10th Workshop Festival

'Bridging Worlds with Compassion: Mediation, Methodologies and Meaningful Technology in ELT'

We're happy to invite you to our 10th FLEPS Workshop Festival! The theme of this year's festival is Bridging Worlds with Compassion: Mediation, Methodologies and Meaningful Technology in ELT. Today's interconnected world demands new ways of understanding, teaching, and learning languages. The 10th FLEPS Workshop Festival aims to bring experienced and novice teachers together to explore how evolving methodologies are practiced in language classrooms through the thoughtful use of meaningful technology and the integration of mediation skills, fostering deeper intercultural competence, compassionate teaching, and effective language learning.

This workshop festival seeks to bridge diverse teaching approaches, emphasizing innovative strategies that thoughtfully integrate technology alongside current classroom practices and exploratory action research to enrich language education. Our goal is to explore dynamic teaching methods, mediation techniques, and practical integration of technology and AI, always placing ethics, empathy, and human connection at the heart of educational practices.

We welcome presentations and workshops aligned with the theme, but submissions are not limited to it. The following subthemes may help for your workshops, talks, or interactive sessions:

1. Professional Development

Developing Mediation and Intercultural Competence in Teacher Training
Supporting Teachers in Transitioning to Technology-Rich Classrooms
Collaborative Teacher Learning through Classroom-Based Action Research
Ethical Considerations in Professional Development
Reimagining teacher identity in an AI world

2. Testing and Assessment

Balanced Approaches to Language Assessment
Integrating Mediation Tasks into Language Testing
Classroom-Based Formative and Summative Assessments
Balancing Human and Technological Perspectives in Feedback
Mediating learner anxiety in technology-enhanced testing

3. Syllabus and Curriculum Design

Designing Intercultural Sensitive and Tech-Enhanced Syllabi
Incorporating Mediation Competencies into Language Programs
Adaptive Learning Approaches: Personalizing ELT Content
Designing Curricula with Compassion

4. Teaching Methodologies

Mediating Cultural Understanding through Task-Based Learning
Innovative Approaches to Teaching Intercultural Communication
Blended and Hybrid Methodologies
Developing Students' Mediation Skills in the Classroom

5. Technological Tools

Tools for Facilitating Mediated and Intercultural Communication
Meaningful Use of Technology in Language Learning Environments
Ethical Approaches to Selecting Digital Resources
Supporting Learner Autonomy through Technology

6. Exploratory Action Research and Classroom Practices

Action Research for Mediation and Intercultural Learning
Effective Classroom Practices in Language Teaching
Documenting Classroom Innovations through Research
Collaborative Practices and Reflective Teaching

Workshop Details

Date: June 12, 2025
Venue: Rauf Raif Denktas Culture and Congress Center
Time: 08:30 - 17:30

Submission Details

Proposal Submission Deadline: [2 June 2025]
Format: 60-minute workshops or 30-minute presentations
Language of the Workshop Festival: English & Turkish

Join us in "Bridging Worlds with Compassion" as we collaboratively shape the future of English language teaching!

About Us

The Eastern Mediterranean University (EMU) Foreign Languages and English Preparatory School (FLEPS) Workshop Festival Committee aims to prepare one day event to bring together Language teachers not just from EMU but from across the Island; and to provide them with opportunities to share their innovative classroom practices and experiences with like-minded teachers.

The Workshop Festival is a one day event, which is held towards the end of the EMU academic year. There are five strands in the Workshop Festival:

First is for our colleagues from other educational institutions who would like to share their teaching and learning experiences with us.
Second is for EMU FLEPS colleagues who have been sponsored by our Institution to present papers at local, national and international conferences.
Third is for EMU FLEPS colleagues who want to share their classroom experiences with colleagues either as a workshop, poster, or as a talk.
Fourth is for prospective teachers studying at EMU Education faculty. These are for students, who wish to share their new ideas, related to their final year course work.
Fifth is for teachers, who wish to share their non-academic, but creative ideas with us. In the past, we have had teachers who have talked about their travels, published books, photographs; and personal spiritual journeys.

This Workshop Festival is for teachers by teachers and at its heart lays the notion of a festival which we wish to share with you.

Plenary Speakers

Duygu Özler

Bridging Minds & Hearts: Mediation Skills to Foster Compassionate Learning

This session, explores how integrating compassionate communication and mediation techniques can transform the classroom into a more inclusive, empathetic, and effective learning environment. As educators, our role extends beyond delivering content—we mediate interactions, resolve conflicts, and foster mutual understanding. Compassion strengthens these efforts, helping students feel seen, heard, and valued. We will also delve into the CEFR to examine how mediation is reflected in learning objectives and how it can be implemented in everyday teaching practices. By the end of the session, participants will leave with practical strategies to build a more compassionate and collaborative classroom culture.

Who is Duygu Özler?

Duygu Özler has been in the ELT world for over 20 years. She has a BA in American Culture and Literature and an MA in English Language Teaching. She holds an ICELT, DELTA, Teacher Training Certificate (Sabancı University) and Trainer Training Certificate (Anatolian Training Institute).

She has worked at various institutions ranging from elementary schools to universities in different parts of Turkey, as a teacher, an administrator an trainer.

She is one of the founding members of TESOL Turkey Association (İngiliz Dili Öğretimi Ve Mesleki Gelişim Derneği). Her research interests include teacher research, in-service teacher education, critical thinking in education and testing and assessment. Currently, she is working as as the Marketing Manager for Western Europe.

Duygu Özler 20 yılı aşkın süredir ELT dünyasındadır. Amerikan Kültürü ve Edebiyatı alanında lisans ve İngilzice Öğetmenliği alanında yüksek lisans derecesine sahiptir. ICELT, DELTA, Öğretmen Yetiştirme Sertifikası (Sabancı Üniversitesi) ve Eğitmen Yetiştirme Sertifikası (Anadolu Eğitim Enstitüsü) sahibidir.

Türkiye'nin farklı yerlerindeki ilkokullardan üniversitelere kadar çeşitli kurumlarda öğretmen, eğitmen ve idareci olarak çalıştı.

TESOL Türkiye Derneği'nin (İngiliz Dili Öğretimi Ve Mesleki Gelişim Derneği) kurucu üyelerindendir. Araştırma ilgi alanları arasında araştırma, hizmet içi öğretmen eğitimi, eğitimde eleştirel düşünm ve ölçme değerlendirme yer almaktadır. Halen Macmillan Education yayınevinde Batı Avrupa Pazarlama Müdürü olarak görev almaktadır.

Steve O'Farrell

Senior Learning Consultant – PTE Master Trainer

Steve O'Farrell has been in education for over 25 years and has been training teachers for more than 15 of these years. He now travels around Turkey and abroad, training for Pearson Education. A passionate and energetic presenter, his humorous sessions strive to impart valuable concepts and vision.

Transportation

Morning Shift 08:00

1 bus in front of the Faculty of Education
1 bus in front of the Preparatory School

Noon Shift

2 buses at 12:30 from KUKOM to EMU
Return around 13:40