What is ÖYP?

ÖYP (Ögretim Üyesi Yetiştirme Programı) is a program run by YÖK (Yüksek Öğretim Kurulu) as a way to present newly-established universities with certified researchers, academicians. By providing MA and PhD applications, sure universities intention at coaching analysis assistants to be academicians for the colleges which lack obligatory employees.  The essence of this system derives from the next reality: Analysis assistants have to serve for the smaller universities so long as the time they spend on their general graduate research (together with MA and PhD years) within the ÖYP universities.

ÖYP positions are introduced within the YÖK official web site.

With a purpose to apply for ÖYP, one must have the BA diploma, an ALES rating and a YDS rating used for the calculation of ÖYP scores. The ÖYP rating is calculated as follows: 25% CGPA + 60% ALES rating + 15% YDS rating.

With a purpose to have an in depth account of ÖYP, please go to http://www.yok.gov.tr/net/oyp.

On being an ÖYP analysis assistant

Making use of for an ÖYP place requires an intensive consideration and willpower since you're designing your not less than 12 years inside a number of days. As well as, earlier than beginning to work within the ÖYP college you're required to signal a contract which calls for an enormous sum of money in case you surrender, you fail. This example might result in an intense worrying semester. However after some time, you get used to it. Really, you are feeling type of safe as you already know that you'll not be unemployed after finishing the PhD examine.

Working as an ÖYP analysis assistant doesn't require any totally different duties. There isn't any discrimination between you and the opposite analysis assistants. Quite the opposite, you might have an higher hand when it comes to the time interval that you must full your MA and PhD. If you're a 50 D analysis assistant, you occupy the place -let’s say you begin the job proper after enrolling within the MA program- for the optimum period which is 6 years (together with Phd). Nonetheless, as an ÖYP analysis assistant you'll be able to extent this era to 9 years. A minimum of, it is a reduction that ÖYP gives.

Useful websites and blogs for professional development

by Fatma Gümüşok

Ozge Karaoglu’s Blog introduces applications and web tools EFL teachers easily benefit. Although it focuses on teaching English to young learners, one can encounter very useful tips for all learners regardless of their age.

http://ozgekaraoglu.edublogs.org/

Burcu Akyol’s Blog briefly informs readers about the latest developments in ELT by providing links for almost anything: international associations, professional development, podcast, resources and ideas for English teachers, teachers/trainers blogs, and useful web 2.0 tools.

http://burcuakyol.com/

If one says ‘everybody knows Jeremy Harmer in the ELT world’, s/he is absolutely right. He is a writer, presenter, teacher and trainer. You do not need to wait for his next publication to learn what he is thinking about the current ELT world any more. Thanks to this website, you can reach his ideas and thoughts without any delay.

http://jeremyharmer.wordpress.com/

Hancock McDonald English Language Teaching is more than a website just including downloadable materials for EFL teachers. It offers a variety of paths to follow in language teaching: talks and articles regarding ELT, conference views etc.

http://hancockmcdonald.com/

Teaching with smart boards

BrainPOP offers a variety of activities and materials EFL teachers can use via smart interactive boards, smart phones and tablets. In addition to English, it addresses to other subjects such as math, social sciences, health, arts& music. However, it requires you to pay a certain amount of money to use some applications.

http://www.brainpop.com/

EFL SMARTblog addresses to the needs of EFL teachers as well as EFL learners who use smart boards, tablets, smart phones, etc. In this blog, one can find numerous activities designed for all language levels. What is more, there is a page only spared for young learners.

http://efllecturer.blogspot.com/p/all-posts-list-alphabetical.html

Teaching Grammar & Vocabulary& Pronunciation

Movie Segments to Assess Grammar Goals offers video segments of various movies and related activities in order to practice grammar points in a motivating, challenging and entertaining way.

http://moviesegmentstoassessgrammargoals.blogspot.com/

A CLIL TO CLIMB provides its users with various activities, games, downloadable worksheets in the areas of vocabulary and pronunciation teaching by “putting the fun into education”.

http://aclil2climb.blogspot.com.tr/

Teaching Listening

As its name suggests, ESLvideo.com has a huge number of videos through which listening skills are practiced. EFL teachers can use already-available quizzes for the videos or they can create their own quizzes and share them with the colleagues from all over the world.

http://www.eslvideo.com/

Real English is created to provide EFL learners with authentic listening materials rather than mechanic speech. Interactive lessons accompany these authentic materials.

http://www.real-english.com/

ELLO, English Listening Library Online, provides free listening activities focusing on vocabulary, grammar and comprehension. The best thing is this: EFL teachers can download the listening passages.

http://www.elllo.org/

Voice of America is also particularly designed for improving listening skills of EFL learners. One can find authentic listening passages speakers of which have the American Accent within different areas. Actually the passages are the news. That’s so authentic that EFL learners will be always kept up-dated.

http://learningenglish.voanews.com/

FILMENGLISH is another website utilizing films in language learning/teaching. It grants users ready-made lesson plans. All the thing teachers need to do is adapting, developing, and adjusting them according to the needs of their students.

http://film-english.com/

Teaching Writing

Paragraph Punch aims to improve EFL learners’ writing skills. It provides online interactive exercises through which the process of writing develops.

http://www.paragraphpunch.com/

Teaching Reading

Who says stories are only for reading? Now stories are in the form of images, videos, films as well in order to present contexts better and make it easier to understand the complicated plots. Critical reading will be achieved.

http://www.awesomestories.com/

Useful material providers for all teaching

With its slogan “visual story telling for everyone”, this website enables EFL teachers to create their own reading passages with full of visuals, speaking and writing prompts by which students will get highly engaged.

