Department of English Language Teaching "University in Schools" Practices

Within the scope of the University in Schools model, first- and second-year English Language Teaching students spent one full day a week at Bahçeşehir Schools as part of their departmental courses.

Bahçeşehir University first-year English Language Teaching students were sent to Bahçeşehir Schools as part of the Oral Communication course. Students were given observation templates covering pacing in the classroom (during instruction), the types, content and purposes of questions asked by the teacher during the lesson, students' in-class speech and language use, and academic learning time, and were asked to observe English classes and take field notes. Using these completed templates and field notes, the students prepared short talks for the next class. With the visuals they brought, each student shared their observations and experiences at the school and, in addition, completed their reflections in writing and orally.

Bahçeşehir University second-year English Language Teaching students, meanwhile, spent one day a week at schools as part of the Foreign Language Teaching Methods and Approaches course. Each week they made observations on a different language teaching method and prepared 15-20 minute mini-lessons. During the lesson preparation process, they received input from both BAU faculty members and English teachers at Bahçeşehir Schools. Through these practices, BAU students gained experience in many areas such as teaching different age groups, classroom management, using their voice effectively, preparing materials, attending parent meetings and how to communicate with parents.

The aim of the BAU Department of English Language Teaching is to train its students as teachers with 21st-century skills for Bahçeşehir Schools and other schools.