Teaching the Turkish language is a journey that started out as part of my job as a Turkish Language and Literature teacher, but that now encompasses my whole professional life.

The main challenge for students and teachers of Turkish as a Foreign Language (TFL) is to find resources that meet the demands of different ages and levels. As a lecturer who faced the same challenge over many years, I decided to compile the materials I prepared, implemented and developed for my own students into textbooks that others could use.

Recognizing that students who try to realize that culture and language are inextricably intertwined are more successful in learning Turkish, I inserted “Language and Culture” sections into each chapter of the textbook, in addition to reading, listening, speaking and writing sections. However, my greatest desire was to capture these episodes as short films which would then introduce each element of Turkish culture.

When I decided to put my plans into action, I assembled a film crew with the help of many people. Soon after we started shooting the project, as the sole producer, I realized this was not an easy undertaking. I wanted to shoot the films on location instead of in a studio, and this made the process challenging and enjoyable at the same time. Even though, as a crew, we strived to do the best we could, yet, there were of course some parts that “could’ve been better”.  Finally, with the incredible support and commitment of everyone involved, we worked together and completed the project. Despite the challenges it presented, I took great pleasure from every second of the process, and enjoyed the opportunity to work with beautiful people and talented young people. A heartfelt thank you to everyone involved!

I fervently hope that these short films will contribute to the learning and teaching Turkish, and pave the way for similar projects.

For your questions and comments, you can always contact me through info@soturkish.com and the blog page.

Ayşin ÖNDER