Beril Ayman Yücel

Beril Ayman Yücel has dedicated 35 years to the field of ELT, serving as an instructor, teacher trainer, textbook writer, administrator, and academic ELT consultant. She holds a B.A. in ELT and an M.Sc. in Educational Sciences from METU. Over the span of 26 years, she made significant contributions at the university level, working at Bilkent University, Başkent University, and TOBB University of Economics and Technology. She later served as the Director of Foreign Languages at the Turkish Education Association (TED) Headquarters, where she collaborated closely with K–12 schools across different cities in Türkiye. 

Beril is one of the co-founders of InspirED Minds, a learning and teaching expert and conference speaker, providing professional development, consultancy, and training for educators and institutions both nationally and internationally. She is one of the founding members of the Board of Directors of TESOL Türkiye (İngiliz Dili Öğretimi ve Mesleki Gelişim Derneği) and now serves as the Joint Coordinator of the TESOL Türkiye Teacher Education and Development Special Interest Group. She has also played an active role in professional organizations, including İNGED and IATEFL TTED SIG, contributing to the field through her leadership as Vice-President, President, and Coordinator. 

With extensive experience in teacher training and trainer education, she has participated in numerous professional development and international collaboration projects. Beril has also presented at many conferences and published articles and book chapters in the field of ELT. A passionate advocate of lifelong learning, she continues to inspire educators to grow, innovate, and empower their learners.

Beyond “Once Upon a Time”: Stories That Help Learners Feel, Think and Connect

Stories do much more than develop language. They help learners make sense of emotions, understand different perspectives, build empathy, and connect with others. In this interactive workshop, we will explore practical ways of using storytelling to integrate English language learning with social-emotional learning. Participants will experience simple, adaptable activities that encourage learners to respond to stories, step into characters’ shoes, express feelings and opinions, make choices, and create their own narratives. We will also look at how stories can provide meaningful contexts for developing language skills while creating a classroom environment in which learners feel safe to participate, imagine, and connect. The session will leave participants with practical storytelling techniques and classroom-ready ideas that can be adapted for different ages and levels.