TÜBİTAK 4005 “Becoming an Expanding Circle in a Shrinking World”
Leveraging TÜBİTAK’s “Innovative Education Practices” program, this project aims to equip selected preschool teachers with a new perspective on using stories in teaching–learning processes. Through workshop activities and collaborative group work on creative-writing-based story composition and storytelling, participants will explore diverse methods—such as the story stick, story rope, and the six-part story-building technique—and learn how to apply them effectively in the classroom. Another distinctive feature of the project is the inclusion of game-based activities (e.g., Spider Web, Laughter, Wolf), which introduce the idea of early foreign-language acquisition at the preschool level.
With these planned activities, the project seeks not only to support the development of children’s mother tongue but also to raise awareness of English as a foreign language. Furthermore, it aims to build preschool teachers’ awareness of the importance of interactive, hands-on story use, inform them about alternative methods, enable active classroom implementation, and, through varied activities, foster English-language awareness.
Target Group
The target group will consist of 25 preschool teachers working at public schools in regions below the national average socio-economic level. School selection will follow the classification used by the State Institute of Statistics. Applicants must demonstrate A2 (Basic User) proficiency in English according to the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) and have no more than 15 years of professional experience. This prerequisite is not expected to pose a problem, as the Ministry of National Education’s English curriculum targets A2 by the end of lower secondary school.
A2 – Basic User. Can understand sentences and frequently used expressions related to areas of most immediate relevance (e.g., very basic personal and family information, shopping, local geography, employment). Can communicate in simple and routine tasks requiring a simple and direct exchange of information on familiar matters. Can describe in simple terms aspects of their background and immediate environment and matters in areas of immediate need.
Prospective participants should read these requirements carefully. Applicants will declare, as part of their submission, that they are competent in these areas and commit to implementing the activities with their students after the project concludes.
Project Lead
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Eda DURUK
Pamukkale University