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On November 11, 2025, Nuray Toruntay, a preschool teacher currently working at Ankara Özel Tevfik Fikret Preschool, was invited as a guest to the course PECE301 – Principles and Methods in Early Childhood Education, taught by Lecturer Melike Kandemir.

With 20 years of professional experience in the field, our guest shared her insights with the students through butterfly- and nature-themed learning activities and conducted sample practices demonstrating how classroom learning activities can be enriched and diversified through various methods.

Assist. Prof. Dr. Funda Eda Tonga Çabuk has published an article titled “Comparative analysis of early childhood education teachers' professional development: the case of Denmark, Norway, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Pakistan” in the journal “Teacher Development,” which is indexed in the ESCI-SCOPUS (Q2) category. This study provides a comparative analysis of the professional development processes of early childhood teachers in four different countries. You can access the article via the link below.

Under the instruction of Asst. Prof. Dr. Funda Eda Tonga Çabuk and the assistance of Res. Asst. Hamide Nur Şimşekoğlu, students of PECE 230 – Social Skills Education in Early Childhood at TED University’s Department of Early Childhood Education completed their “Integrated Social Skill Activity & Digital Poster Presentations.”

As part of the Play in Early Childhood course conducted by Assoc. Prof. Dr. Sühendan Er, one of our faculty members, Dr. Melike Kandemir, was invited as a guest.
During the session, Dr. Kandemir facilitated a drama workshop titled “The Stolen Play.”
Throughout the workshop, our pre-service teachers developed an awareness of the effects of play on child development and internalized the significance of play as a tool for learning and expression through creative drama.

Within the scope of PECE 201 – Alternative Approaches and Methods in Early Childhood Education, led by Dr. Fatma Yalçın, TEDU ECE welcomed Burcu Şahbaz, a 2023 graduate of the program, as a guest speaker.

Drawing on her work at Ankara Waldorf Forest Kindergarten, Şahbaz shared insights into the philosophy of Waldorf pedagogy, the teacher’s role, and the rhythm and artistry of daily routines in Waldorf classrooms.

As part of the PECE 201 – Alternative Approaches and Methods in Early Childhood Education course offered by TED University’s Department of Early Childhood Education, a field trip to Lake Eymir was organized under the guidance of Dr. Fatma Yalçın.

TED University Department of Early Childhood Education faculty members Assoc. Prof. Dr. Çağla Öneren Şendil, Assist. Prof. Dr. Lecturer Fatma Yalçın, Assist. Prof. Dr. Funda Eda Tonga Çabuk, and Research Assistant Elif Naz Altaş Kuşhan participated in the 9th International Early Childhood Education Congress hosted by Bursa Uludağ University between October 27-30, 2025, and shared their current research and projects.

At the congress, three presentations were given by faculty members of the TEDU Early Childhood Education Department:

Research Assistant H.Nur Şimşekoğlu conducted a session on “Teaching and the Environment” as part of the PECE 301 – Instructional Principles and Methods in Early Childhood Education course led by Dr. Melike Kandemir.
Throughout the session, pre-service teachers discussed the role of learning environments in instructional processes, the impact of environmental arrangement. 

TED Ambassador (School Experience Program) will open its Fall 2025 applications on Monday, November 3rd. To provide detailed information about the project and to hear first-hand experiences from past participants, an online information session will be held on Monday, November 3rd at 3:00 PM (Istanbul time) via Zoom. During the meeting, all details about the project process, eligibility criteria, and application procedures will be shared.

As part of TED University's Orientation Day, held on September 19, 2025, we met with our new students. The program began with an opening speech by Prof. Dr. Kürşat Çağıltay, Dean of the Faculty of Education, and continued with remarks by Assoc. Prof. Dr. Çağla Öneren Şendil, Head of the Department of Basic Education and Preschool Education. At the end of the program, all faculty members and staff members had the opportunity to meet with our students and answer their questions.