Using Turkish in the Classroom
Many schools in Turkey, and the opinions of many teachers that work here, usually agree that Turkish should not be used in the classroom. This tends to be a necessity as few teachers actually ever bother to learn the language anyway. While there are many problems related with the usage of Turkish in the classroom, I tend to side with those that say it should not be categorically banned and that it can be used to benefit the students in a number of ways. Foreign teachers should take the time and effort to learn their students’ language, so they can interact more fully in the country they are living in and use it to benefit their students in the class.
The problems with using Turkish in the classroom are many and well justified. Because of the dissimilarity between the languages and Turkish students’ obsession with literal, word-for-word translation, it is often best just to do away with Turkish entirely as a way to encourage thinking in English. If Turkish is allowed in the classroom, student talking time also goes down as they will be more prone to converse in Turkish than in English. And, of course, using the students’ native language should be banned in multilingual classrooms. It’s unfair to students to translate into one language but not others and will create a negative learning environment for those students that feel left out when the teacher translates into a language other than theirs.
Despite these objections, I have always agreed with something I read in Jim Scrivener’s Learning Teaching back during my TEFL course days. He said that the students’ native language shouldn’t be banned in the class. Instead, we, as teachers, should make our classrooms a place where students speak English because they want to, not because they are forced to. Motivation is one of the most important elements in the language classroom and if we constantly harp on students to stop speaking their language in their own country,, this can be not only discouraging, but insulting as well.
As an alternative to categorically banning Turkish, I think it is much better to create engaging lessons that make the students want to learn English. Additionally, the reasons for and benefits of speaking in English should be made clear to the students. Gentle reminders or signs encouraging the use of English around the room are helpful in this regard. As teachers who speak the students’ language it’s also important to never use their language to translate yourself. If a student speaks to you in Turkish, play dumb or tell them you don’t speak Turkish in the classroom. Always provide a positive model for your students. I’ve seen too many teachers try to use halting Turkish to (usually incorrectly) translate words or sentences for students.
With that said, there are several occasions where the use of Turkish in the classroom can be very helpful. I think the first and most obvious is the relaying of instructions for lower levels. Any student feels uncomfortable if they don’t know what’s going on and you can waste a lot of time re-explaining things when the students don’t understand. However, I’m not saying we should automatically give students instructions in Turkish. The students need to get used to following instructions in English and learn the language associated with it. We need to remember to always give simple instructions, one at a time and ICQ (instruction check question) them with the class. Many teachers often ignore this simple, but incredibly important technique. In addition to that, we must always demo the activity. If the students see the demonstration as you give the instructions it contextualizes the language and makes it easily intelligible. What I propose is that, as a final sort of ICQ, students explain the instructions back to you in Turkish. This way you practice the English, you get to be certain the students understand, and the students feel comfortable knowing what they are doing. As the class progresses and students become more comfortable, relaying the instructions back in Turkish can slowly be phased out.
Turkish is also useful for classroom management issues. While it should be obvious if you are angry or unhappy with a particular behavior, many students might not understand why, especially if it stems from cultural differences. Here would be a good time to explain to the students clearly what the problem is and what behavior you’d like in it’s place. Along these lines it can be a very good idea to explain classroom rules and expectations in Turkish on the first day. This way you know everyone is on the same page and a student can’t claim later that they didn’t understand .
Because most language learners do not understand how to learn a language, especially in Turkey where the education system creates students with skill sets and classroom expectations very counterproductive to language acquisition, it is quite helpful to explain methodology and reasons for some of the things you do in the classroom in the students own language. (Wooh, quite the sentence there 
.) Think back to your training days. Did you expect language teaching to be the way it is? Like most people, you probably thought you needed to know the students’ language, that the teacher should be up front doing a lot of explaining, and that study was more important than use. If you didn’t know what to expect in a language classroom, how can you expect your students to?
