LANGUAGE DEVELOPMENT

At Adapazarı Private ENKA Primary Schools, the Primary Years Programme (PYP) and the Middle Years Programme (MYP) are implemented from grades 5 to 10. The medium of instruction in these programmes is Turkish. The aim of language teaching is to create an environment in which a competent use of the native tongue is acquired in writing and speaking in line with class activities and programme outcomes included in and running in parallel with the teaching program. The students are enabled to use their native tongue correctly and effectively with mutual purpose and collaboration. Furthermore,  language classes geared to the experiences, needs and areas of interest of the students make it possible for them to integrate their own cultural identities with universal culture. All teachers at Adapazarı Private ENKA Schools are expected to pay attention to language teaching and linguistic approaches, regardless of their speciality. All teachers should have native tongue awareness. The reason for this is that the approach to language requires a mutual attitude and manner as required in other approaches. Language serves as a means of inquiry. We aim to develop students’ language skills by arranging bull sessions attended by experts in various fields, and through competitive debating, poetry recitals, drama and theatre performances, activities with newspapers and magazines, creative writing, fairy tale workshops, media literacy, book workshops, library activities and applications supported by technological devices. Moreover, we study alternative models for meeting the needs of students learning in a language other than their native tongue. Closely following contemporary technological developments, we make use of various training applications and a diversity of resources tailored to each age groups in order to provide students with an effective learning environment for native tongue learning. Activities are organized to learn about the perspectives of different cultures and the national culture. Interdisciplinary studies are supported by social activities, trips and club activities for native tongue learning. In planning the native tongue teaching process, every effort is made to ensure that classes are supported by interdisciplinary studies. Differentiation methods are used for the language learning of students in accordance with their interests, readiness and learning styles. The learning outcomes of the Ministry of National Education curriculum are reflected in the lesson plans, with full consideration given to all three areas – oral, written and visual language – as well as to the five developmental phases determined by the PYP curriculum. The students learn their native tongue by speaking, listening, reading and writing in it.

Language education is an intensive process that aims at making students aware of the existence of other languages and ensuring they continue to use what they learn at ours school during their daily lives. English and Spanish are taught not only as school subjects but also as skills that can be used in daily life, and the teaching is supported by summer camps. Reinforced by extracurricular activities, the language education process in our school leads to certification by assessment by the internationally recognized Cambridge ESOL exams from an early age. Students at our school are given the opportunity to use foreign languages in different environments through various exchange programmes, club activities that are carried over onto international platforms, and theatre performances. Foreign language studies at our school are conducted with the integration of technology into the education process. We adopt materials and strategies which ensure that our students follow contemporary trends, carry out research, communicate in a different language and develop their self-management skills for language performance using tablets. In social responsibility projects, which at our school are international in scope, we prioritise inter-cultural interaction and its effects on language ability.