall? Which ones did you enjoy the most?”
I believe that the subject courses are enriching and enjoyable. Among them, I particularly enjoyed courses that dived deep into pedagogical methodologies and linguistic aspects of language such as Teaching English to Young Learners and Linguistics. These courses provided me with valuable insights into effective teaching strategies and helped me develop a stronger foundation in language teaching principles.
2: “Are there any courses you feel should be added or removed? Which ones do you think are most important?”
I believe there’s potential to introduce more courses focusing on contemporary issues in education, such as digital literacy. On the other hand, I strongly believe that we should remove English literature. Because I don’t like it and I think it’s unnecessary to learn literatüre. The most important course for me is Approaches.
3: “Do you feel any courses have been overlooked? Is there something you think should be taught more?”
I don’t think there is one. I believe our courses are enough to lay the foundation on the road to becoming a teacher.
4: “Do you think you’ve had enough project-based and self-expression-oriented courses? How did they improve your teaching skills?”
While I’ve had some exposure to project-based and self-expression-oriented courses, I believe there’s always room for more. These courses have been instrumental in fostering creativity, critical thinking, and collaboration skills, all of which are essential for effective teaching.
5: “Is it suitable for the community service course to be offered in the final year? Should it be taken earlier or differently?“
Offering the community service course in the final year allows students to apply their accumulated knowledge and skills in real-world settings. However, introducing community service opportunities earlier in the curriculum such as second-year could help students to enhance understanding of their role as educators.
6: “Should there be courses focusing on the technical aspects of teaching? Which skills do you think are most important?”
In my opinion, no, there shouldn’t be because we already have these courses in our department, such as instructional design, educational technology integration, and assessment techniques.
7: “Should the information technology course include teaching about artificial intelligence? How would it impact your professional life?”
Yes, it should. Integrating artificial intelligence into the information technology course can help students understand how AI technologies can automate routine tasks, and personalize learning experiences. I believe that learning only Word, excel and Office is not enough in today’s era.
Yasemin
Click to reveal the transcript
1-“What do you think about your subject courses overall? Which ones did you enjoy the most?”
The course contents are generally helpful when we enter the profession, but based on my 4 years of experience, I can say that more emphasis is placed on theoretical knowledge and I am less exposed to practical activities.
2-“Are there any courses you feel should be added or removed? Which ones do you think are most important?”
I think the sociolinguistics course is not very useful in the Turkish context. because I do not believe that the title of language and culture within the scope of Elt will have a significant professional impact.
I think the most important course is the teaching practice. Because it is a practice-based course and teaching is learned in practice
3-“Do you feel any courses have been overlooked? Is there something you think should be taught more?”
I realized, albeit late, that most of the courses were overlooked during the distance education process, and that I did not have any information about these courses when I reached my senior year.
4-Do you think you’ve had enough project-based and self-expression-oriented courses? How did they improve your teaching skills?”
I find self-expression and project-based lessons inadequate. Because we spent a long period online I think that the target language is not given much importance in face-to-face lessons.
5 Is it suitable for the community service course to be offered in the final year? Should it be taken earlier or differently?”
I think it is wrong to offer the community service course in the final year. Because we are busy during both internship and exam periods, I think previous years are more suitable for us to do the community service course effectively.
6-Should there be courses focusing on the technical aspects of teaching? Which skills do you think are most important?”
I think classes based on classroom management, school management, and child psychology should be more intensive. Because I think that transferring theoretical knowledge to the student is not a skill, and since the school and the classroom have so many variables, more concrete events should be focused on before starting the task.
7-Should the information technology course include teaching about artificial intelligence? How would it impact your professional life?”
To keep up with the age we live in, the use of artificial intelligence must be taught. In this way, misuse is also prevented. As a result, people realize that artificial intelligence is a tool, not an end. Rather than seeing it as the easiest way to get rid of some tasks, he knows that artificial intelligence will be a helpful reference for him while completing these tasks.