Another important use of Turkish, and one I think is the most valuable, is establishing rapport with the students. If you speak Turkish, it shows the students that you’ve taken the time to learn their language or at least are willing to make the effort. It’s a sign of respect. They will also be much more willing to trust you when you claim a Turkish way of saying something is wrong in English. I guarantee you that when you tell a student the correct way to say a Turklish phrase they will not believe you. They often think that you don’t understand what they’re trying to say and that you’ve put something different on the board. Believe me, it happens all the time. Another great way to establish rapport is to use Turkish in a humorous way from time to time. Make the students laugh and show them that, while you won’t speak Turkish with them in general, you appreciate their language and culture and aren’t completely against its use in the classroom.
One thing that I have found is really helpful in my classes is a set time each week where you will speak Turkish with the class for 10 or 15 minutes. It’s basically a big feedback session. Students can voice any concerns they have about the class, explain what they like and don’t like, and you can discuss things like methodology or good study habits with them. This really seems to help students because they know there is a time set aside each week where they can speak Turkish. It makes them more relaxed about speaking English the rest of the week. Also, many students are reluctant to discuss their problems in the class because they are embarrassed or unsure of their English. There’s a lot you can learn from students when they are speaking in their native language.
The last thing I use Turkish for is translation gaps. Generally, I’m dead set against translating words for students as it reinforces the idea that you actually can do this, which, from Turkish to English, is rarely possible. What I do find beneficial, however, is translating chunks of information or highlighting important differences. For example, one translation lesson I always do is the difference between “someone has/had/will have…” and “There is/are,was/were/will be…”, etc. Because Turkish doesn’t really use “have”, they use “There is/are” structures, students find this very confusing. Students can translate sentences into Turkish and then, covering up the previous translation, translate them back into English. This enables students to notice gaps between the languages AND it reinforces the idea that literal, word-for-word translations are not recommended. It draws the students’ attention to the need to look at chunks of language meaning and to notice differences between the languages. Another great difference that I always use a translation exercise with is defining vs. non-defining relative clauses. Turkish makes no distinction between the two, so it’s important to illustrate that, while they are translated the same, there is a slight change in meaning in English. You can refer to my Challenges Faced in the Speaking Turkish Classroom – the Language section for more ideas about where this might be appropriate.
In the end, while I always encourage the use of English in the class, Turkish definitely has its time and place. As long as Turkish is used judiciously and guidelines are clearly set as to when it’s acceptable or not, you will find that your students’ understanding will increase, their motivation will increase, and you’ll learn some things you might otherwise not have.
Is there anybody else out there who uses Turkish in the classroom? In what ways do you use it? What benefits or drawbacks have you seen with it’s use?
Other Relevant Links
Monolingual vs. Bilingual Approaches
Using L1 with Turkish Children
Tags: L1, Turkish Language
Classroom Management, Teaching Strategies | turklis1 | 
September 30, 2009 10:03 am
5 Comments
Other Links to this Post
RSS feed for comments on this post. TrackBack URI
Subscribe
By Diana, October 11, 2009 @ 12:23 pm
Nick,
I’m happy you wrote about this! I definitely agree that Turkish should not be completely banned in class and that we should create engaging enough lessons so that they will want to communicate in English. I undoubtedly try not to use Turkish in class but I find that for some things a few Turkish words can make a world of difference and can really help them to understand something like….. Question Tags!
I have to admit that I start that lesson by mentioning the Turkish “de?il mi?”. I basically tell them that while they have just this one question tag, ours varies depending on the verbs used. This really helps a lot. From square one they’re on the ball and know what’s going on. So instead spending lots of time with them trying to figure our what question tags are… they know up front and now focus their time on understanding how the English ones work and when to use them: cant we?, can we?, don’t I?, doesn’t he?, etc.
I definitely agree that literal word-for-word translations are a big “No, no!”. lol. As I am someone who is learning Turkish, I know first hand that direct translations don’t work most of the time! I have also learned Turkish-English dictionaries can definitely not be trusted. I insist that my students use a dictionary ONLY as last resort if they truly can’t understand my explanations, drawings, acting, etc. I always get laughs when I announce, “Put that book away. I am your dictionary now!” But if I don’t say it, they’ll just keep on running to the dictionary.
