Comments for Turklish TEFL http://turklishtefl.com Down into the rabbit hole of ELT in Turkey (and now China) Sun, 22 Apr 2012 12:54:37 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 Comment on Advantages of Teaching Turkish Students by turklis1 http://turklishtefl.com/for-teachers/advantages-of-teaching-turkish-students/comment-page-1/#comment-63060 turklis1 Sun, 22 Apr 2012 12:54:37 +0000 http://turklishtefl.com/advantages-of-teaching-turkish-students/#comment-63060 Hello Asli, Yes, some school policies will affect motivation a lot. It also depends on the context. University prep classes are the most difficult to find motivated students because no one wants to be there. I definitely see where you are coming from with the tendency to equate fun with non learning. However, this is true throughout much of the world, not just Turkey. I always found that you had to have a reflection section at the end of every lesson to highlight what was learned. Eventually learners would realize they were learning a lot and enjoying it. Surprise surprise :) Hello Asli,

Yes, some school policies will affect motivation a lot. It also depends on the context. University prep classes are the most difficult to find motivated students because no one wants to be there.

I definitely see where you are coming from with the tendency to equate fun with non learning. However, this is true throughout much of the world, not just Turkey. I always found that you had to have a reflection section at the end of every lesson to highlight what was learned. Eventually learners would realize they were learning a lot and enjoying it. Surprise surprise :)

]]> Comment on Challenges Faced in the Turkish Classroom by turklis1 http://turklishtefl.com/for-teachers/obstacles-faced-in-the-turkish-classroom/comment-page-1/#comment-63059 turklis1 Sun, 22 Apr 2012 12:50:49 +0000 http://turklishtefl.com/?page_id=53#comment-63059 Hi Zahra, A non-Turk teaching English and wearing a headscarf! To be quite honest, I have never come across a similar situation. I truly do not know the answer. I suspect you would be met with a lot of curiosity, maybe some suspicion, and you may have to defend yourself in some institutions. However, I think it would come down to making a good choice about where you work. For example, Fatih University in Istanbul or any Gulen school like Coskun would be very excited to have you. Let me know how it goes. Hi Zahra,

A non-Turk teaching English and wearing a headscarf! To be quite honest, I have never come across a similar situation. I truly do not know the answer. I suspect you would be met with a lot of curiosity, maybe some suspicion, and you may have to defend yourself in some institutions. However, I think it would come down to making a good choice about where you work. For example, Fatih University in Istanbul or any Gulen school like Coskun would be very excited to have you. Let me know how it goes.

]]> Comment on Challenges Faced in the Turkish Classroom by Zahra http://turklishtefl.com/for-teachers/obstacles-faced-in-the-turkish-classroom/comment-page-1/#comment-63046 Zahra Sun, 22 Apr 2012 11:35:27 +0000 http://turklishtefl.com/?page_id=53#comment-63046 Great article! Very useful information for anyone considering becoming a teacher in Turkey like myself :D Thank you :) You mentioned some topics which need to be avoided in discussions, my questions is will I be able to teach wearing a headscarf? :/ I'm a bit worried now Great article!

Very useful information for anyone considering becoming a teacher in Turkey like myself :D Thank you :)

You mentioned some topics which need to be avoided in discussions, my questions is will I be able to teach wearing a headscarf? :/ I’m a bit worried now

]]> Comment on Jobs in Turkey by Tips for job in Turkey « You Can We can http://turklishtefl.com/for-teachers/jobs-in-turkey/comment-page-1/#comment-63038 Tips for job in Turkey « You Can We can Sun, 22 Apr 2012 10:12:31 +0000 http://turklishtefl.com/?page_id=9#comment-63038 [...] Jobs in Turkey [...] [...] Jobs in Turkey [...]

