A group of middle and high school teachers from the five campuses of Işık Schools came together at the Ayazağa Campus on January 10, 2026, for a professional development seminar titled Material Evaluation and Design in ELT. The seminar was delivered by Dr. Kamile Hamiloğlu, a lecturer, teacher educator, and an academic from Marmara University, who also performs as an academic advisor on English language education and curriculum development in several schools in Türkiye.

The sessions in the seminar program focused on the type and role of teaching and learning materials in shaping learning outcomes, classroom interaction, and instructional decision-making. Participants explored key theoretical principles and current research in applied linguistics to evaluate ELT materials, coursebooks and supplementary materials in particular, in relation to learner needs, contextual factors, and curricular goals, using both predictive and retrospective evaluation models. The program also emphasized the design of inclusive, multimodal, and digitally enriched materials that foster communicative competence, critical thinking, and learner autonomy. Through interactive tasks and reflective discussions, the seminar supported participants in developing a principled and context-sensitive approach to materials evaluation and design.