Introduction
In this study, teaching Turkey Turkish to the students coming from abroad and relative communities provided by Turkish and Foreign Language Teaching Application and Research Center (TÖMER) was discussed.
In this teaching, the levels according to European common language criteria and competences regarding the working life were considered.
In today’s world when globalization that emerged through the heavy effect of technology has rapidly progressed, communication of nations all over the world with each other has also progressed at the same speed. And communication is considered as an important factor for the nations to prove themselves in the world. The role of education in a healthy communication is an unquestionable fact.
Erzincan University acting through the principle of “Una Universa Academia in Anatolia” that satisfy the students from first meeting as guests to their leaving including refreshments and accommodation and seeing them off in a sorrowful manner has progressed in this target fast.
STUDENT ACCEPTANCE
Our students who have been registered to Erzincan University after being successful in Higher Education Exam for Foreigners (YÖS) are prepared to license degree education through Turkish Preparation Training as the preparation stage. At the end of Turkish training provided in TÖMER, Turkish Competence Exam is held, and successful students start their associate/bachelor’s degree in their departments in the following term. The students who took C1 from the Competence Exam are regarded as adequate for the license education, and the students who obtained B can also maintain their license degree on condition that they reach to C1 level in one of the Competence Exams to be held by TÖMER Directorate in a year.
OUR PURPOSES
The purposes of Erzincan University Turkish and Foreign Language Teaching Application and Research Center (TÖMER) are as:
· To make researches, practices, and trainings in Turkish language; and to make cooperation with relevant domestic and foreign institutions and organizations;
· To organize educational programs in order to benefit from languages such as Turkish, English, German, French, Italian, Russian, Arabic and Persian and all other languages of the world when required; to make cooperation with all relevant domestic and foreign institutions and organizations;
· To organize courses and training programs for being prepared to graduate and post-graduate degrees related to overcoming foreign language problems encountered in sciences, health sciences and social sciences;
· To meet the requests of public and private institutions and organizations and persons for overcoming the problems related to education of languages such as Turkish, English, German, French, Italian, Russian, Arabic and Persian, and to make publishing activities;
· To make Turkish competence test of students studying in Turkey who have come from Turkish and relative communities and have lived in Turkish Republics and Balkans; to provide courses for the students to monitor their associate, graduate and postgraduate degree educations; to submit certificates to the students who successfully completed courses, and seminars, who passed the exams held by the Center on English, German, French, Italian, Russian, Arabic, Persian and all other languages of the world, and who achieved the conditions of success determined by the Board of Management; and to assess and evaluate level of Turkish language;
· To supply all tools, instruments, publishing, and properties required for the purposes of the Center;
Administration and training building of Erzincan University TÖMER established in 2011 is located in the city center in the same campus with Distance Education Center (UZEM), Continuing Education Center (SEM) and Art Gallery.
WHO ARE WE?
Erzincan University TÖMER is a language teaching center started its way by the vision of “Being a Center teaching languages of the world in Anatolia” in accordance with aforementioned purposes. In the center, language courses are organized by the support of 6 academicians including 4 for Turkish, 1 for Ottoman Turkish; 2 part-time and 3 administrative staff.
LANGUAGE COURSES
Language courses are provided as 80 hours for each grade (A1, A2, B1, B2, and C1) in mixed classrooms according to the appropriate time of the participants in a week or at the weekend.
In Turkish courses for the foreigners, we benefit from Gazi University TÖMER or Yunus Emre Institute publishing that are proper to Turkish culture and values.
Foreign students are provided to memorize Turkish poems from Turkish poets, they are requested to read these, and so that cultural learning is also ensured. Our students are requested to tell songs and poems from their own cultures, and so that teacher-learner cooperation is also provided. Moreover, films with Turkish sub-title and Turkish dubbing are watched together, and views of the subject and scenario of the film are discussed. The students are requested to make presentations on their own culture and literature, and so that common points related to two nations are discussed.
In courses, students work in pairs, fill in the gaps on the worksheets through listening activities, and they read text related to learning about the Turkish culture and are provided to prepare a text using the words given them before.
In terms of reading, students are requested to read on a voluntary basis. Furthermore, reading training for the text in the source book is aimed to be provided performing some techniques such as reading theatre. An approach protective against the situations such as ambiguity, insufficient vocabulary is adapted.
In terms of writing, possible vocabulary is determined before each text, and their meanings are taught to students; the students are sometimes requested to create their own text in reference to the text. Writing activities are also studied from the source books beside these studies supporting the writing trainings.