]]> Comment on Advantages of Teaching Turkish Students by Asl? http://turklishtefl.com/for-teachers/advantages-of-teaching-turkish-students/comment-page-1/#comment-62909 Asl? Sat, 21 Apr 2012 06:11:15 +0000 http://turklishtefl.com/advantages-of-teaching-turkish-students/#comment-62909 Hi Nick, I agree with you about most of the points you made in your post. I would like to agree with the motivation part, too but what I have come up with throughout the year at the private university where I teach is a totally different story. I should accept that students were motivated more in the beginning but some school policies and wrong approaches to education have led our students to despair and loss of motivation. As you have also mentioned, each class has a different athmosphere. But this atmosphere is affected by a lot of variables like school's approach to ELT, constantly changing school policies and of course the teacher. And about respect; Most of Turkish students have a tendency to not to accept that a fun activity can not teach anything, it is just for fun. Learning is only possible with grammar teaching and memorization. Hi Nick,
I agree with you about most of the points you made in your post. I would like to agree with the motivation part, too but what I have come up with throughout the year at the private university where I teach is a totally different story.

I should accept that students were motivated more in the beginning but some school policies and wrong approaches to education have led our students to despair and loss of motivation.

As you have also mentioned, each class has a different athmosphere. But this atmosphere is affected by a lot of variables like school’s approach to ELT, constantly changing school policies and of course the teacher.

And about respect; Most of Turkish students have a tendency to not to accept that a fun activity can not teach anything, it is just for fun. Learning is only possible with grammar teaching and memorization.

]]> Comment on The Myth of ADHD as a Mental Disease by turklis1 http://turklishtefl.com/2012/04/18/the-myth-of-adhd-as-a-mental-disease/comment-page-1/#comment-62762 turklis1 Fri, 20 Apr 2012 01:38:04 +0000 http://turklishtefl.com/?p=1537#comment-62762 Hi J. Thanks for your comment and great to hear from someone actively dealing with this situation every day. I agree, the last of a physical test that can identify such conditions make them very suspect and increases the probability for misdiagnosis. Often medication is just the easy answer. I recall one teacher who told me she wasn't convinced of reality of ADHD, but she admitted she wouldn't know how to control her class without medicating a few of the more active kids. It simply made her job a lot easier. I think in the 2 really difficult cases you mentioned above, medication might be useful to get individuals to a place where they can learn to control themselves more quickly. What I would really be interested in is a study of CBT on extreme ADHD cases that showed what kind of therapy is needed, how much, and how quickly average improvement time was. That would really allow educators and parents to see how they should intervene, how long, and when to expect results. There was an interesting study done with mice not too long ago that measured the effects of overstimulation through images in early years. It showed that mice exposed to rapidly changing images and videos were unable to concentrate and became much more likely to take risks. I would not be surprised if extensive television watching or video game playing in early development was linked to ADHD behaviors later in life. A lot of adults also speak about this relating to Twitter and today's social media. We are so used to immediately access to quickly changing information in small bites that it's sometimes harder to concentrate on more traditional tasks. However, as the brain is plastic, what can be learned can be unlearned. I agree with your last point that I think a lot of it has to do with the curriculum and the way we teach. Well it's important to teach self-control, I still see teachers who expect the class to sit nicely and do what they are told even through the most boring and irrelevant material. Hi J. Thanks for your comment and great to hear from someone actively dealing with this situation every day. I agree, the last of a physical test that can identify such conditions make them very suspect and increases the probability for misdiagnosis. Often medication is just the easy answer. I recall one teacher who told me she wasn’t convinced of reality of ADHD, but she admitted she wouldn’t know how to control her class without medicating a few of the more active kids. It simply made her job a lot easier. I think in the 2 really difficult cases you mentioned above, medication might be useful to get individuals to a place where they can learn to control themselves more quickly. What I would really be interested in is a study of CBT on extreme ADHD cases that showed what kind of therapy is needed, how much, and how quickly average improvement time was. That would really allow educators and parents to see how they should intervene, how long, and when to expect results.

There was an interesting study done with mice not too long ago that measured the effects of overstimulation through images in early years. It showed that mice exposed to rapidly changing images and videos were unable to concentrate and became much more likely to take risks. I would not be surprised if extensive television watching or video game playing in early development was linked to ADHD behaviors later in life. A lot of adults also speak about this relating to Twitter and today’s social media. We are so used to immediately access to quickly changing information in small bites that it’s sometimes harder to concentrate on more traditional tasks. However, as the brain is plastic, what can be learned can be unlearned.

