I have been an EAP instructor in various universities in Turkey since 2013. I have been instructing academic reading, listening, writing and speaking skills which are based on a pre-determined syllabus and objectives. I have provided instruction across multiple CEFR levels ranging from A2 to B2 levels in the higher education context.
In 2013, I served as a part-time language instructor providing instruction across multiple levels at Yasar University, Izmir/ Turkey.
At Izmir University of Economics, I taught Academic Reading & Writing Skills as well as Listening & Speaking skills at the preparatory language school (A2 to C1 levels). On the other hand, I taught academic presentation skills to undergrad learners (from various disciplines) in the same institution to 8 different sections.
Since 2016, I have been serving as an EAP instructor at ScOLA, Ozyegin University, Istanbul which is an EQUALS accredited language school. In this institution, I have been teaching academic English skills across multiple levels (CEFR- A2 to B2). Working in a team-based environment, I have had the chance to receive feedback from our team leader (class observations), colleauges (peer observations) and learner feedback (summative and formative evaluations) to guide my teaching practice and develop professionally.
In the first year of my teaching at Ozyegin University, I was made aware of the need for more focus on learner autonomy and engagement. This feedback was provided by the team leader who expects the instructor to take the agreed necessary actions to address the ''areas-to-work-on'' in relation to teaching practice. In this regard, class observations served as valuable tools to encourage me to conduct some research on the issue of learner autonomy and engagement, deliberate with colleauges and conduct peer observations as well as participate in professional development sessions conducted by the TLDU in the same institution.
Following the input I gathered regarding learner engagement and autonomy, I decided to align the seating order inside the classroom to a more interactive one by creating groups of learners facing each other to increase communication with learners. This was followed by the integration of a discussion routine regarding the answers to questions for a reading or listening text. I would not provide the learners with the answers but instead allow them to discuss their answers and justify them with reference to the text. This increased learner engagement to a great extent.