A recent blog post demonstrated to me quite poignantly that I know very little about certain EFL contexts outside the ones I've worked in myself or read about extensively. I also gleaned some valuable advice from Gavin Dudeney (here and here) about the potential "Go Home Guru" factor, when so-called ELT experts parachute in somewhere and attempt to help and inspire in a place they really know almost nothing about...
So, pleased and excited as I am about being invited to host workshops at ISTEK in Istanbul next March, I have to confess I know almost nothing about Turkey at all, and in particular where EFL stands there. I do know that it has been a huge source of Boost! sales, and I have been reading (with a great deal of interest, I might add) the section about Turkish students of English in my well-worn edition of Learner English... but facts are: I have serious homework to do!
So here is my call to the blogosphere - what can you tell me about:
- Things to be careful or aware of as a foreign visitor in Turkey (perhaps Instanbul in particular)?
- The state of EFL in Turkey?
- Things you think Turkish teachers of English really want to hear about and participate in (in terms of workshops)?
- Practical Do's and Don'ts when doing workshops with Turkish teachers!
THANKS in advance - can't wait to get and learn from your comments!
:-)
