There are lots points to reflect on after a well-planned and thought provoking event. Balloons, people standing in a circle on the green grass under the bright sun of Istanbul sharing ideas, dazzling all-star team of presenters, motivated and devoted participants were the hallmark of this wonderful gathering. The root of the word reflection comes from the Latin “reflectere” which means to bend back (like a reflection in the mirror) revealing aspects of our experience that might have remained hidden if we had not spared the time and energy to deliberately “see” them (Wade and Yarbrough, 1996). This conference was a magical mirror for me and I think for the other participants as well because it not only flagged a lot of food for thought but also opened doors for further development. 

Finally, I think that if an event can make you ask questions, then, it can be considered beneficial, fruitful and efficient as asking questions is the essence of teaching and learning.  Some questions that still linger in my mind include: “How can self-initiated teacher development mediums become more widespread? What can ICT provide for teachers’ personal development? How can ICT be integrated into ELT? How can link between teaching and research be strengthened? Can ‘getting published’ be the next step in your professional development? And are we cyber safe and what needs to be done?” among many others. 

Being a roving reporter for the British Council at this event, I have posted some session notes as well as interviews on the conference website. 

• Highlights from Keynote Sessions; The Teaching Unplugged Experience by Scott Thornbury
  http://iatefleventsturkey.com/2012/05/26/highlights-from-keynote-sessions-the-teaching-unplugged-experience-by-scott-thornbury
  
  
• Highlights from Keynote Sessions; “What’s next in my Career as a Teacher?” by Nick Robinson
  http://iatefleventsturkey.com/2012/05/26/highlights-from-keynote-sessions-whats-next-in-my-career-as-a-teacher-by-nick-robinson
  
  
• Interwiew with Workshop Presenters; Gorsev &Volkan Incecay on Use of Twitter in Foreign Language Classroom
  http://iatefleventsturkey.com/2012/05/27/interwiew-with-workshop-presenters-gorsev-volkan-incecay-on-use-of-twitter-in-foreign-language-classroom
  
  
• Interview with Workshop Presenters; Burcu Tezcan Unal & Devrim Ozdemir on A Dialogic Debate on Lesson Execution
  http://iatefleventsturkey.com/2012/05/27/interview-with-workshop-presenters-burcu-tezcan-unal-devrim-ozdemir-on-a-dialogic-debate-on-lesson-execution
  
  
• Interview with Workshop Presenters; Valentina Dodge on “Tech NO overload”
  http://iatefleventsturkey.com/2012/05/29/interview-with-workshop-presenters-valentina-dodge-on-tech-no-overload
  
  
• Interview with Workshop Presenters; Evridiki Dakos on “The Magic Circles and the Light”
  http://iatefleventsturkey.com/2012/05/30/interview-with-workshop-presenters-evridiki-dakos-on-the-magic-circles-and-the-light/
  
  

Looking forward to the next SIG event with full of questions, ideas and chances of collaboration and cooperation.

Wade, R. & Yarbrough, D.B. (1996). Portfolios: A tool for reflective thinking in teacher education?. Teaching and Teacher Education, 12(1), 63-79.

Asli Saglam
British Council Roving Reporter