EFL Teachers’ Experiences about eTwinning and its Effects on Professional Development

Öz

Task-based learning through Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) has become more important for English as a foreign language (EFL) learners and teachers these days. Therefore, national and international projects have been facilitated by the integration of technology. This study aims to investigate the perceptions of EFL teachers on eTwinning. A qualitative research design was used to explore the experiences of EFL teachers who have already completed eTwinning projects and are currently carrying out them with EFL learners and gain in-depth understanding about the advantages and disadvantages of eTwinning projects in terms of their professional development. A total of ten EFL teachers working at secondary and high schools in Turkey participated in the study. The data were collected through semi-structured interviews and analyzed with inductive analysis. The results showed that EFL teachers had positive attitudes towards participating in eTwinning projects. They reported that eTwinning projects contributed to their professional development since they created an international network of EFL teachers, providing an opportunity to share their teaching experiences, and the international network developed their technological and pedagogical content knowledge and organizational skills. Moreover, it was stated that these projects motivated the teachers to plan and organize similar projects and helped them gain recognition among their colleagues and appreciation in their workplace.

Anahtar Kelimeler

• eTwinning
• project-based learning
• English as a foreign language (EFL)
• in-service EFL teachers
• professional development

İngilizce Öğretmenlerinin eTwinning Deneyimleri ve Mesleki Gelişimlerine Etkisi

Öz

Bilgi ve İletişim Teknolojileri (BİT) yoluyla görev tabanlı öğrenme, günümüzde yabancı dil olarak İngilizce öğrenen öğrenciler ve öğretmenleri için daha önemli hâle gelmiştir. Teknolojinin entegrasyonu ulusal ve uluslararası çevrimiçi projelerin yürütülmesine olanak sağlamıştır. Bu çalışma ile İngilizce öğretmenlerinin eTwinning hakkındaki algılarının araştırılması amaçlanmıştır. Çalışmada, öğrencileri ile halihazırda eTwinning projeleri yapmış ve yapmakta olan İngilizce öğretmenlerinin deneyimlerini araştırmak ve profesyonel gelişimleri açısından eTwinning projelerinin avantajları ve dezavantajlarını derinlemesine incelemek üzere nitel bir araştırma tasarımı kullanılmıştır. Araştırmaya Türkiye'de ortaokul ve lise düzeyindeki okullarda görev yapan toplam on İngilizce öğretmeni katılmıştır. Veriler, yarı yapılandırılmış görüşmeler yoluyla toplanmış ve tümevarım yaklaşımı ile analiz edilmiştir. Çalışmada elde edilen sonuçlar, İngilizce öğretmenlerinin eTwinning projelerine katılmaya yönelik olumlu tutumlara sahip olduğunu göstermiştir. Katılımcılar, eTwinning projelerinin, İngilizce’yi yabancı dil olarak öğreten öğretmenler açısından uluslararası bir iş ağı oluşturduğu, öğretim deneyimlerini paylaşma fırsatı sağladığı ve teknolojik ve pedagojik içerik bilgilerini ve organizasyon becerilerini geliştirdiği için mesleki gelişimlerine katkıda bulunduğunu bildirdiler. Ayrıca, bu projelerin öğretmenleri benzer projeler planlamak ve yürütmek üzere motive ettiği, meslektaşları arasında tanınırlık ve işyerinde takdir kazanmalarına yardımcı olduğu belirtilmiştir.

Anahtar Kelimeler

• eTwinning
• proje tabanlı öğrenme
• yabancı dil olarak İngilizce
• hizmetiçi İngilizce öğretmenleri
• mesleki gelişim

Kaynakça

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