The second SCOFOLA'23 "Challenges and Innovative Solutions in Foreign Language Teaching" international conference, hosted by the School of Foreign Languages on September 7-8, 2023, was held for 2 days in the Prof. Dr. Ali Arslan Conference Hall at the Faculty of Theology. The conference, which was open to linguists, educators, researchers and teachers from all over the world, was held in English and Turkish and welcomed participants all around the world.
Prof. Dr. Fernando Rubio from Yale University, USA., Prof. Dr. Belgin Elmas from TED University, Prof. Dr. Bena Gül Peker from Gazi University, Assoc. Prof. Dr. İpek Kuru Gönen from Eskişehir Anadolu University, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Elif Tokdemir Demirel from Kırıkkale University, Steve O'Farrell, Bob Nguyen attended at the conference as invited speakers.
The conference consisted of 4 keynote speakers, 45 oral presentations and 5 training workshops held simultaneously in halls. Studies on innovative methods and materials in language education; language teaching – learning experiences; language education and technology; measurement and evaluation in language education; language learning strategies; experiences outside the classroom; new teaching-learning theories and models; globalization in education and educational reforms; professional development; skill-based learning and its assessment; innovative curriculum development; critical and creative thinking skills; lifelong learning; open and distance learning; and awareness in language teaching were presented at the conference, whose main theme was "Challenges encountered in foreign language teaching and innovative solutions".
Our Vice Rector, Prof. Dr. Servet KARASU, who made the opening speech on behalf of the Rector of our university, Prof. Dr. İsmail Hakkı ÖZÖLÇER, expressed his honor in his speech in English by thanking the distinguished and respected speakers who attended the conference for their important contributions and information sharing. He talked about the importance that our university, which aims to raise well-equipped and qualified individuals, attaches to foreign language teaching. In his speech, Mr. Karasu also shared his own process of learning English. He ended his speech by thanking the School of Foreign Languages and all our instructors who contributed to the organization for their work and efforts.
The Director of the School of Foreign Languages, Okşan DAĞLI, stated that the main purpose of the conference is to develop methods and techniques that facilitate language education. She used the following expressions: "Our conference takes its starting point and goal from the fact that within this century, both native language and foreign language teaching have become increasingly complex and demanding processes. With the increasing research in this field, it becomes even more important to introduce methods and techniques that facilitate language teaching for both learners and educators. The primary goal of the conference is to bring to light the various ideas and opinions experienced by every educator in language teaching, both inside and outside the classroom, to share new findings from research on language learning, and to assist other educators by sharing and multiplying the new discoveries made by researchers trying to bring innovations to this field. These objectives are among the secondary goals of the conference. I extend my gratitude to all my colleagues, especially our esteemed Rector, Prof. Dr. İsmail Hakkı ÖZÖLÇER, who supported the organization of the conference, and to all participants in the conference."
