A collaborative approach to problem solution in language teaching process

Sevgi Sahin, Turkey, ID CLEaR2016-314

Language teaching is a sophisticated process and it is quite challenging to manage this process properly in a state university that has 2.500 students and 160 teachers following the same curriculum simultaneously. In such a diverse context, no matter how well designed curricula are or how compassionate teachers could be, it is inevitable not to have problems and there is a need to address these problems immediately and collaboratively.

Experience has shown that top-down approach to problem solving is neither welcomed by teachers nor properly addresses the problems in hand. Therefore, it is believed that regular solution-based meetings should be held to involve teachers in this process and encourage them to take initiation in finding solutions to in-house problems. These meetings are thought to offer the greatest opportunity for colleagues to collaborate for the challenges that are wished to pursue.

Only through constructive collaboration can these problems be solved, so during these meetings which focus on a different aspect every week, the teachers are asked to put forward effective solutions that would eliminate the problems and improve the quality of teaching process considerably. These suggestions are then gathered, organized and shared back with teachers so that more teachers could make use of the ideas and suggestions that are brought up at the meetings.   

As a level coordinator responsible for cooperating and coordinating many teachers and executing these meetings, I have experienced and learned that there are some definite dos and don’ts for effective execution of these meetings. Deriving from my own personal experience and my collaboration with other four coordinators with the same responsibilities, this presentation focuses on how a bevy of teachers can be organized effectively so as to co-operate on what actions to take in case of any setbacks. The procedures will be discussed in detail.

Key words: Collaboration, Teaching, Problem Solving, Meeting, Feedback, Colleagues, and Organizing