The Eastern Mediterranean University Foreign Languages and English Preparatory School (EMU-FLEPS) has started the certificate program titled “Authentic Learning in the 21st Century”. The 9-week-long course, organized by the EMU-FLEPS Teacher Training and Professional Development Unit in collaboration with the 21st Century Skills Special Interest Group aims to engage language teachers at EMU-FLEPS in a practical and hands-on learning environment where technology and pedagogy are amalgamated.
First of its kind
Emphasizing the need for both teachers and learners to be ready for rapid changes brought about by developments in the 21st Century, course instructor Asst. Prof. Dr. İldeniz Özverir stated: “In order to meet these demands, our course highlights the importance of 21st Century skills, such as collaboration, problem solving, critical thinking and digital literacy, whilst aiming to build know-how and confidence. In short, we hope to encourage course participants to reflect on the principles of authentic learning and to promote the active use of these skills in their own classroom contexts.” The course is first certificate program organized within EMU-FLEPS using only its own resources since the early 2000’s.