O2 May 2019
I have known Güniz Evirgen since she started working at Sabancı University School of Languages in September 2007. Between September 2007 and September 2012, I worked closely with Güniz in my capacity as the Director of the School of Languages and also observed her teach.
Güniz has played a leading role at Sabancı University in developing our curriculum for Turkish language courses for foreign students. Since 2007, she has been actively involved in the design and delivery of TUR 101, TUR 102 and TUR 201 courses and published course books for learning Turkish.
Güniz is a highly effective teacher with sound knowledge of language teaching and learning and teaching methodology. She has boundless enthusiasm to support her students and is loved by all of them. She is also well liked and respected by all her colleagues in the school. In terms of her work over the years, Güniz has always been very hard working, creative, self- initiating, committed, cooperative, organized, reflective and highly reliable. She also worked well under pressure and to deadlines specified and needed little if any close supervision.
I am very happy to recommend Güniz Evirgen for Turkish Language Instructor positions and would be pleased to provide further information about Güniz Evirgen’s work, experience and skills.
Yours sincerely
Deniz Kurtoğlu Eken (PhD)
Projects, Development & Research Coordinator Sabancı University School of Languages
7 May 2019
To whom ti may concern
I have been a teacher and teacher trainer at the School of Languages at Sabanci University, Istanbul, for the last 15 years. During this time, I have been responsible for the lesson observation of teachers as part of their teacher development. nI this role, I have observed Guniz Evirgen teaching several times. I have also been a student of hers since I am a foreigner ni Turkey who wishes ot learn the Turkish language. Being a trainer and a student has given me aunique perspective on Guniz’s teaching ability. Without adoubt, Ican highly recommend her as ateacher of Turkish.
One of Guniz’s main strengths is the excellent rapport she is able to build with her learners. She is always positive and encouraging, using learners’ names, showing personal interest ni them and actively listening to the messages ni what learners are saying and not only how they are saying something ni Turkish. Al this helps to establish a very supportive learning atmosphere which makes learners feel motivated and comfortable to experiment with the language. As a student in her classes, I appreciated her constructive approach to error correction. She did not damage my confidence by overcorrecting me every time I spoke or wrote something, but was selective and constructive. This meant that I did not fear losing face when producing Turkish ni class.
In her lessons, Guniz balances receptive skills (reading and listening) with productive skills (speaking and writing). She is careful to select materials which are both interesting and useful ni terms of their topic and language content. For example, she exploits articles from the internet, magazines or newspapers so that learners are able to comment on current affairs. With beginners, she focuses on survival tasks – for example, how to order in a restaurant, what to say to a taxi driver, how to fil in forms. These are crucial skills for foreigners to acquire when living in Turkey. Guniz maximises student talking time in class. She does not rely on only teacher-to-student interaction common ni traditional classes, but utilizes pair work and group work. This has a positive effect on increasing the amount of Turkish learners produce ni each lesson. Personally, I have always appreciated the fact that Guniz always speaks to me in Turkish. She is extremely clear in her articulation and seems to have an instinctive ability to grade her
language appropriately according to who she si speaking to. I always feel so motivated because I can understand what she si saying-and she understands me back!
Skills work is accompanied by a focus on vocabulary and grammar. In her classes, Guniz tries to expose learners to new lexis as well as recycling vocabulary to help make the lexis stick ni learners’ memories. Having attended other Turkish classes prior to Guniz’s which were overly reliant on traditional fill-in-the blank grammatical exercises presented out of context, I was very pleased to find that Guniz makes use of a variety of games and tasks to practice grammar in context so ti is more meaningful and memorable.
Guniz is very open to feedback and willing to try out new techniques and activities, often adapting activities from English Foreign Language teaching to the teaching of Turkish as a foreign language. This helps make her lessons stimulating, useful and enjoyable. In short, I think Guniz is an excellent teacher of Turkish and would be a very valuable contribution to any organization wishing to employ her as such. I have been very lucky to be both her student and observer.
Sharon Leach Celtek Instructor and Teacher Trainer
School of Languages, Sabanci University, Istanbul, Turkey
February 14th, 2019
To whom it may concern,
I am the Director of the School of Languages at Sabanci University, Istanbul, Turkey. I have known Guniz Evirgen as a colleague since she started at SU in 2007 and I have been her director since 2012.
As her director, I can say that she is an excellent teacher. Information from developmental observations of her classes shows that she builds warm relationships with students and is encouraging and caring towards her students. She is patient and she fosters an inclusive atmosphere. She gives clear explanations using models and examples and checks students’ understanding. Guniz Evirgen links new work to previous learning and actively encourages students to incorporate new language into their existing knowledge. She receives very positive feedback from students in evaluations of her instruction.
Guniz Evirgen has also designed intensive Turkish courses for different groups of students during summer periods. In order to design and implement these courses she collaborated with closely with colleagues. The courses were very well received. Therefore, Guniz Evirgen is not only a good teacher she is also a good team member.
I highly recommend Guniz Evirgen and wish her the all the best in her career. Yours Faithfully,
Jacqueline Einer
Director, School of Languages Sabanci University
I am writing to provide a reference for Guniz Evirgen, who has been a dedicated language teacher at the Middle East Institute. I have had the pleasure of knowing Guniz for a number of years, and in that time, she has consistently demonstrated
exceptional teaching abilities and a deep passion for the language she teaches.
Guniz is highly skilled in engaging students and fostering a positive learning environment. Her teaching style is interactive, clear, and tailored to each student’s individual needs. This personalized approach has greatly contributed to the success and the progress of the students in her classes.
One of the standout qualities of Guniz is her commitment to professional development and continuous improvement. She actively seek out new teaching methods and resources to enhance her lessons and ensure students are receiving the best possible education. Her enthusiasm and creativity is evident in the innovative ways she introduces new concepts and topics to students.
In addition to her outstanding teaching skills, Guniz is a team player who collaborates effectively with colleagues and staff at the institute. She is known for her strong work ethic and positive attitude, making her a valuable asset to the teaching team.
Based on my experience with Guniz, I highly recommend her as a language teacher. Her dedication to her craft, ability to inspire students, and collaborative spirit makes her a true asset to any educational institution.
Sincerely,
Shabnam Jafari
Director of Education Programs Middle East Institute