Goodbye, Everyone! My Semester Highlights

 Hi friends! It’s hard to believe the semester is already over, but here we are. I’ve had such a fun and challenging time in the "Current Issues in English" course with Mustafa Polat, and I wanted to share some final thoughts before saying goodbye.

This course was really beneficial because of its focus on creativity and practical teaching methods. It wasn’t just about theory, we got to create real projects, like flipped lessons, AI-integrated plans, and corpus-based materials. These tasks made learning so much more engaging. However, balancing multiple group assignments was a bit overwhelming at times. Maybe having more individual tasks could make things smoother for future students.

My favorite project was the flipped lesson. I loved how creative and fun it was to make a video teaching 5th graders vocabulary about town buildings. It felt so rewarding to see the final product and imagine how it could help students. The most challenging project, though, was the corpus-based material. Diving into COCA and figuring out how to create effective teaching materials was tough but rewarding in the end.

To next year’s students: dive in with an open mind! This course is packed with opportunities to experiment and learn. Don’t be afraid to try new things. You’ll be amazed at what you can create.

This class gave me a whole new perspective on teaching. I’ve learned how to use technology creatively, and it’s made me even more excited about becoming an English teacher. I know I’ll be using these skills in my future classroom.

Thank you to everyone who followed along this semester! It’s been an amazing ride, and I wish you all the best. Take care!