SL in Action: Columbia University Summer Institute American Culture and EFL Teaching in Turkey

SL in Action: Columbia University Summer Institute American Culture and EFL Teaching in Turkey

Hülya Görür Atabaş, School of Languages, Sabanci University

The 2009 Columbia University Summer Institute entitled American Culture and EFL Teaching in Turkey was held between June 15-19 at the Sabancı University Karaköy Communication Center.

The five-day institute, which was jointly sponsored by the English Language Office of the U.S. Embassy’s Office of Public Affairs, and The Center for Multiple Languages and Literacies, Teachers College, Columbia University, and hosted by Sabancı University Writing Center and the Educational Reform Initiative, aimed to bring together 50 educators from various universities in Turkey to explore areas such as technology, standardized testing, alternative assessment, as well as American culture, literature, and politics in relation to teaching English as a foreign language in Turkey.

The institute hosted participants from Faculties of Education, Arts and Social Sciences, Western Languages and Literatures, Cultural Studies, International Relations, Humanities, and School of Languages from not only metropolitan cities such as Istanbul, Izmir and Ankara but also from cities such as  Adana, Çanakkale, Edirne, Eskişehir, Gaziantep, Konya, and Trabzon. I thought that this diverse background did not only cater for a better understanding of issues pertaining to the use of English at institutes for higher education in Turkey but also provided us with an opportunity for the exchange of ideas and practices on American Literature and Politics, Use of Technology, Skills Development and Integration, Testing and Assessment, and Materials Development.

The 50 participants in the institute were invited to discuss, work on, and present various issues that arose from a combination of a carefully selected digital packet of readings, the input sessions provided by the team of professors from Columbia University Teachers College, and workshops led by colleagues from the Writing Center.

Among the various strands in the institute were:

Focusing on how different languages and literacies can be used as resources to advance human development, education, and intercultural understanding.

The exploration of ways in which virtual worlds such as Second Life might be used for experiential learning. Columbia Teachers College has already made a breakthrough in this respect by creating a learning community on a virtual island there.

Alternative strategies in educational assessment in the digital age.

Ideological perspectives on teaching “Englishes” as opposed to a “standard” English.

The role and use of literature in higher education and society.

All in all, it has been a highly useful and rewarding experience for me to be involved in the preparation stages and the running of the institute as well as being one of the participants.