A two-day workshop took place in Istanbul at the Beykoz campus of the Turkish-German University as part of a collaboration between the Turkish-German University and the Turkish Maarif Foundation.
The workshop, "Teaching Turkish to Bilinguals," gathered academics and students from the university to raise awareness about teaching Turkish to the Turkish diaspora children and to enhance the language-learning process among bilingual individuals.
The event started with a welcoming speech by the university's rector, professor Cemal Yıldız. In his speech, he narrated the university's history since its establishment in 2013, highlighting its evolution into a prominent hub for Turkish-German-speaking students.
Yıldız emphasized the significant contribution of the workshop to evaluating the challenges and opportunities in the field of Turkish language teaching, finding common solutions and formulating strategies for the future.
"The extraordinary technological advancements and digitalization witnessed in the past half-century have inevitably created a global impact on the learning and teaching of Turkish. This impact not only presents opportunities to contribute to the field but also brings along challenges that must be overcome through collaboration. Therefore, it is crucial to continuously review, update and integrate language teaching processes and methods with technology to make improvements," he said.
"As you know, numerous Turkish families are living abroad with their children. Teaching the Turkish language to these children is crucial, which is why we aimed to focus on the teaching process in this workshop. The number of children studying in schools abroad is nearing 1 million. As the Republic of Türkiye, we consider it essential to assist these children in learning their mother tongue while they navigate and integrate into another culture and language," Yıldız told Daily Sabah.
"We have approximately 90 academics and researchers from Türkiye and abroad participating in the workshop for two days. Following the workshop, we will compile a comprehensive report and take the necessary actions to achieve our goals, sharing it with relevant institutions and the public."
The president of the Turkish Maarif Foundation, professor Birol Akgün, stated that the foundation was established to conduct formal and informal education activities on behalf of Türkiye abroad. He emphasized the importance of teaching Turkish and promoting the values of Turkish culture and civilization to the world correctly.
Akgün mentioned that they have prepared a curriculum approved by the Ministry of National Education's Board of Education that complies with international standards for teaching Turkish.
"We systematically teach Turkish at every level of K12 education, starting from preschool; our goal is for our graduates to have at least a B2 level of proficiency in Turkish," Akgün said.
He also stated that they conduct the Turkish Proficiency Assessment Test (TDTS) at every grade level each year, and this year, for the first time, they will administer the Turkish Language Proficiency Exam (TDYS) for graduating students.
Emphasizing the significance of Turkish children residing in Europe mastering both the local language and receiving high-quality education in their mother tongue, Akgün said: "Research shows that bilingual children and young people who cannot learn and use their mother tongue correctly also have difficulties in learning the language of the society they live in. Incorrect or incomplete language learning can lead to similar errors and deficiencies not only in communication but also in the expression of emotions and thoughts."
Tuba Korkmaz, head of the General Directorate of European Union and Foreign Relations, emphasized that Turkish lessons, which started to prevent Turkish children from forgetting their roots, language and culture, are now beginning to develop in the field of teaching Turkish to bilingual individuals.
Representatives from the Presidency for Turks Abroad and Related Communities (YTB), the Yunus Emre Institute and the Ministry of Family and Social Services also participated in the workshop, as organizations dedicated to promoting Turkish culture and language both internationally and domestically.
Professor Natalia Gagarina of Humboldt University delivered a presentation titled "A Critical Analysis of Linguistic Development in Turkish-German Bilingual Children from Early Vocabulary to Primary School." In her presentation, Gagarina discussed her research conducted on Turkish-German students, emphasizing that comprehending the linguistic development of these children requires an examination of factors including Turkish and German grammar, sociocultural influences, family dynamics and educational contexts.
In the afternoon program of the workshop, professor Mehmet Ali Akıncı from Rouen Normandy University presented a speech titled "Language Teaching to Bilingual Children: Recent Developments with the Example of Turkish in France."
During the second day of the workshop, roundtable discussions and question-and-answer sessions were conducted to facilitate the exchange of opinions and information among the participants and academics.
Throughout the workshop, educational activities conducted by institutions and nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) for Turkish children in Europe, especially focusing on Turkish language teaching, will be evaluated in various aspects. A report containing solutions to current situations and problems will be created.
At the conclusion of the workshop on Friday, educational models developed for teaching Turkish to bilingual individuals will be shared with relevant institutions and the public.
