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Bu yazı ilk olarak burada basılmıştır.

Öğrencilik yıllarımı düşündüğümde teknolojinin derslerimize dahil edilmesine ilişkin hatırladığım ilk şey lisede İngilizce derslerimizde okuma parçaları ile ilgili sahneleri gösteren negatiflerin duvara yansıtılmasından ibaret. O hareketsiz çizimlere bakıp bir yandan da okuma parçasını kasetten dinlerken sürükleyici bir dizi film izler gibi büyük keyif alırdık. Tabii bir de tepegözler vardı. Okulda bir ya da iki tane [...]

 
a journey on NILE

I am an English instructor at Bahcesehir University Preparatory School, a freelance teacher trainer, a materials developer and a blogger. I just completed the online Intercultural Awareness in Language Teaching course of NILE and I feel so proud and glad to have finished it with a distinction. I attended a face-to-face course at NILE earlier, [...]

 
SEETA logo

I believe we are really lucky to be 21st century teachers. Reaching a teacher in another city or country to share ideas and experiences was like a dream years ago, but now it is a click away. We are surrounded by blogs, wikis, forums, online courses and so on. SEETA (South Eastern Europe Teachers Associations) [...]

 
Merlin on ©BBC

You fancy learning English and you really want to improve your spoken English, but you don’t know what to do.  Then you’ve come to the right place! Merlin, the young Warlock is here to give you some magic tips. If you want to be a powerful ‘knight’ of English language, just have a look and [...]

 
merveoflaz turning 37

I really don’t remember calculating my age before ‘29’. Everything started after I turned 30:) Today is August 18th and it is my birthday. Just having another discussion (with myself) about how old I am turning. I was born in 1976 and that makes me a ‘Dragon’ in the Chinese Zodiac. So am I ‘36’ [...]

 
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SONG: ‘Give me some sunshine’ by Rajkumar Hirani LEVEL: Elementary / Pre-intermediate AGE: Teenagers / Young Adults / Adults As an ‘enthusiastic’ (or maybe a crazy English teacher:) ) I always feel like the antennas of a radio receiving every little signal around so that I can find something useful and enjoyable for my students. [...]

 
wces opening merveoflaz

DAY 1 Barca, Catalonia I’m happy to be in Barcelona (after a cancelled flight and another one delayed because of the heavy snow in Istanbul). I feel like an author or a journalist writing on a journey during that journey:) I have always wanted to do that and here I am:)One of my colleagues and [...]

 
merveoflaz.net2

It was nearly a month ago. I was so happy to have finished my post “Magic Calls Thee – Let’s meet this weekend!” Like all bloggers, I wanted to share my recent post on my Facebook wall and clicked on the “Share” button. I was feeling like a kid who was ready to show his [...]

 
storysharingwebconf BC

No matter where you live (on Earth:) we can all meet and share our stories this weekend! I’m inviting you to a story sharing conference hosted by British Council Turkey. I can imagine what you are thinking right now:) Don’t worry! You don’t have to leave your house or change your clothes. You can enjoy [...]

 
merveoflaz workshops

You are cordially invited to a free series of face-to-face workshops by the British Council Turkey. As an international organisation that cares and respects for the diversity, the British Council is always ready to create equal opportunities, so here is one of these great occasions: The great team of the British Council Turkey has been working [...]

 
foam stamps2 - merveoflaz

During this time of the year, you come across lots of ‘back to school’ activities. Considering breaking some blocks of ice, I have created this ice-breaker activity. The only thing you need is a dice and I guarantee a lot of smiles:) Let’s break some ice with a dice:) I like hanging around stationeries and [...]

 
future ahead concept

When I read about the main idea of the 29th ESL / EFL / ELL Blog Carnival on Sharon Turner’s blog, I was sure what to blog about and wrote this post especially for the carnival:)     I always think that there is a hidden mother soul deep inside me (though I’m not one [...]

 
top100-vote-for-this-blog-2 (1)

Being a part of the Blogosphere always makes me feel connected to the world. It is like to have a shiny aura (probably the most colourful one) surrounding me  by being in touch with other colleagues to learn from each other by sharing experiences. There are countless blogs that provide useful resources and give the [...]

 
Merve-Oflaz-150x150

I stepped into the blogosphere by joining in “Blogathon 2011” that took place on the TeachingEnglish website. Being involved in a blog marathon has been one of the best moves in my professional development. It was my first blogging experience, but I was so lucky to have met so many great colleagues ready to swap ideas [...]

 
me and my sweet mum

Preface: I want to dedicate this post to my dear mum. She is not a sportsperson. She is not running at the Olympics. She is not planning to use the ideas below as she is not an English teacher, but today is her birthday. I very much appreciate her understanding and support since I started [...]

 
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“IATEFL”, a great big event held every year! If you couldn’t make it, you still have a chance to be a part of it in the comfort of your home. Glasgow Online gives you the chance to watch some sessions live. You can also chat using the “LiveStream Chat” window and share your ideas during [...]

