Meltem Özdemir

Meltem Özdemir is an experienced teacher trainer, ELT lecturer, educational consultant, and materials developer with over a decade of experience across all learner levels and university positions. She holds a B.A. in Comparative Literature and a minor in Children’s Literature from Eskişehir Osmangazi University, a TESOL certification from ITTT, and an M.A. in English Language and Literature from Beykent University. Having conducted psychology-related research during her studies, she specializes in helping educators build effective instructional strategies.

In her interactive sessions, Meltem bridges theory and practice by turning theoretical concepts into practical classroom applications. Her trainings emphasize classroom empathy, joyful learning through games, and purposeful material use, equipping educators with critical-thinking-oriented methodologies that boost engagement and foster sustainable teaching practices.

From Storytime to Story Culture: Creating Language-Rich Classrooms Through Storytelling

Every great story starts with "once upon a time" — but storytime shouldn't end when the book closes. This session reframes storytelling into the backbone of a sustainable reading culture, transforming stories into a complete learning experience that develops language skills, creativity, confidence, and lifelong reading habits.

Participants will explore how a single storybook provides rich learning opportunities through interactive storytelling techniques, dialogic reading strategies, drama, discussion, prediction, and creative production tasks. Going beyond simple reading, teachers will learn to design flexible classroom routines — using visual clues, questioning techniques, movement, role-play, and student-generated content — to foster speaking, listening, vocabulary, and creative expression.

Teachers will leave with a toolkit of adaptable strategies, a deeper understanding of storytelling as a language-learning framework, and ready-to-use ideas to turn a single story moment into a lasting culture of reading.