https://storybird.com/teachers/

British Council is one of those websites almost all EFL teachers have visited more than once. It includes not only materials, activities and lesson plans EFL teachers make use of in their classes but also ways for professional development full of announcements on seminars, conferences, event, publications.

http://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/

ESLprintables.com is a website EFL teachers exchange resources: activities, materials, lesson plans in the areas of vocabulary, grammar, listening, speaking, writing and reading.

http://www.eslprintables.com/

Livemocha offers free online learning EFL learners can support their formal education. It makes it possible to reach native speakers across the boundaries. In addition, one can learn not only English but also other 34 languages via this website.

http://livemocha.com/

Graduate Reflections: Teaching at Kirklareli University

by Gökhan Özkan, METU FLE 2012

I’m a graduate of the foreign language education department of METU and have been working as an instructor of English at Kirklareli University for one year. I’m a proud METU FLE graduate and I can tell you why I am: I didn’t merely find obedience and conformity at METU but, instead, various types of ambition among which academic ambition is foremost.

I disagree with Chomsky when he said: ”I don’t have a proof of this but I have a feeling that when you go to the leading universities, you find more obedience and conformity, probably because you’re getting the students who were better able to do it’’, from his video talk ‘Education Is a System of Indoctrination of the Young’.

Having been well aware of what METU FLE means for us, I think graduates full of academic ambition, and academic staff with the highest endeavour, are two of the constituents of the resulting prestige and success.

I would highy recommend undergraduate students to:

– Perform professionally and progress

– Be proud to wear the METU badge as honor

– Make sure ‘’METU Impact’’ exists

‘‘There’s a crack,

A crack in everything

That’s how the light gets in.’’

Find the crack so as to teach better.

FLE Graduation 2013

If you would like us to share your photos, please send them to learning2teachenglish@gmail.com

Graduate Reflections: MA at METU

by Seda Akbaş, METU FLE 2013 

A current MA student of ELT at METU explains how she prepared for MA in ELT

I have always wanted to study in graduate English Language Teaching program at Middle East Technical University as I believe the program is the place where I will find the theoretical and applied aspects of English Language Teaching as an enthusiastic prospective English teacher and researcher. Beginning from my second year as an undergraduate student at Middle East Technical University, I have been determined to be a researcher who will benefit from her experience and knowledge in teaching English. I was especially interested in Language and Testing before I began the program. I mainly concentrated on this. I began to read recent books about testing and evaluation like The Cambridge Guide To Second Language Assessment (2012)and the book of Glen Fulcher, one of the successful scholars in language testing and assessment. In addition, I tried to look through the latest issues of TESOL Quarterly and ELT Journal because my only interest in testing would not be helpful to be accepted. To be able to make a synthesis between methods and testing, for example, I benefitted from the journals and some other books I mentioned before. I also tried to explain my specific interest in my letter of intent but of course we need to support this with realistic claims and mentioning only one specific area would not be enough to be perceived as an interested candidate. As I said before, one of the most important things is to be able show you have an aim to be an MA student and get necessary preparation for your area of interest. In addition to those, I also recommend for future participants to be aware of the research methods, research design etc. before they apply for the program. I hope this helpsJ

What is YLSY?

by Zeynep Aysan

YLSY (Yurtdışına Lisansüstü Öğrenim Görmek Üzere Gönderilecek Adayları Seçme Yerleştirme) is an official grant offered by the MEB (Milli Eğitim Bakanlığı) in order to provide universities with qualified academicians who do their graduate degrees abroad. Moreover, this grant is also available to meet the qualified personnel needs of some governmental institutions such as TPAO (Türkiye Petrolleri Anonim Ortaklığı Genel Müdürlüğü), TCDD (T.C. Devlet Demiryolları İşletmesi Genel Müdürlüğü) and  MGM(Devlet Meteoroloji İşleri Genel Müdürlüğü).

YLSY candidates first apply for positions at universities or governmental institutions that are announced every year in YLSY guide. The placement of YLSY  candidates is done by OSYM only on the basis of their ALES scores. The candidates who are awarded the grant on behalf of govermental institutions take only their MA education abroad. On the other hand, the candidates who are awarded the grant on behalf of universities get both MA and PhD degrees abroad.

In order to have a detailed account of YLSY and its comparison to OYP, please visit http://www.oyp.com.tr/oyp-nedir.html

Partner Schools: Atatürk High School (in Sıhhiye)

I think I should start with the most important thing for us, as student teachers of English, about Ataturk High School: It has a prep school! It is one of the very few high schools in Turkey that still offer a preparatory program. That’s important because you have the rare chance of observing how a prep school functions in a Turkish state school. Another cool thing about this school is that they also offer foreign language courses that you cannot really find in most high schools in Turkey like Spanish, Chinese, Russian etc.

It only gets better if you get to see the 9^th graders! Imagine what kind of nice English they have after one whole year of it. Let me tell you, very good! (But still, as good English teachers, let us not forget that every class has students at different levels of proficiency and students with special needs!) I am telling you this because when your students have already a certain level of English, you can more comfortably focus on the fun part rather than the demanding job of teaching something from scratch.

You will probably miss them while you are trying to figure out how to get to the next class in the complicated buildings of the school, but the walls are full of great pieces of art done by the students. (Yes, they like to boast about their accomplishments!) After hearing all this, you probably would not be surprised to hear that the school also has its own museum!

Another thing I love about Ataturk High School is that they don’t have a dressing code, not even for the teachers. You might still want to look nice as an intern and as you represent your university there of course but at least you do not have to be dressed up to the nines.

As for its location, it is within walking distance from Kizilay.

To see the school on Google Maps and find more about it, you can visit its website:

http://mebk12.meb.gov.tr/meb_iys_dosyalar/06/06/119556/