Interview With The Head

Interview with the Head of a Foreign Language Department
As part of module 5 I interviewed a colleague, (and my boss) Ms. Ayin Alp - or

as Turkish people would say - Ayin Hanm. Ayin (pronounced Ay-shin) is currently
the head of the Foreign Languages department at the middle school that I work at. As
part of her duties Ayin is responsible for overseeing the English program with 13
international/native English teachers, as well as the German, Spanish, and French
language teachers. Ayin has over 30 years of working as both an English teacher
and administrator in Istanbul and zmir, Turkey. She is also a parent of an ESL
student who is currently attending an American university having been a student of
the Turkish school system prior to departing for University. In the interview, which I
have included below, Ayin and I spoke about her opinions relating to teaching
English from all three perspectives.
In reflecting on our conversation together the thing that stuck out most
prominently in my mind was the focus that Ayin put on building a relationship with
students. To put it into Ayins words, If you have a connection with a student, then
they are never truly lost. Ayin said this while we were discussing how to overcome
affective filters but the idea of building connections with students was reflected in
several of her answers. I think that this illustrates something that is important in any
educational system, but also particularly with regards to the topics covered in this
course, which is really making a personal connection with students, showing
empathy and making them feel like they are part of the community. The idea of
making connections related back to many of Ayins educational philosophies. For
example in discussing forms of assessment Ayin stated how technology has really
equipped teachers to be able to help students connect with one another through a
variety of technology. Ayin believes, as many of the philosophies and pedagogies in
this course have highlighted, that it is key for students to make connections with each
other and also to see themselves in their work. She specifically mentioned that by
using digital tools the students can express more of their own personality and see
themselves reflected in their work and that by connecting with work with an audience
of peers the students will only be more engaged.
A second theme that was prevalent in our discussion was inquiry based
learning (IBL). Having worked with Ayin I was aware of her interest in IBL before but
in conducting the interview I could see that her advocacy of IBL applied to all areas of
learning. One particularly interesting application, to me, was using IBL with grammar
instruction. Ayin really wanted students to look for and identify grammar patterns
based on their own discoveries and through meaningful, real-world connected,
projects as opposed to worksheets and rote learning. Ayin, like many of the texts
that we have been reading, finds it very important to have students work on
metacognition and reflection to help them become active participants in their
learning. One challenge that Ayin faces are the government compelled tests here
(every grade 8 student in Turkey must complete two state created tests to determine
which school they are admitted into - as a result the focus of many schools and
parents is to focus on this multiple choice test as much as possible) which see the
students spend a great deal of time working on multiple choice questions repeatedly.
Ayin was curious as to how similar this test was to the EQAO and the pressures that
are presented by trying to meet those standards as well.
Further reflections for me were that no matter where we are or where we
teach, we will always have students of mixed abilities. Even in our environment here
in Turkey which sees a lot more homogeneity (considering ethnicity, religion, social
class, shared culture) Ayin pointed out that every classroom will have mixed abilities
and that as teachers we must work to help students make connections with the
teacher, their peers, and the learning environment. Through completing this interview
it helped to reinforce my belief that no matter what situation we find ourselves in the
principles of what a good teacher is and does will remain the same.
Transcript of the interview:
What are some of the largest challenges that you face as an ELL educator.
Ayin: If you are an EFL instructor the biggest challenge is that the students dont have
exposure to the target language. So when they arent in the classroom they probably dont
use ENglish much and if they do its probably in a passive setting such as going to the movie
or watching a tv show, things like that. That is the biggest challenge for EFL teachers in my
opinion. Students need as much exposure to the second language as possible.
What would you say are the most important concerns for creating an ELD program for EFL
learners?
Ayin: One of the most important things is that there should be a consistent continuum to
make sure that the kids are exposed to every skill (reading/writing, etc.) while making sure to
spiral back to topics to make sure that students maintain exposure to these skills. Also
paying attention to the social and emotional aspects of learning is very important to me..
Are there significant differences between being an ELL teacher compared to an ELL
administrator?
Ayin: Your role as a teacher and as an administration have different expectations but being
