On 8 May 2024, the Institute organized a conference on “Foreign Language Education in Turkey” for English teachers working within the Ministry of National Education. 

İpek Coşkun Armağan, General Coordinator of the Institute, was the keynote speaker at the conference, where language education in Turkey was discussed from a linguistic perspective. Armağan first drew attention to the relationship between linguistics and mathematics and stated that linguistics requires a foundation of mathematics and logic and that the relationship between the fields of language and mathematics should be considered in language policies. 

Armağan emphasized that the question “Why can't we learn English?” cannot be seen separately from learning math or Turkish. Drawing attention to the worldwide learning crisis in the aftermath of the Covid-19 pandemic, he emphasized that the focus should be on solving this learning deprivation. 

Armağan pointed out that besides the learning crisis, English language learning is closely related to Turkish language learning. Armağan stated that grammar constitutes the structure/foundation of language learning and emphasized the importance of familiarizing children with basic language knowledge at an early age. He emphasized that students try to learn the language structure in English before they have mastered the subtleties of Turkish. 

Focusing on the difference between the language structure of Turkish and English, Armağan drew attention to the importance of recognizing the unique beauties of Turkish, which is an agglutinative language, and taking these differences into consideration in the education process. He stated that the books and methods used in foreign language learning should be shaped according to the structure and cultural foundations of the mother tongue. Referring to the “Newbolt Report” published in England in 1920, which drew attention to the importance of language learning in every branch, he emphasized the importance of acting with the understanding that “Every teacher should be like a Turkish teacher!”. She pointed out that seeing a sensitivity to Turkish in every teacher will help strengthen the student's bond with Turkish in every lesson. 

In the last part of the conference, Armağan pointed out that it is essential for students to be aware of why they are learning a language and for them to develop a curiosity about language, and that students should have a taste for language. He pointed out that children should be able to carry their relationship with language to an emotional point, both in their mother tongue and in a foreign language. He concluded his speech by emphasizing that children should be able to establish an emotional connection with language and words; they should have words that are passionate, attractive, original and that they enjoy using. The conference ended after the question and answer session.