I found that part about our ability to speak Turkish interesting. About how you said that if we can speak Turkish they have this new respect for us. I completely agree. I find that the students faces immediately light up, and the students sit up straighter and more attentive after hearing that I’m learning Turkish. Turks love hearing that you love their culture, language, cities, country, people, etc. They love when I make sentences like the following: “I always drink ayran when I eat lahmacun.” Or “I prefer Ali Nazik to çi? köfte.” They get a real kick out of it. I think it’s important that our example sentences that they can relate to easily.
When teaching “Before” and “After” I also try to make sentences that relate to them the most. I give an example regarding abdest (the Islamic cleansing before prayer) and namaz (Islamic prayer, also known as salaat). They really like that I show interest in their culture, food, religion, etc. So, back to “before” and “after”.. You know, I actually didn’t realise how confusing “before” and “after” was.. until I learned it in Turkish. Now I can understand what a mess of confusion they go through trying to figure out which thing comes first and which comes second. I use an example which all Turks know, that NEVER changes:
“Before I do namaz(pray), I do abdest(Islamic cleansing).” and “After I do abdest, I do namaz.”
This is a good example because it’s something that people worldwide ALWAYS do EXACTLY in the SAME ORDER. I usually find my students to be very surprised by this example. However, they are always very happy about it because they can understand it without having to analyze it too much.
Anyway.. I just keep babbling on…
This is a great site Nick! Thanks for your insights! I know that you have personally helped me a lot these past few months with some wonderful teaching ideas. Your games have been a HUGE hit with my classes! They really help to get everybody involved and speaking English, even the quiet ones. 
Thank you!
Diana
By Darren Elliott, October 14, 2009 @ 1:55 pm
This is the kind of thing I was referring to in my “do-as-you-please” blog post, Nick! I haven’t come across a study, but I GUARANTEE that there is a direct correlation between NEST’s L1 ability and their attitudes towards L1 in the classroom. I mean, if you speak great Turkish then I’m pretty sure you’ll be using it. If you can barely order dinner, your classroom will be English immersion. Well, that’s natural enough – but what is funny is that both teachers will be able to dig up bucket loads of research to support them, and both approaches DO have validity. However, both teachers are actually just ‘doing as they please’, teaching in a way that they are makes them happy and comfortable. Isn’t that justification enough? ;P
By turklis1, October 14, 2009 @ 7:22 pm
Here, I definitely agree with you. Here is a point where we could go either way as to the efficacy of the approach. However, I feel we can say for certain that teaching a lesson entirely in L1 is extremely ineffective, especially for productive skills. That is my point. At some point we can go either way, but there are basic practices that should be followed by anyone. I mean, I’m agreeing with you here, but I’m saying that we can only take it so far.
By Ty Kendall, October 22, 2009 @ 5:46 pm
Interesting article Nick. I agree with everything you say. L1 use in the classroom can be beneficial if boundaries are set.
It reminds me of when I was teaching a Cypriot group and they found out I am learning Greek..they were a low-level group and they instantly switched to speaking to me in Greek…which was disasterous as they suddenly refused to go back to English…it became a game of wits…I had to convince them my Greek wasn’t good enough to converse with them and that I wasn’t in that lesson to learn Greek, they were there to learn English.
The students do warm to you though if they see that whilst they are taking steps to learn your language, you have done the same.
By admin, October 22, 2009 @ 8:18 pm
Hmm yes, always a danger. I’ve responded to a beginner class in Turkish for the first week of the class a few times and then, after the first couple days, just told them that I wouldn’t be doing that anymore now that they were comfortable with me. I would just play dumb when they spoke in Turkish and they got the point by day 2
They’ll understand if you explain your reasoning, at least they have for me. If you do it too much or too long it’s very hard to get the class to switch. I’ve read stories online of teachers who this has happened to. Thanks for stopping by the blog 