The Final Post

It's Time to Say Goodbye!

Hello, my beloved readers,

As the term comes to an end, it is time to say goodbye and reflect on this course. Throughout this term, this blog has been a space where I shared my learning experiences and thoughts. When I look back, I can say that this course has been both challenging and rewarding for me.

We worked on many tasks during the course. Most assignments were very time-consuming because my friends and I are quite perfectionist and wanted everything to be complete. However, this process helped us pay attention to details and do our best in every task.

My favourite task was the final AI project. I really enjoyed working on it because I believe our idea was creative, and it was the assignment we felt most satisfied with. On the other hand, my least favourite task was the Flipped Teaching video. We prepared it using Powtoon, but I had problems accessing the application for a while, which made the task stressful.

Overall, I believe this course has contributed a lot to me. Thanks to this course, I learned how to prepare a well-structured lesson plan. It also helped me improve my creative thinking skills and look at teaching from a more creative perspective.

For students who will take this course next year, my advice is to be patient and open to learning. This course contributed a lot to my professional development, especially in learning how to prepare lesson plans and improving my creative thinking skills.

Finally, I would like to say goodbye to everyone who followed this journey. Thank you for reading, supporting, and being a part of this learning process. I wish you all success, creativity, and confidence in your own learning journeys. Goodbye for now, and all the best.

AI-Integrated Material

 Creating A Model With AI 

                   

Here I am with the last assignment of the term!

Our teacher asked us to create an AI-supported material for high school English preparatory students. Honestly, it was the easiest and most enjoyable one we have done so far. My friend and I tried to be as creative as possible while designing our material. We chose writing as the focus skill and personality and traits as the topic.

The concept is fun: students create a model for a fashion magazine and describe it in terms of personality and appearance. They write their own prompts and upload them to Pixelbin to generate AI images.

We really enjoyed the process, and you should definitely try it too. It’s fun to see what AI can create from your ideas!

My peer: Meryem Hilal yıldırım

Our material: https://www.canva.com/design/DAG8tepm2XQ/-MsMtqnmnmkDrEw5zqO7mA/view?utm_content=DAG8tepm2XQ&utm_campaign=designshare&utm_medium=link2&utm_source=uniquelinks&utlId=h4e2e78c3c5

ASSURE lesson plan: https://marmaraedutr-my.sharepoint.com/:w:/g/personal/yasemin_sagir_marun_edu_tr/IQDze2qo5KG2TbW5iTvn6K8BAXJKC8m0qST6-jG-U4gTjnk?e=0u7cC0

The Second Draft

          After the feedback session, my peer Hilal and I made some changes to our material. We moved the theme to the beginning and numbered the instructions to make them clearer. We also removed the texts under the images so that students could think more creatively and not be limited to one idea. Finally, we made a few small corrections to improve our material. 

          We hope you will like this improved version more. Goodbye!

Our material:https://www.canva.com/design/DAG9qWyKfNI/C_NJVho0YAw7O4FWNvT_AA/view?utm_content=DAG9qWyKfNI&utm_campaign=designshare&utm_medium=link2&utm_source=uniquelinks&utlId=h87fd7f14b4

ASSURE lesson plan:https://marmaraedutr-my.sharepoint.com/:w:/g/personal/yasemin_sagir_marun_edu_tr/IQDze2qo5KG2TbW5iTvn6K8BAXJKC8m0qST6-jG-U4gTjnk?e=0u7cC0

AR/VR Integration in ELT: Exploring Shanghai

 Let's Take a Virtual Trip to Shanghai!

Hi! Would you like to go to Shanghai, China? If yes, let's go!

In this assignment, we designed an AR/VR integrated teaching material for high school English preparatory students at the A2 level. The main aim of the task was to help learners explore a city abroad by using English in engaging way. We chose Shanghai, China as our focus city. Also, we completed the ASSURE lesson plan.

We structured the task in 5 main steps. Firstly, students explored two famous landmarks of Shanghai through 360° virtual tours. Next, they visited the Shanghai Natural History Museum using a VR experience and answered guiding questions. In the fourth step, students learned about the Spring Festival through short information, videos and visuals. Finally, students wrote a letter imagining that they had visited Shanghai and writing to a friend or family member who was planning a trip.

Compared to other assignments, this assignment was not very challenging for me. From the beginning, we divided the tasks easily and equally within the group which made the process more organized. Whenever we had questions or small difficulties, we consulted each other and found solutions together. The only challenging part was the design process which was slightly time-consuming. However, overall, the process was smooth.

Overall, this task showed that AR/VR can be a very helpful tool in ELT, when it is used in a meaningful way. These technologies make lessons more interesting, increase student motivation and create more realistic learning experiences than traditional materials. In my opinion, When AR/VR tools are used with well-designed activities, they can make language learning more enjoyable for EFL students. As a future English teacher, I can most likely see myself using AR/VR tool in my classroom.

Thanks for joining this virtual journey to Shanghai!