I agree with your last point that I think a lot of it has to do with the curriculum and the way we teach. Well it’s important to teach self-control, I still see teachers who expect the class to sit nicely and do what they are told even through the most boring and irrelevant material.

]]> Comment on Jobs in Turkey by António Alfaia http://turklishtefl.com/for-teachers/jobs-in-turkey/comment-page-1/#comment-62756 António Alfaia Thu, 19 Apr 2012 23:38:07 +0000 http://turklishtefl.com/?page_id=9#comment-62756 Hi! I'm sorry to disturb you but it seems you know a lot about this sort of stuff. Can I get a tourist visa at the Turkish border and then apply for a student/work visa (I am to be an intern at a university)? And something about the 90/180 days period for the tourist visa. I read somewhere that the people from some countries were exempted from that 180 period imposed by the new regulations. Is that true? I really appreciate if you could answer these questions. Best regards, António Hi!

I’m sorry to disturb you but it seems you know a lot about this sort of stuff. Can I get a tourist visa at the Turkish border and then apply for a student/work visa (I am to be an intern at a university)? And something about the 90/180 days period for the tourist visa. I read somewhere that the people from some countries were exempted from that 180 period imposed by the new regulations. Is that true?

I really appreciate if you could answer these questions.

Best regards,
António

]]> Comment on The Myth of ADHD as a Mental Disease by J.Bestwick http://turklishtefl.com/2012/04/18/the-myth-of-adhd-as-a-mental-disease/comment-page-1/#comment-62695 J.Bestwick Thu, 19 Apr 2012 15:05:11 +0000 http://turklishtefl.com/?p=1537#comment-62695 A very interesting and thoughtful piece. I work in a school for children with statements for emotional, social and behavioural difficulties. ABout a quarter of these pupils have been diagnosed with ADHD. However, I would say, in my opinion that only half of these children actually have ADHD. I think one of the biggest issues is the way in which ADHD is diagnosed and often leads to misdiagnosis. This then overshadows the genuine cases. I have worked with numerous pupils over my last ten years in this school, only 2 of which would I say really had ADHD. One lad would literally bounce off the walls if he hadn't had his medication in the morning before school. He couldn't sit still, couldn't focus and even found it hard to talk as he couldn't arrange his thoughts coherently. Another pupil I taught was not medicated and found it difficult to sit still. Even sat in a char he would rock, tap his foot or tap a pencil on the table. He said he felt full of energy and couldn't contain it. Sadly, many children are misdiagnosed and then medicated. It concerns me that the means of deciding on medication is based on behavioural observations and not on any medical tests. Most conditions requiring medication are diagnosed using blood tests, CAT scans, ECGs, etc the fact that children are placed on stimulants without any sort of medical test is worrying. We have pupils who are medicated and yet clearly can control their behaviour without medication. Pupils who claim they are on the tablets to make then 'good' and older pupils who claim they do not need medication but their parents get £200 a week if they take it! Very worrying. I think ADHD does exist but not in the vast numbers that seem to be occurring. I think part of the issue lies in a curriculum which needs reviewing and modernising. Many of the pupils are not interested in learning about the topics we are expected to deliver and misbehave as a means of expressing their disinterest. A very interesting and thoughtful piece. I work in a school for children with statements for emotional, social and behavioural difficulties. ABout a quarter of these pupils have been diagnosed with ADHD. However, I would say, in my opinion that only half of these children actually have ADHD.
I think one of the biggest issues is the way in which ADHD is diagnosed and often leads to misdiagnosis. This then overshadows the genuine cases.
I have worked with numerous pupils over my last ten years in this school, only 2 of which would I say really had ADHD. One lad would literally bounce off the walls if he hadn’t had his medication in the morning before school. He couldn’t sit still, couldn’t focus and even found it hard to talk as he couldn’t arrange his thoughts coherently. Another pupil I taught was not medicated and found it difficult to sit still. Even sat in a char he would rock, tap his foot or tap a pencil on the table. He said he felt full of energy and couldn’t contain it.
Sadly, many children are misdiagnosed and then medicated. It concerns me that the means of deciding on medication is based on behavioural observations and not on any medical tests. Most conditions requiring medication are diagnosed using blood tests, CAT scans, ECGs, etc the fact that children are placed on stimulants without any sort of medical test is worrying. We have pupils who are medicated and yet clearly can control their behaviour without medication. Pupils who claim they are on the tablets to make then ‘good’ and older pupils who claim they do not need medication but their parents get £200 a week if they take it! Very worrying.
I think ADHD does exist but not in the vast numbers that seem to be occurring. I think part of the issue lies in a curriculum which needs reviewing and modernising. Many of the pupils are not interested in learning about the topics we are expected to deliver and misbehave as a means of expressing their disinterest.

