Beckie Loewenstein

I learned some Turkish for describing the psychology of silence and crime while attending Ekin Onat's art exhibit "My silence has a reason" at the Merhart gallery in Tophane, Istanbul. Please write in the comments if you find mistakes in the translations. Susuyorsam bir nedeni var. My silence has a reason.

Instead of our usual English lesson at a coffee house, my student S. and I attended the opening of Meltem Sırtıkara's solo exhibition "Zamanlama Meselesi / A Matter of Timing" at Mixer Arts in Tophane, Istanbul, on Friday March 28, 2014. As we stood in front of each work of art, we spoke loudly above the live DJ music. Sometimes I whispered or mouthed the new vocabulary words to get my student to read my lips and guess the word. For two hours, he described art, design, and body language in complete English sentences:

adlı sergi açılış kokteyl onurlandırman dileriz named, titled exhibition opening cocktail honoring we wish Notice how the translation from Turkish to English reverses the order. Turkish starts with the direct object and ends with the subject and verb. Also, the Turkish 'in indicates possession (like the English 's ) and - i suffix indicates the compound noun: açılış kokteyl in i = cocktail opening Peyret 'in = Peyret 's

O işe karışma. Çok hoş Böyle dans etmez. ...demişken... Bir sorum sorun yok. Çok acayıp bir haber. Yoksa var ederiz. Fikri buldum. Çatal. Yapalım işte. Salağım. Çok aptal hissetim. Çok komik bir şey. Tam bir erkek. Çok eğlenceli bir program. Sıradaki She wasn’t Don't get involved in that issue. very cool He didn’t doesn't dance like that. Speaking of… No question Here’s It's very strange news. We would have could make it. I had an idea. butt crack Come on, let's do it. I'm an idiot. I felt so stupid. Here’s something funny. a manly man very fun funny program next

Two of my students, 9, are often playing the Smurf village game when I arrive to teach English at their home in Istanbul. Their parents and I would both prefer our lessons be playful, creative, and imaginative so the children will memorize English more easily. In all of my lessons for all ages, my students' interests and needs inspire my choice of content for the lessons. In this case, I adapt Smurf role plays. First, we draw and describe the colors of the mushroom rooftops of the houses in the Smurf village. Next, we describe the actions of each Smurf character, named for either their personality or their profession:

Walking out of the office to the exit after our lesson, my student U. asks me how to describe what we are doing. Ever ready, I start guessing the possibilities: We are walking together.   Birlikte yürüyoruz. You are showing me the way out. Çıkışa Bana yol çıkışa yolunu gösteriyorsun. / Bana çıkışa gösteriyorsun. You are escorting me. Sen bana eşlik ediyorsun. "Not quite," he replied. "What is refakat etmek in English?" And so, the dictionary duel begins. We face off each other. He pulls out his smartphone. I draw out my yellow Turkish-English Langenscheidt dictionary. Now, draw! So who has the fastest reflex in İstanbul, Texan teacher or Turkish student? Before he can load the translation or read the screen in the glare of the sunlight, I have already flipped through the stained pages of the dictionary to find the definition:   Refakat etmek means to accompany. It is a more literary and formal verb. You accompany me to the exit. Çıkışa bana re...

"Lesson 88 (Noob): Taking the Ferry" https://turkishteatime.com/lesson/88/ Avrupa yakası en son vapur saat kaçta? What time is the last ferry to the European side? Anadolu yakası en son vapur saat kaçta? What time is the last ferry to the Anatolian side? İleri de! İleride! Forward too! Düz! Straight! Dert etme! Do not worry! Merak etme! Do not worry! Do not be curious about that! Gider gitmez! Do not be silly! Gider gitmez. Expenses do not go! Expenses are not expenses! Gelir gelmez! Income doesn't come! Gelir gelmez. As soon as she/he/it arrives. Çalışmam lazım! I need to work. "Lesson 121 (Beg): Vampires" https://turkishteatime.com/lesson/121/ Acıktım. I'm hungry. Çay tercih ediyorum. I prefer tea. Çayı getiriyorum. I bring tea. Çiçekleri götürüyorum. I...

In Istanbul my Turkish students greatly enjoy learning about their smartphones so I try to bring actual technology news to our private English lessons. Smartphone technology may soon have new applications for eye health and care. My Turkish students do not differentiate between ophthalmologists, optometrists, and eye doctors so first we need to introduce some new vocabulary. Next, we listen to a science and technology podcast. Finally, we perform a speaking role play with questions for sales and marketing of the new technology. Here are some of the new vocabulary in English and Turkish : ophthalmology: oftalmoloji ophthalmologist: göz doktoru optometrist: optometrist optometry: optometri eye drops: göz damlası dilate: genişletmek   selfie = a photo of oneself: kendini bir fotoğraf take a selfie: kendini bir fotoğraf çekmek snap a photo: bir fotoğraf çekmek   The eye drops dilate pupils.   The optometrist shines a light into the pupils to see the r...

