University within School
What is University within School?
Teacher training should be conducted in schools, where the teaching profession is performed in an "authentic environment", in collaboration with universities that are centers of research, knowledge, and theory production. “University within School” is designed as a practice-focused traditional master-apprentice model for teacher education, combining science with modern formal education and as a dynamic that integrates practice with theory. In this model, universities and schools cooperate in order to train teacher candidates according to international standards, to provide professional development of teacher candidates and faculty members, and, to facilitate research towards problems of education by faculty members, teachers, and teacher candidates, and most importantly, to increase student success in schools.
Dean's Message for University Within School
Welcome to the Faculty of Education at MEF University. You made the right choice to live the "firsts" and the "bests", while becoming one of the "firsts" and the "bests" in your chosen field. You are in the right place to talk to the world, work with the world and compete with the world. If your heart is big enough to love people of all colors regardless of their race, language, and religion, and if you love all children regardless of their differences, welcome to the club. If you say "Education means change, everyone can learn, everyone can change, changing the human is changing the universe" you chose the right profession. If you want people to be equal and if you say "education makes those who are not born unequally, equal", welcome to the club. I congratulate you if you want to be an educator to create an infrastructure which enables children to be happy, grow up fraternally, love their country, protect nature, learn democracy, be knowledgeable, skilled, and virtuous and build a better world. Welcome to MEF University, where you can improve yourself in every respect, become the best in your profession, and challenge the world.
You made the right choice by coming to MEF because we will change the world. Because we aspire to be the best, you will be the best, you will become a leader, and carry Turkey above the contemporary civilization. Together, we will build a more equal, fairer, more democratic, and more beautiful world. We are ready to start. Almost all of our faculty members hold doctorates from abroad who also have K12 teaching experience. Our curriculum is sensitive to national and international professional competencies as well as individual interests and abilities. Our modern teaching methods put you in charge of your own learning process. You learn by research, questioning, and experience. We implement the University within School Model, which balances and combines theory and practice for the education of the educator, and brings together faculty, teacher, and teacher candidates for research, experience, and development in the school environment.
I congratulate you for choosing the model that we designed to create an education that enables educators to achieve "firsts" and "bests" in the sector, to create a national brand that trains not only Turkish teachers but also teachers around the globe who will teach the children of the world in the best possible way, and making the world a better place. Welcome!
University School Internship Experience
As the Faculty of Education at MEF University, we apply a model called ‘University within School’ for teacher education as well as guidance and psychological counseling training. According to this model, teacher education as well as guidance and psychological counseling training programs are carried out with the intensive cooperation of education faculties and schools. Our students spend half a day a week in the first year (i.e. freshman), one day a week in the second year (i.e. sophomore), two days a week in the third year (i.e. junior), and three full days a week in the last year (i.e. senior) at K12 schools, experiencing their respective fields in an authentic environment . Our internship courses start in year three, when our students begin their internships at their assigned schools as assistant teachers and psychological counselors. During their fourth year, they become prospective teachers / psychological counselors. The internship calendar is determined according to the school calendar, not according to the university’s academic calendar.
The University within School Model has six main objectives. At the end of each academic year, we evaluate the model we apply according to these basic objectives and receive feedback from stakeholders. The objectives of our model are as follows.
(1) To educate knowledgeable, skilled, and virtuous teachers: To educate knowledgeable, skilled, and virtuous teachers who are trained in the best way in their field according to national and international standards, who are able to educate all students regardless of their differences and prepare them to speak with the world, work with the world and compete with the world.
(2) To increase student success in cooperating schools: To increase student success in schools by enabling teacher candidates to teach students in need for two years as assistant teachers and prospective teachers.
(3) To ensure the professional development of faculty members: To ensure that members of the Faculty of Education periodically renew their teaching / psychological counseling experiences as well as ensuring that those members of the faculty who do not have a teaching formation gain this formation within two years.
(4) To ensure the professional development of teachers: To contribute to the professional development of existing teachers and administrators through in-service training programs, to ensure that experienced and successful teachers and administrators contribute to teacher education by undertaking duties such as practitioners, instructors and the like.
(5) To produce scientific solutions to local education problems: To Enable faculty members to conduct research on local educational issues and develop viable, innovative projects by collaborating with school administrators, teachers and prospective teachers/psychological counselors.
(6) Creating a Turkish brand in teacher training: Creating a Turkish brand that trains the best teachers according to national and international standards, serves the nation and humanity in the field of teacher education, is modeled on a global scale.