]]> Comment on The Myth of ADHD as a Mental Disease by T Bestwick http://turklishtefl.com/2012/04/18/the-myth-of-adhd-as-a-mental-disease/comment-page-1/#comment-62531 T Bestwick Wed, 18 Apr 2012 12:25:05 +0000 http://turklishtefl.com/?p=1537#comment-62531 Hey Nick, Interesting reading, especially as it's a topic I was discussing with colleagues yesterday. Our conclusion was much the same as yours - teachers and schools don't have the resources to provide the assistance and support needed by these students - even in after-school English class with reduced group numbers, it's difficult to focus attention on a single student. I'm going to pass your article on to my sister too - she works in a school in the UK with students with behavioural problems - the ones who have been through a variety of schools and kicked out at each stage finally end up at her school. Hey Nick,
Interesting reading, especially as it’s a topic I was discussing with colleagues yesterday. Our conclusion was much the same as yours – teachers and schools don’t have the resources to provide the assistance and support needed by these students – even in after-school English class with reduced group numbers, it’s difficult to focus attention on a single student.
I’m going to pass your article on to my sister too – she works in a school in the UK with students with behavioural problems – the ones who have been through a variety of schools and kicked out at each stage finally end up at her school.

]]> Comment on The Myth of ADHD as a Mental Disease by turklis1 http://turklishtefl.com/2012/04/18/the-myth-of-adhd-as-a-mental-disease/comment-page-1/#comment-62516 turklis1 Wed, 18 Apr 2012 09:00:00 +0000 http://turklishtefl.com/?p=1537#comment-62516 Hi Richard, Thanks for the comment. Yes, I put in a lot of time for this article, because I think it can be a sensitive issue. I didn't just want to spout off an opinion without backing it up. Different meds have different effects. One issue is that those effects can change or wear off over time. I had friends on meds for a variety of reasons and they tended to change meds every couple of months. Their personalities also changed a bit every couple months :P I think these issues are complicated. Maybe the teacher or the parents simply don't have the time or resources to spend with the child to teach him/her to calm down and focus on their own. The meds work and it's easy, so what's wrong with that? My main concern has always been the long-term skills. It's very easy to change someone's behavior by adminstering different drugs, alcohol is a clear enough example of that. But what does the person learn from this? Is there a reliance on the drug? Do they not develop the requisite skills to control themselves? Does this teach a person that behaviors are fixed by biology and so they never bother to try and improve themselves (are we creating individuals with fixed rather than growth mindsets)? All questions I think are worth asking. Hi Richard,

Thanks for the comment. Yes, I put in a lot of time for this article, because I think it can be a sensitive issue. I didn’t just want to spout off an opinion without backing it up.

Different meds have different effects. One issue is that those effects can change or wear off over time. I had friends on meds for a variety of reasons and they tended to change meds every couple of months. Their personalities also changed a bit every couple months :P

I think these issues are complicated. Maybe the teacher or the parents simply don’t have the time or resources to spend with the child to teach him/her to calm down and focus on their own. The meds work and it’s easy, so what’s wrong with that? My main concern has always been the long-term skills. It’s very easy to change someone’s behavior by adminstering different drugs, alcohol is a clear enough example of that. But what does the person learn from this? Is there a reliance on the drug? Do they not develop the requisite skills to control themselves? Does this teach a person that behaviors are fixed by biology and so they never bother to try and improve themselves (are we creating individuals with fixed rather than growth mindsets)? All questions I think are worth asking.

]]>