Listen to the song and fill in the gaps with the following vocabulary: English: argue begin catch come continue die drink feel fill finish hear hitch kiss listen look notice open pour pretend raise say see shake sit straighten think try turn wait watch Turkish: tartışmak başlamak yakalamak gelmek devam etmek ölmek içmek hissetmek doldurmak bitirmek duymak ... öpmek dinlemek bakmak fark etmeye açmak dökmek davranmak yükseltmek demek görmek sallamak oturmak düzeltmek düşünmek denemek çevirmek beklemek izlemek

I teach speaking English lessons to two children, 9, after they finish school at their home in Istanbul. The parents would like their children to practice listening to and speaking in American English so that they will be ready for international travel and study opportunities. I try to bring imagination, creativity, and movement to our lessons. In this lesson we imagine that we are playing baseball in the living room: the four corners of the Turkish carpet are the bases, the table is the pitcher's mound, and the couch represents the stands in the stadium. Together we catch and throw the imaginary balls, swing the imaginary bats, and run around the imaginary baseball field. We jump up, throw our hands up, and pretend to do a wave in the stands! I explain that cracker jacks are popcorn with caramel. We squeeze ketchup and mustard on imaginary hotdogs. Here are some of our expressions:

This English lesson about design and brands hopefully inspires my students with new design and marketing ideas for their company. The creative writing activity directly applies to developing the image and voice of the product in the market. My student G. is currently developing her olive oil brand. This includes the packaging, the website, and the marketing. She wishes she could attend the New York International Olive Oil Competition in April 2014, but cannot this year because she has so much to do in Turkey. As her English teacher, I would like to find available resources online from the participants of the olive oil event. One of the speakers to attend is Debbie Millman of the Design Matters podcast. (1) First, we listen to her podcast to both learn English and to get inspiring business ideas. (2) Secondly, we write and record the voice of our product. (1) Design Matters with Debbie Millman interviews Alex Center, a designer of vitaminwater, about the history of the bottle desig...

Learning how to ask for and give feedback in English is an important functional skill for my students in Istanbul. In this lesson I combine reading, listening, and speaking activities to guide the student to connect feedback to self-improvement. In her book Daring Greatly, Brene Brown emphasizes the importance of feedback to cultivate change and engagement. "A daring greatly culture is a culture of honest, constructive, and engaged feedback," she writes. "Without feedback there can be no transformative change" (197). Asking for and giving feedback becomes essential to constantly improve. After reading this passage, I ask my student A., a surgeon, to compare and contrast Formula 1 racing and medical care. He calls this an 'attractive topic,' and quickly lists the differences and similarities. Then, we discuss the importance of feedback to both the racecar driver and the surgeon. Next, we listen and fill in the vocabulary gaps. We pause sometimes to compa...

The objective of American football is to move the football to the opponent's endzone to touchdown and to score field goals.  A beginner can follow basic American football terms on the NFL rule book and Football for Dummies Get into the spirit of American football with Jimmy Fallon's Evolution of End Zone Dancing with Justin Timberlake: How do the players move the football? hike/toss between legs/put in play (snap) hold, clutch, possess, carry, cradle, has/keep/retain possession of handle, control rush, advance, run forward, drive  keep track of, follow throw, pass catch in bounds, win/gain/take possession of (complete pass) drop, catch out of bounds, hit the ground, fumble, lose possession of (incomplete pass) fall, bounce regain/recover possession of, turnover intercept (interception) interfere, tackle, block (interference) deliver/give up/hand off/surrender possession of kickoff, punt touchdown My student S. narrates the Super Bowl XLVIII Seattle ...

Learning requires daring greatly. After seven years of teaching and observation, I strongly believe that the students and teachers who open themselves up to the uncertainty, risk, and emotions of learning end up experiencing the greatest rewards. My lessons this week focus on how to dare greatly while learning English. In class my students and I are reading Brené Brown 's book Daring Greatly: How the Courage to Be Vulnerable Transforms the Way We Live, Love, Parent, and Lead . Learning a new language, especially when taking intense, private lessons with an experienced teacher, can be a vulnerable experience for any student. A solo student has nowhere to hide from direct questions. Lessons demand that we show up and fully participate. Good practice requires experimenting, taking risks with new vocabulary and grammar structures, and inevitably making mistakes. Daring greatly means accepting these mistakes, asking for feedback, and being open to try again. Continue! Devam ediyor! ...

My student S. and I are following the news coverage of the mounting political, geostrategic, and financial tensions in Ukraine as part of our advanced English language lessons at a cafe on Istiklal in Istanbul.  Before the lesson we both read The New York Times article After Initial Triumph, Ukraine's Leaders Face Battle for Credibility " by Steven Erlanger on March 1, 2014.  We have a discussion as I listen to the student's perspective, give specific vocabulary on the Merriam Webster dictionary, and ask these questions: 1. What are the challenges for the people of Ukraine? Overthrow the old government and elect the new one. Recognize the diversity of the people. Restore stabiliy. Make a compromise between the citizens of Ukraine leaning towards either the European Union or Russia.  Keep the balance . Reach out to the Russian speakers in Crimea. 2. What are the battles for the leaders of Ukraine? Legitimize the government. Earn credibility. Stabiliz...