See you in the next post! 🌍😊

My teammates are: Aslı Özyıldırım, Beyza Zabun, Meryem Hilal Yıldırım

You can access the teaching material and ASSURE lesson plan through the links below👇👇:

• Teaching Material (Handout): https://www.canva.com/design/DAG7fCrQ9ZI/M8WcYBKjmp_82uswT__vgw/editutm_content=DAG7fCrQ9ZI&utm_campaign=designshare&utm_medium=link2&utm_source=sharebutton

• ASSURE Lesson Plan: https://marmaraedutr-my.sharepoint.com/:w:/g/personal/yasemin_sagir_marun_edu_tr/IQCxR_Erz9wnRIfJnB6NCKNBASSQlSg4xe52SckNXn24blw?e=KX7JaH

The second draft

         After the feedback session, we made several revisions based on our teacher’s suggestions. For the section introducing the two landmarks, we added three guided questions to help students activate their background knowledge. In addition, we included one extra question for the Oriental Pearl Tower to support comprehension.

         In the Yu Yuan Garden section, we asked students to check Column A and watch the video again while paying close attention to the terms listed in Column A in order to complete Column B. 

        In the festival section, we added guiding questions before the reading task to prepare students for the text. Furthermore, we changed the order of the third and fourth questions so that they progress logically from factual questions to personal ones. Finally, we incorporated all revisions into ASSURE lesson plan.

Revised Teaching Material (Handout): https://www.canva.com/design/DAG8ImgfqS4/HLnKGK6Pi6aDj28j8AAtXg/edit?utm_content=DAG8ImgfqS4&utm_campaign=designshare&utm_medium=link2&utm_source=sharebutton

Revised ASSURE Lesson Plan:https://marmaraedutr-my.sharepoint.com/:w:/g/personal/hilalyildirim23_marun_edu_tr/IQB39XK8oIWUTJ9P9MqbB0wwAdRyWFSqaH7OcxSXyxFIuh8?e=HVKubt

Creating a vocabulary teaching video for a flipped EFL classroom

 A fun Vocabulary video

Hi dear readers! We had a fun vocabulary video for Grade 5 students, and I want to share our experience with you. Are you ready?

The flipped approach means that students learn a new topic at home first, usually by watching a short video, and then they practice the topic in class by doing activities, asking questions, and working with their friends. Students learn the basic ideas at home, so the teacher doesn’t need to spend too much time explaining in class. This helps teachers create more active lessons.

Flipped classroom approach also has several advantages for language classes. students can rewatch the videos whenever they want, they get more exposure to English outside the classroom, and teachers have more time for speaking and interaction activities. However, there are also some disadvantages. Some students may not complete the pre-class work, which makes the in-class activities less effective. In addition, some students may experience internet problems at home, so watching the videos might be difficult. Also, teachers can have difficulty making flipped teaching videos, because it takes a lot of time. We experienced this too.

For this assignment, we focused on Unit 9: Animal Shelter from the Grade 5 MEB coursebook. We taught vocabulary items such as cow, duck, parrot, snake, lion, wolf, cat, dog, horse, bee, and monkey.

We created our video using Powtoon. During the process, we worked collaboratively, but we also faced challenges. We created a shared Powtoon file, but due to my internet connection problem, I could not access the project for a while. Because of this, the group divided responsibilities. The members who had access to Powtoon edited the video, while those who couldn’t access searched for animal pictures, GIFs, sound effects.

Thank you:)

 My group friends are: Aslı Özyıldırım, Beyza Zabun and Meryem Hilal Yıldırım

You can watch our vocabulary video here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gc7Q5eKNWUM

You can see our ASSURE lesson plan here:

https://marmaraedutr-my.sharepoint.com/:w:/g/personal/hilalyildirim23_marun_edu_tr/IQD-mQFRotlyRaw48HvMCwG4AWM-jpy05wCsFALxy75rdDE?e=nQG0AY

The link of the tool we used:

https://www.powtoon.com/

For the second draft, we added the narration and some pictures, and made small edits to improve the video. We also completed the missing parts of the ASSURE lesson plan, decided on the in-class activities, and added the quiz link at the end of the video.

AI-Enhanced Corpus-Based Teaching Material

 Fun with Quantifiers: Using AI and Corpus in the Classroom

Designing this AI-enhanced corpus-based teaching material was a highly informative experience for me as a pre-service English teacher. In this assignment, my friends and I created many different activities that help high school learners understand and practice quantifiers through discovery, analysis, and production. The material includes tasks that test students’ knowledge, a corpus-based activity and an AI-supported classification exercise, an inductive discovery section, and a final output stage where students produce their own sentences. After completing the teaching material, we also prepared a detailed lesson plan following the ASSURE model, which you can find linked at the end of this post.

