EL Fellow Program
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Country Turkey
City Istanbul
Host Institution Istanbul Technical University
Project Description
The EL Fellow will be based in the School of Foreign Languages of Istanbul Technical University (ITU) and work on program evaluation of the effectiveness of materials developed and the testing system. The EL Fellow will implement changes in the curriculum made by the current EL Fellow, in which the grammar-based curriculum was changed to a more skills-based curriculum. The EL Fellow will also help with designing pre- and in-service orientation programs at ITU introducing such topics as peer observations and mentoring. The focus of the EL Fellow's work will be on how to best engage the teachers and expose them to current trends and best practices to improve their department rather than on classroom teaching. The EL Fellow will teach no more than 4 preps per semester (4 different courses) to total no more than 20 contact hours per week for the duration of the 10-month grant. Additional responsibilities may include working with the special dual degree SUNY (State University of New York) program. Having an EL Fellow working in this program could provide a link for broad reaching collaboration in other universities throughout Turkey which also host dual degree programs. The EL Fellow may also facilitate teacher training seminars for in-service teachers in the department on teaching academic writing and grammar, note-taking for students, material development, academic reading, and techniques in teaching vocabulary.
Project Objectives
As the School of Foreign Languages at Istanbul Technical University has undergone some recent changes, the EL Fellow will be most useful in monitoring, evaluating, and consulting with the department on effectiveness of the changes. The EL Fellow's work can determine a need for other possible changes especially in determining best practices to employ in the SUNY dual degree program in which students are required to take the new iBT TOEFL exam (which differs greatly from the proficiency exam regular students must pass to go forward in their degree program).
About the Host Institution
Istanbul Technical University is one of Turkey's oldest universities, tracing its roots back to 1773. The School of Foreign Languages at ITU is responsible for preparing students in their goal of becoming fluent in a foreign language prior to their studies. Recently, knowing English has become compulsory for all undergraduates. Posting an ELF at ITU would help the School of Foreign Languages establish a more stable and sustainable language program.
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