an English teacher comes first. As a teacher you only have to worry about the level that you
are teaching but as an admin you have to think about all students.
How do you feel about ELL grammar instruction? Do you think that we should focus on
explicit grammar models, whole-language instruction, or any other option?
Ayin: I strongly believe that language develops by using the target language and being
exposed to the language. Even though it is sometimes necessary to teach some grammar
points. What I mean by teaching is, not to explicitly teach the grammar rules and the
grammar topic but instead have students use inquiry based learning to find the rules for
themselves so that they can internalize the grammar rules better that way.
Do you find that working with grammar changes based on age? Is it different for different age
levels ?
Ayin: Up to 4th grade I dont think there is a need for any type of grammar instruction. Their
brains are are not developed in a way to comprehend that yet. Theres no need really, their
brains dont work that way. As kids get older it may become more important to explicitly teach
some grammar points to prevent fossilization. That said though, I think that the focus should
be an inquiry based learning - having the students develop questions for themselves and
look for patterns so that they are more engaged in the learning process, definitely not by
going through drills or rote learning.
Do you think that fossilization is a big concern?
Ayin: Yes, I am always worried about it. It is something that should be considered by the
English teachers and should be dealt with. I think one of the more effective ways to avoid this
is by working with writing and exposing students to their own grammar mistakes. By
underlining their grammar mistakes and not telling them the reason why or the answer but
asking them to find it will help develop their metacognition - their own inquiry will guide them.
When thinking of the classroom environment what, in your opinions, are some of the best
strategies to make students feel safe and part of the school community?
Ayin: For our students, (EFL) a safe environment is a classroom where kids are not afraid of
making mistakes. Where they see mistakes as an opportunity to improve. I think thats the
most important thing in any language classroom, especially. Also, I think making relationships
is important, especially with the teacher. Through class routines the teacher must work to
establish a connection with the student. Without this type of connection a student will never
feel comfortable in the classroom. We must also protect against bullying particularly thinking
about cultures mixing together. It is the teacher's job to make the student feel included by
bth the other students and the teacher. Thats why when choosing texts I always try to
choose books about important issues, social issues, empathy, so students can make
connections to these feelings in the classroom.
What are some recommendations you would make for a new student who has entered the
class later than his/her peers and feels way behind in English ability and thus develops an
affective filter.
Ayin: I often find that in many cases the parent has a big impact on this. That is why
relationships are so important because if the student feels a connection to the teacher they
will never truly be lost . The teacher must also model the appropriate behaviours and create
a classroom environment that highlights the importance of second language acquisition. For
example making connections to other students where they can only speak in a second
language. Making connections through blogs/ twitter, web 2.0 applications etc. Students pay
a lot more attention if they know that other people see their work.
How important is differentiated instruction to an ELD program in your opinion?
Ayin: Very important because you can have students with different levels. Thats the case
with every school that I have worked at for the past 30 years. In every school there has
always been mixed abilities within the classroom. Plus, there are always newcomers who
may be at any range of the spectrum. These days with the help of technology we have a lot
more options and tools to create an engaging language environment and connect students
with many other students who are at the same ability level as themselves.
Do you think that second language acquisition should be encouraged and expected amongst
teachers to better understand the struggles of ELLs?
Ayin: Yeah, yeah, it will help a lot. Again going back to making connections this will allow
teachers to feel empathy with the struggles of ESL/EFLs. They may also be better informed
about how to make lessons that appeal to students and what needs they have to help them
move past difficult plateaus.

Interview With The Head

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Interview With The Head

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Title

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

Interview With The Head

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Interview with the Head of a Foreign Language Department

As part of module 5 I interviewed a colleague, (and my boss) Ms. Ayin Alp - or

Transcript of the interview:

Do you think that fossilization is a big concern?

How important is differentiated instruction to an ELD program in your opinion?

You might also like