Within the scope of the “6th International Career Week” organized by the Eastern Mediterranean University (EMU) Graduate Relations and Career Research Directorate (MIKA) Middle East Technical University (METU) Educational Sciences Academic Staff Member and Institutional Development and Planning Office Coordinator Asst. Prof. Dr. Serap Emil delivered a talk titled “Professional Specifics That Should Learnt Before Graduation”.
Asst. Prof. Dr. Serap Emil started her talk by relaying her thoughts on professionalism. Highlighting the importance of professional dress, conduct and speech Asst. Prof. Dr. Emil touched upon common mistakes regarding professionalism. Indicating that professional teachers should be familiar with the environment they are in, possess pedagogic knowledge in the related field, act fairly in a non-discriminative manner, enjoy their job, act respectively as well as have their own unique persona and education philosophy Asst. Prof. Dr. Emil highlighted the importance of communication skills.
Asst. Prof. Dr. Emil brought a volunteer on stage and talked about written and verbal communication, gestures and facial expressions as well as communication on social media. Asst. Prof. Dr. Emil drew attention to when each type of communication should be used
Asst. Prof. Dr. Emil also drew attention to effective feedback, making statements about how to be critical in a polite and professional manner. Asst. Prof. Dr. Emil stated that the achievements of students who do not receive feedback and feedforward diminish whilst their motivation and interest in the lesson decreases. Touching upon the importance of asking questions, Asst. Prof. Dr. Emil noted that teachers need to ask questions whilst providing the opportunity for students to ask questions too. A group photo was taken with the audience at the end of the talk.