 
DSCF1580

  After taking part at 24th Edition of EFL / ESL / ELL Blog Carnival on Eva Simkesyan‘s blog , this is the second time I’m attending a blog carnival. Thanks to Adam Simpson and Larry Ferlazzo for hosting great posts on their blogs.  For the 27th Blog Carnival, I will share an exciting lesson [...]

 
blogathon-story

I’ve put on my marathon t-shirt (number 120) again and started running at the blog marathon. Feeling very excited and full of energy, I’m trying to reach the finish line. The Blogathon has been a lot to me so far. As one of the silver award winners of last year I opened the doors of [...]

 
lori lite

I am so honoured and delighted to be hosting Lori Lite from the USA. Being very much inspired with her brilliant ideas and the positive energy she spreads, I invited her to my blog. Many thanks to Lori, Founder of Stress Free Kids,  for accepting to be my first guest. Anxiety can affect a child’s ability to think clearly and retain information. It [...]

 
Saying goodbye...

Dogus University 1st International ELT Conference provided hundreds of teachers new ideas, new techniques and approaches. The album below inspired me, so I made this crazy comparison between each thing I wanted to mention and a period in music:) Name of the Album: Unforgettables of Dogus 1st International ELT Conference – Turning Challenges Into Opportunities Genre: [...]

 
bird_big_friends

I have prepared millions of documents for homework, hundreds of exams and power point presentations since I started teaching. I changed some exams into worksheet and some quizzes into weekend homework but I have never used a document for ten different purposes till I discovered the functionality of ‘word cards’. They have become my magic cards by [...]

 
back-to-school

No matter what level or age you are teaching, another new academic year has started. Like every other new thing, a new term brings new ideas, new plans and new hopes together. For me, it has always been like starting a cute brand new notebook and a cute pen (probably a fancy glitter fur one:)) [...]

 
Angel02a

Teachers are able to use every little thing as a tool for an activity at any stage of the lesson in their classrooms. Imagine yourself bringing a lunch box or a lunch bag to the classroom and asking your students what it reminds them and encouraging them to predict what is inside. I’m sure the [...]

 
merve oflaz

There are films that change your life. There are songs that give you a very strong heart beat and there are books that spiritualize you. There are also some days or events that change your whole life. My story begins on a nice snowy day in Istanbul of the 1990s… It was the day when [...]

 
2007_harry_potter_order_of_the_phoenix_wall_001

Would you want to change teaching into a magical mystery tour? If yes, you may try to create a Harry Potter themed class and enjoy the journey. Hogwarts Houses: This is a great method that will help your classroom management. Divide the classroom into four groups and name each group as one of the Hogwarts [...]

 
merveoflaz's sweet students

Just like many teachers, I have coped with millions of problems since I started teaching. I fought with parents who changed their own children into weary slaves. I offended against the traditional teaching methods of some colleagues by whirling around with the new ideas I came across. I rose to the surface after each technical [...]

 
elt_05_thumb[2]

This weekend I felt like I was in another world. The world of İSTEK ELT! It was a world full of surprises, precious treasures, magical tools and fairy tale characters. I enjoyed every minute of the splendid work of art. Here is the list of the Seven Wonders of İSTEK ELT World: 1. Keynote Sessions [...]

 
i_love_80s

Things often make me feel quite nostalgic nowadays. Today I remembered the time I was into learning English. It was in 1980’s (It’s like ages ago. Wow I’m getting older!)  and unfortunately I didn’t have a chance to learn English at a private school in Turkey or abroad. We had English lessons at our school [...]

 
1230600888-hope

While we were praying for the victims of the earthquake and tsunami in Japan, the nuclear emergency which threatens all of us popped up. As if all these were not enough, the countries started to attack each other. I sometimes wonder where this ‘hatred’ comes from. Why do people still fight? Why on earth are [...]

 
twit

I felt so excited when I received Sharon Turner’s e-mail inviting me to #ECLPSCHAT on Twitter. Sharon from Sabancı University was congratulating me for the Silver Award I received on ELT Blogathon 2011 and she was asking if I was interested in taking part in the virtual conference platform of Sabancı University to tell about [...]

 
welcome

Dear Colleagues, Dear Student Teachers, Dear Students, Dear Friends and Dear Others:) Welcome to my blog! It’s a privilege for me to host you in here. I hope you will like my posts and share your thoughts and feelings. I’m so excited about my blog. I just can’t wait to be in touch with my [...]

 
news5

There are a lot of endings. Happy endings, sad endings, twist endings, ruined endings, surprised endings and so on. Endings and beginnings are like matryoshka dolls. One closes the other and one opens the other. Then each beginning is an ending and each ending is a beginning. Blogathon has been a marathon start for me. [...]

 
news4

“We have a mind. We have feelings. To separate the two is to deny all that we are. To integrate the two is to help us realise what we might be.” George Isaac Brown says. “When learning a foreign language, feelings of uncertainty, and even fear often develop in the learner. It is clear that [...]

 
news3

This is a little quiz to have an idea about your students’ brain dominances. The test was given by Gulfem Aslan, a teacher trainer,  at a seminar in British Council in 1999. Thanks to her. 1. Are you better at recognizing and remembering names or faces? Choose one: Names                         Faces 2 .Are you an organized individual [...]

 
listen-heart

This is a very enjoyable writing activity that will make your lessons stunning and impressive. 1. Find a picture story. There are many nice pictures in writing books. 2. Find some sounds that can refer to each picture. Try to find more than one for each picture. Your aim in here is to make the [...]