OUTCOME: BRINGING THE COMMUNITY INTO THE SCHOOL

Page | 1 Generously shared by the Turkish Australian Culture House Inc. Turkish Saturday School

OUTCOME: BRINGING THE COMMUNITY INTO THE SCHOOL Parents and Community members are invited into the Turkish Saturday School on a regular basis to contribute to its learning program. By bringing the community into the school, TACH is able to strengthen the ties to the community and ensure the longevity of the school. Guest speakers from parents and community members TACH regularly invites parents and community members into the Turkish Saturday School as guest speakers and to lead activities, as evidenced by the examples below: 1. Hacivat & Karagoz Shadow Puppet Play Parent @@@@@@@@@ and his children put on a traditional Turkish shadow puppet show of Hacivat and Karagoz for the students at the school. Hacivat and Karagoz is a traditional Turkish shadow play, popularized during the Ottoman period. The show is comedic in nature and performed in the Turkish language. During the show, @@@@@@@ and his children spoke Turkish in an engaging, funny manner, and acted out the language through the puppets. The children were engaged through listening and viewing the show. Below are photos and a video of the show, showing children laughing and enjoying the show.

Photograph: Tthe shadow puppet play

Photograph: Students watching the shadow puppet play

https://fb.watch/1zSsICr6nY/ Video: Students watching the shadow puppet play

https://fb.watch/1zSsICr6nY/


2. Darbuka Drum Lesson ##########, a community member who is a professional “darbuka” (Turkish hand drum) player, led a music lesson with the children. Mr ###### led the children through the basics of playing the darbuka, using the Turkish language to communicate with them. Children practised their Turkish through their interactions with Mr ########, and learnt cultural phrases such as “düm düm tek” – a phrase with no English translation, which is a combination of the sound and rhythm made by instrument. In the video below, Mr ########### can be seen interacting with the children in Turkish – asking a child’s name, teaching the phrase “düm düm tek”, and using other Turkish phrases to indicate to the students to join in altogether and play the rhythm on their drums. The children were engaged and interested in this lesson, as they were learning language through play.

Photograph: Community member ######## leading a darbuka music lesson

https://www.facebook.com/TACHWA/posts/1905649302803956 Video of community member Evren Alancik leading a darbuka music lesson

3. Robotics Lessons %%%%%%%%, a young adult and former student of the Turkish School, attended the school on a regular basis to teach robotics to the current students, using Turkish. The “robotics club” was held in the last half hour of the class for one term. Children used lego to make dancing robots, while using Turkish with the guest teacher. Students responded to%%%%%%%% in the class by using respectful Turkish expressions such as “Abi” (Big Brother) in addressing him.

https://www.facebook.com/TACHWA/posts/1905649302803956


Photograph: Children learning robotics from guest teacher %%%%%%% in Turkish class

Screenshot: Facebook post celebrating that %%%%%%% is a former student of the Turkish Saturday School, and is now teaching robotics to the daughters of his former teacher in the same Saturday School.

Screenshot: Facebook post advertising the learning of Robotics in Turkish


Parents assisting in the classroom Parents are encouraged to assist in the classroom. The presence of the parents helps children to stay focused and inside the class, particularly for the younger children.

Photograph: Parents assisting children in the classroom (pictured: 2 x parents, 1 x teacher, 10 x students)

Preparing food and drink for students Parents are invited into the school and support the learning environment by preparing food and drink. On special occasions, parents have organised a sausage sizzle to mark the first day of term, and healthy snacks of fruit and vegetables.

Photograph: Parents preparing food for children.


Parents assisting children with homework and using the language at home Due to COVID-19 restrictions, the Saturday School was closed early in week 8 of Term 2 and remained closed for all of Term 3 of 2020. TACH informed parents of the early close of Term 2 and handed out Turkish workbooks for the students to use at home during the COVID lockdown on the last day of contact. A WhatsApp group was set up, and a group was set up on the application “Band” to share information and stories from the teachers and parents. Families shared their children practising their Turkish at home using the textbooks via these applications. In this way, the whole term consisted of homework, or “work at home” with interactions via social media. Parents took control of learning and the community kept their school connections going each week through sharing of media and humour.

Screenshot: WhatsApp group of parents and teachers sharing videos of children practicing Turkish. Responding with humour.

Link to video of Parent helping with Turkish homework during COVID

Link: Parent and child practicing Turkish at home

Link to video of student practicing Turkish at home during COVID

Link: Parent and child practicing Turkish at home

Open Days, Special Occasions & End of Year Celebrations The Turkish Saturday School regularly holds “Open Days” for parents and children, giving parents the opportunity to meet other parents and children, and to meet and ask questions of the TACH management committee and teachers. TACH also holds open day celebrations for special dates or End of Year, where parents are invited into the school, and children perform Turkish poetry, dance and activities with parents inside the school. TACH plans to hold end of year celebrations in December 2020, and plans to hold a parent meeting/open day in January 2021 to explain the program for the coming year, seek feedback from parents, and volunteers to be involved in the 2021 program.


Screenshot: Email advertising school open day 4th February 2017

Screenshot: Facebook post invited parents and community members to celebrate 23rd April 2019 (Children’s Day in Turkey) at the school. Activities are provided by parents and young people (former students).

• Stone painting with Aysegul (parent)

• Turkish flag making with Arzu (teacher)

• Face painting with Pelin (former student, young adult)

• Photoshoot in folk dance costumes with %%%%% (former student, young adult)

• Robot show from Ilke (former student, young adult)


• Poetry reading by students

• Everyone to dance (halay) together

*Note, facebook automatic translation translates the names of Turkish people

Documents

OUTCOME: BRINGING THE COMMUNITY INTO THE SCHOOL