In terms of speaking, an environment for talking has always been kept as active in the classroom, some questions related to the subject are deliberately asked to the students. The students are encouraged to talk in the classroom and in breaks to develop speaking skills. Moreover, student interpretations are included related to the text at the end of processes, and so that consideration upon the subject is increased, and speaking skill is aimed to be supported.
In terms of listening/watching, source book is benefited. Sample reading is provided to the students before reading, and the presentations are made considering the appropriate stress, emphasis, intonation, and reading rate.
During this process, increase at vocabulary of the students, increase at their knowledge related to the Turkish culture and providing the need for their daily talks are considered. Grammar teaching is benefited when students are not possible to make any sense.
Moreover, we provide various activity course to make our students progress, and send them to courses for providing the students maintaining our course as being registered to a department in our University to develop their knowledge of Turkish language for 1 day in a week.
In 2014-2015 Academic Year, 996 Syrian students have been registered to the 35 universities in our country including our University by Prime Ministry Republic of Turkey Presidency for Turks Abroad and Related Communities within the scope of Turkey Grants. 43 Syrian students among these were sent to our University, and the information of them in TÖMER was as:
Because 6 students had C1 academic Turkish level certificate, they were registered to the relevant departments of the faculties they were placed.
The registered students started Turkish Course for Foreigners in TÖMER included totally 28 students as 19 with Turkish Grant and 9 with grant from abroad (3 November 2014).
OUR ACTIVITIES
A Placement Test measuring the reading, listening, speaking and writing skills of the students was held to determine the Turkish level of the students, and the students were categorized into 2 groups as elementary and intermediate level according to the test results.
Within the framework determined by Prime Ministry Republic of Turkey Presidency for Turks Abroad and Related Communities, each group had annually 792 hours Turkish preparation Course in total including 264 hours in the first and 528 hours in the second semester for 24 hours in a week. Mid-term competence test was held on 15/16 January 2015, and final assessment exam was held on 26 June 2015.
We hold the exams according to Listening, Reading, Writing, and Speaking skills within the framework of Common European Reference for Language.
Reading: 40 min. 25 questions to be answered for totally 40 as score;
Listening: 10 min. 20 questions to be answered for totally 20 as score;
Writing: 20 min. 1 question to be answered for totally 20 as score;
After 15 minutes from these exams held in one session,
Speaking: 10 min. 4 questions from the daily life for totally 20 as score
In general, 50 questions, evaluation out of 100, 80 minutes
Turkish courses for 2 weeks were provided to the students (14) in two different groups that came from Kazakhstan in the first semester. Subsequently, Turkish Competence Tests were also held to the three different groups (21 students) that came with Mevlana or Erasmus programs, and the certificates were submitted to them according to the successful results they obtained.
Turkish for Foreigners: 54 (with the origin of Syria, Iraq, Mauritania, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Afghanistan, Ivory Coasts)
English (Weekdays/Weekends): General: 18, Speaking: 21, Foreign Language Exam: 31, Total: 70
German: 10, Russian: 7, Arabic: 22, Ottoman Turkish: 2,
GEN. TOTAL: 35+54+70+10+7+22+2+8= 208 students were certificated with Certificate of Attendance and Turkish Competency Certificate
18 students from various countries as of September 2015, and 16 foreign students as of 18 February 2015 have taken turkey Turkish course in Erzincan University TÖMER.
As of these basic activities;
· We attend to meetings such as Material Sharing and Assessment Consultation meeting in Teaching of Turkish as a Foreign Language” into which 76 universities were invited and organized in Ankara (10 June 2014) by Yunus Emre Institute;
· We held Foreign Language Acknowledgement Meeting for our students in departments of our University such as Faculty of Education and Faculty of Economics and Administrative Sciences;
· We have used posters and social media beside the notification in our Web-page of our University to declare the organized courses;
· We have cooperated with Erzincan İHH and Erzincan Red Crescent;
· We regard social activities with natural learning environments for a language (sports such as football, trekking, volleyball, swimming; drama presentations; visits ad picnics in an around the city). Within this framework, we attended to Turkish Competition for Foreign Students with our 2 students organized by Zonguldak Karaelmas University in 2014.
· We hold Turkish Exemption and Turkish Competency Exams in Fall and Spring terms (at the beginning of each term) to the other foreign participants as we do to our Turkish Teaching for Foreigners trainees.
· For Turkish language I, II and Oral Expression lessons, our course books prepared by our lecturers are under publishing.
