This study aims to present the findings of a pilot Lesson Study implementation at a Turkish foundation university which took place between May and June, 2016 with the participation of three EFL instructors. Since an in-depth analysis of a group of instructors was required in order to have a comprehensive understanding of how the model was implemented, what issues and challenges were experienced and what lessons were learned by participant instructors, the study was designed as a qualitative phenomenological case study. Data obtained through interviews were subsequently coded and interpreted through content analysis. Results showed that issues with Lesson Study were mainly about feelings of anxiety, workload, conceptualizing the model and performing the model; however, results also revealed that it could contribute to professional development of instructors in certain aspects such as collaborative lesson planning, delivering less teacher-fronted lessons, focusing more on students and improving time management skills.

This qualitative case study carried out at a Turkish university with four English language teachers aims to explore what teachers experience in the planning, implementation, analysis, and reporting phases of the lessons study process and what the implications of lesson study for teacher professional development can be. Data in this four-month study were gathered through observations, interviews, whole group discussions, and reflective reports. Findings revealed that lesson study had potential challenges and benefits for the professional development of teachers. The model poses challenges in finding a topic and research question, determining the lesson design and teaching style, making student thinking observable and analyzing qualitative data. On the other hand, it benefited teachers in terms of increasing their pedagogical content knowledge, reflectivity, research skills, collaboration, and collegiality. This study suggests that lesson study might be a good starting point for institutions wishing to adopt a more teacher-led, inquiry-driven and collaborative perspective for professional development.

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore how sustainable development (SD) is conceptualized by pre-service English language teachers in Turkey and design a specialized course syllabus on SD in English language teaching (ELT) in the light of the research findings. Design/methodology/approach The study used a mixed-methods sequential explanatory study design and investigated the case of a state university in Turkey with the involvement of 133 pre-service English language teachers. Findings The findings indicated that most pre-service English language teachers received no training or a course on SD in their whole education life and tended to associate SD mostly with the economic growth of a country, followed by education, social and ecological concepts. It was also found that the majority of the participants had a unidimensional view of SD. No direct links with ELT have been detected from participants’ responses. The findings also pointed to the eagerness of the participants to receive an ELT-specific course on SD providing that the course involves interactive teaching and learning activities with reference to contemporary sources focusing on global and local issues, as well as studying the methods facilitating the incorporation of such issues into teaching practice. Research limitations/implications This research is based on the experience of one Turkish university with limited quantitative and qualitative data. Practical implications Based on the participants’ knowledge, views and suggestions, this paper contributes to the existing literature by providing empirical evidence obtained from a local context and suggests a practical framework for a field-specific course syllabus aiming to enhance teacher candidates’ knowledge, skills and values related to SD and its incorporation into ELT. Originality/value To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study seeking to explore pre-service ELT teachers’ conceptualization of SD in Turkish higher education, and drawing on the research findings, the authors attempted to design a course syllabus targeted at pre-service teachers in ELT departments.

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ÖzBu araştırmada etkili bir mesleki gelişim uygulamasının örneklerinden olan Ders İmecesi Modeli ve modelin öğretmenlerin mesleki gelişimine katkıları incelenmiştir. Araştırmada, alanyazında yenilikçi mesleki gelişim modellerine örnek olarak gösterilen Ders İmecesi Modelinin nasıl uygulandığının ayrıntılı olarak incelenmesi hedeflenmiştir. Dünyada ve Türkiye'de gerçekleştirilen araştırmalar ışığında modelin öğretmenlerin mesleki gelişimine, öğretmenler arası işbirliği, öğrenciye ve öğrenme sürecine odaklanma, alan ve öğretmenlik alan bilgisi ve yansıtıcı düşünme becerileri noktalarında katkı sağladığı sonucuna ulaşılmıştır. Modelin hem hizmet öncesi hem de hizmet içi öğretmen eğitiminde ve farklı kademelerde görev yapan öğretmen gruplarıyla uygulanması önerilmektedir. Böylelikle modelin Türkiye'de yaygınlaştırılması, iyi giden yönlerinin saptanması ve aksayan yönlerinin düzeltilmesi konusunda ortak bir akıl oluşması sağlanabilir.Anahtar sözcükler: Ders imecesi, öğretmen mesleki gelişimi, yenilikçi mesleki gelişim modeli.