27 Jun 2017
In May, 220 school leaders and teachers from over 35 schools in Turkey discussed the future of education at TED Ankara College’s fourth annual Cambridge Day.
The theme of this year’s event was ‘The future of education: designing teaching to prepare students for tomorrow’s world’. Delegates heard from Dr Paul Beedle, Head of Professional Development Qualifications at Cambridge International Examinations, and Professor Deborah Eyre from social enterprise High Performance Learning. After these keynote addresses, delegates participated in break-out sessions run by experienced teachers from Cambridge schools.
As well as providing delegates with the opportunity for professional development and networking, the day raised awareness of Cambridge programmes and qualifications. Many schools in Turkey are keen to explore the possibilities offered by adopting an international curriculum, and with the support of Turkish Associates like TED Ankara College, they were able to find out more about the practical considerations of adopting Cambridge programmes and qualifications, as well as the pedagogical expectations and resulting benefits for students.
Burcu Benderli, Manager, Turkey, The Netherlands, The Balkans and Wider Europe for Cambridge International Examinations, said: 'TED Ankara College’s Cambridge Days continue to go from strength to strength and I met many new faces in Ankara at this year’s event. Teachers were happy to meet one another and inspired by the concepts discussed throughout the day. There was lots of enthusiasm for the practical teaching tips and the advice from the keynote speeches and workshops.'
Students from TED Ankara College Foundation Middle and High Schools took to the stage to share their thoughts on the future of education in Turkey and around the world. They delivered the panel entirely in English, a particular achievement for the fifth grade students whose English has improved greatly after a year following the Cambridge Secondary 1 programme. Delegates praised the students for their fluency and commended TED Ankara College for their success in running the Cambridge curriculum.
Sponsors Cambridge University Press, Dunya Education, Farbe Education, Nuans Publishing, National Geographic Learning and Globed, presented samples of their books which generated high levels of interest from the teachers and school leaders.
As a Cambridge Associate, TED Ankara Foundation Middle and High Schools works in partnership with eight schools around the country. During her opening address, Sevinc Atabay, General Director of TED Ankara and TED Foundation Schools, announced the creation of the ‘Cambridge Board’, an official, school-run network of Cambridge schools in Turkey.
Burcu Benderli commented: 'The number of schools in Turkey that are adopting Cambridge continues to grow, and each is very proud of its status as a Cambridge International School or Cambridge Associate. We are extremely grateful to TED Ankara College for their support, and for launching the ‘Cambridge Board’ network. Delivering Cambridge’s programmes and qualifications can present a number of challenges to new schools, so the opportunity to connect with fellow teachers, leaders and administrators will be of huge benefit to all our schools in Turkey.'