Dr. Merve Oflaz

Dr. Merve Oflaz completed her B.A. in English Language Education at Marmara University in 1998. Since then, she has been involved in English education and has taken on diverse roles such as teacher, educational consultant, materials developer, blogger, teacher trainer, head of department, learning and teaching advisor, education manager, and international exams manager.

She was awarded a full scholarship and completed her M.A. in English Language Education at Yeditepe University in 2008. In 2019, she graduated from Yeditepe University’s Curriculum and Instruction M.A. Programme with a High Honour degree. She also holds the ICELT Certificate (In-service Certificate in English Language Teaching).

She later completed her PhD in Curriculum and Instruction at Yeditepe University with a High Honour degree.

Dr. Oflaz has delivered a wide range of presentations and workshops at national and international conferences and has been invited to schools across Türkiye as a speaker to train teachers and parents. She has also reviewed and given feedback on coursebooks and edtech products for international publishers and institutions. Her contributions to education have been recognized with awards for creating lesson activities, delivering presentations, directing children’s plays, and blogging. In 2020, she was honoured as one of the women in the British Council project “80 Years, 80 Women and 80 Stories”, and in 2024, she received the Global Teacher Award from the AKS Education Awards.

She currently works as a faculty member in English Language Teaching at the School of Education, Medipol University. Her academic interests include learning preferences, the integration of technology in education, and intercultural awareness.

More Than Words: The Stories We Create in the Language Classroom 

Every lesson begins with a plan. But what makes some lessons stay with us long after they are over?

In language classrooms, learning is never only about vocabulary, grammar, methods, or materials. Learning another language requires learners to take risks, make mistakes, speak up, and gradually find their voice in a new language. Behind every hesitant answer, every attempt to communicate, and every small success, there is a human story unfolding. And somewhere in that story, there is a teacher.

This inspiring and interactive session explores the powerful role of the teacher in shaping the language learning experience. Through the lens of teacher–learner rapport and human connection, it invites participants to reflect on what can transform an ordinary lesson into something far more memorable. Echoing the holistic perspective of the Türkiye Century Education Model, the session also considers language learning as a process that extends beyond academic outcomes to learners’ social and emotional development.

Blending insights from research and classroom experience with reflection and humour, the session asks a deceptively simple question: Are we fully aware of what happens when we walk into a classroom?

Perhaps there is a little more magic in teaching than we realise. And perhaps, every time we enter a classroom, another story is just beginning.