In the first stage, students complete the tasks to check their background knowledge where they decide whether objects in pictures are countable or uncountable and choose the correct quantifier in the given sentences. In the second stage, they work with a corpus-based activity. They search each quantifier on CorpusMate, select one example sentence for each, compare the results and write rules about how these quantifiers function with countable and uncountable nouns. In the AI-enhanced stage, students use ChatGPT to generate incorrect examples of quantifiers, rewrite the ten sentences they receive and correct them. In the inductive discovery stage, learners underline or circle quantifiers in ten example sentences and identify whether the noun is countable or uncountable and whether the meaning is positive or negative. Finally, in the output stage, students complete fill-in-the-blank sentences using the ten quantifiers and write short descriptions of picture scenarios by producing their own sentences.

Designing the material was challenging because we had to balance creativity and clarity. We wanted tasks to be visually engaging and meaningful. Also, we were unsure if they were fully suitable for high school students’ level.

In a real classroom, longer tasks like the inductive table can create time-management challenges. But generally, the material is good because it offers a variety of activities and includes both corpus and AI tasks.

Overall, this assignment helped me understand how AI and corpus tools can meaningfully support language teaching when used with clear pedagogical goals. 

Thank you for taking the time to read! I hope you found some useful tips:)

My group friends are: Meryem Hilal Yıldırım and Merve Arslan

You can find the material link here:

https://www.canva.com/design/DAG49EBp06Q/uCXX1-SnZSz6_GtkTYocfg/edit

You can find the lesson plan here:

https://marmaraedutr-my.sharepoint.com/:w:/g/personal/hilalyildirim23_marun_edu_tr/IQBhj8ON0vaTQ5wqAnRVIUkkAcrrKmntmERMzHzSWQXjFJs?e=O66M4J

Second Draft: Improving Our Material and Lesson Plan with Feedback

        After receiving feedback from both our teacher and classmates, we revisited our material and lesson plan and made significant changes. First, we were told that our AI and corpus parts were separate. So, we revised them and ensured both tools are used together in connected tasks.

        We also received feedback suggesting that the visual design could be more engaging. In response, we added supportive visuals and reorganized the worksheet. 

        Another important point was that our objective did not fully follow the ABCD structure and we wrote only one objective. We revised this section by rewriting all learning objectives using the correct ABCD format and clarifying the measurable outcomes. We also separated objectives into short bullet points to increase clarity. 

        Finally, we improved the Evaluate & Revise section. Instead of using general statements about diagnostic and formative assessment, we divided this section into three clear parts: (1) Assessment of Learner Achievement, where we explained how students’ answers and progress will be evaluated; (2) Evaluation of Strategies & Technology, where we described how the teacher will monitor the use of AI tools; and (3) Revisions, where we stated how the material will be adapted if students continue to face difficulties. 

        Overall, the feedback process helped us make the material more coherent, more measurable, more visually appealing, and more student-centered. Now, I believe that the missing elements in both our lesson plan and our material have been successfully completed. I hope you enjoy exploring the revised version!

Thank you again! ദ്ദി(˵ •̀ ᴗ - ˵ ) ✧      ˚.🎀༘⋆          𓂃˖˳·˖ ִֶָ ⋆🌷͙⋆ ִֶָ˖·˳˖𓂃 ִֶָ        🌸      🌸       🌸 

Revised material link 👇

https://www.canva.com/design/DAG5QuQ9Nh8/f7w_NifTRptODAahtG_B7A/edit?utm_content=DAG5QuQ9Nh8&utm_campaign=designshare&utm_medium=link2&utm_source=sharebutton

Revised lesson plan link 👇

https://1drv.ms/w/c/b8775d6a3639955c/IQD-vWAC-n8MQ4Q1l98-VXFNAQdxmpbf0mLMJmc8PfOJsW4?e=JfVjB1

                                                                

                                                                                                                                                                     

                                                       

Welcome back to YasemENGLISH!

Welcome back to YasemENGLISH!

Hi again, I’m Yasemin, an ELT student continuing this blog for the Current Issues in Teaching course. I’ll be sharing my reflections, assignments, and thoughts about education. This space helps me learn, grow, and express myself. Thanks for visiting again. Glad you’re here.

Let’s grow together!

Final Reflection Blog Post

It’s time to say goodbye!

As I’m wrapping up this blog and the course, I just wanted to share some thoughts about my journey. Over time, I’ve posted lots of different stuff here like film reviews, digital stories, podcasts, infographics, group writing projects, and even chat with an author.  Each one was fun in its own way, but some were definitely trickier than others.

Honestly, the infographic was the toughest part for me. It was tricky to make it look clean and attractive without making it feel too crowded. I tried many different layouts before I finally found one that worked. But in the end, the whole process really helped me improve how I organize information and use design tools. My favorite one was digital story because I entertained while doing it.

This last assignment was also a big challenge. It had so many steps that sometimes I felt like I’d never finish! But surprise😊 I did finish it. When I started this blog, it felt like a huge mountain to climb, but now I’m proud to say I reached the top.

All in all, this course taught me a lot not just about technology but also about how to learn and work with others. I had both solo and group projects, so I got to grow in different ways. Even when things got tough, I always felt it was worth the effort.

I really believe the things I learned here will help me a lot in my future teaching career. So, thank you for following along and being part of this journey with me. It’s been quite an adventure!

See you 😊