Instructors
PhD Candidate, Lecturer
Aylin Aydın
Aylin Aydın completed her undergraduate studies in English Language Teaching at Uludağ University and in Child Development at Istanbul University. She completed her master’s degree in psychology with a thesis examining the relationship between language and working memory. She is currently pursuing her doctoral studies at the Psychotraumatology and Psychohistory Research Unit of Istanbul-Cerrahpaşa University’s Institute of Forensic Medicine and Forensic Sciences, conducting research on memory, learning, and trauma. Her academic work includes articles published in peer-reviewed journals, book chapters, and conference presentations. Aydın teaches as a lecturer at Istanbul Nişantaşı University and specializes in educational psychology, language acquisition, memory, and trauma. She also writes on parenting attitudes, child development, and learning processes.
Assistant Professor
Senanur Çınar
She completed her master’s degree in English Language Education at Bahçeşehir University in 2018 with a thesis on Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL). She completed her PhD at Çanakkale Onsekiz Mart University in 2024 with a dissertation on translanguaging. Her academic interests include innovative teaching and learning approaches such as teacher education, student motivation, language acquisition, critical thinking, artificial intelligence applications, effective communication, and information literacy.
In 2023, she received the CELTA certificate from the University of Cambridge in Spain, further specializing in effective language teaching techniques. Through this expertise, she offers parents scientifically grounded and practical guidance to support their children’s academic and personal development.
She began her academic career at Istanbul Gelişim University and later served for three years as the head of the Applied English and Translation Program, carrying out both administrative and academic responsibilities. She currently works as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Foreign Languages at Bahçeşehir University and organizes various training programs for academics through the Professional Development Unit. She also continues her teaching activities by lecturing in the English Language Teaching departments of the Faculties of Education at Bahçeşehir University and MEF University.
Assistant Professor
Filiz Arzu Yalın
She is an Assistant Professor in the field of Social Studies Education and has academic and professional experience in social studies teaching and teacher training. She completed her master’s degree at Gazi University Institute of Educational Sciences in 2017 and her PhD at the same institute in 2021 with her dissertation titled “Decision-Making Skills in Social Studies: An Examination of Seventh Grade Students’ Decision-Making Skills.”
Her academic interests include thinking skills such as decision-making, problem-solving, and critical thinking; social skills; visual and digital literacy; and ethics and values education. In these areas, she collaborates with teachers, schools, and universities to contribute to the development of effective teaching practices and to support the development of pre-adolescent individuals.
Between 2021 and 2022, she served as the Rectorate Education Coordinator and as a faculty member in the Department of Social Work at Istanbul Gelişim University. Since 2022, she has continued her academic and administrative duties at Istanbul Nişantaşı University.
PhD Candidate, Specialist Psychological Counselor
Tuğba Emen
She completed her undergraduate studies in Guidance and Psychological Counseling at Çukurova University. She completed her master’s degree in the Department of Social Sciences at Istanbul University-Cerrahpaşa Institute of Forensic Medicine and Forensic Sciences with a thesis titled “An Examination of the Relationship Between Childhood Psychological Traumas and Manipulation, Dissociation, and Self-Sabotage in Married Couples.”
Since 2022, she has been pursuing her doctoral studies at the same institute, conducting research on trauma, dissociation, coercive control, intergenerational transmission, sharenting, and grooming. She has received training from various institutions, particularly the Beck Institute and the Gottman Institute, in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, anxiety, depression, personality disorders, couples therapy, family counseling, and career counseling. Her academic work includes book chapters and presentations at international congresses.
Florina Mihaela Kuccuk
She completed her high school education in the Intensive German Language Program and Philology Department at Spiru Haret College in Bucharest. She then graduated from the Department of Tourism and General Geography at the University of Bucharest.
Throughout her education, she developed a strong interest in foreign language teaching and intercultural communication, supporting her professional development with international certifications. In addition to her German Language Proficiency Certificate, she holds an internationally recognized TESOL English Teaching Certificate. She has also received a Certificate in Teaching Romanian as a Foreign Language from the International Language Association. Furthermore, she continues her work in the field of international language education as the only member of this association in Turkey.
She has been teaching foreign languages for approximately 15 years. In her professional work, she adopts communication-oriented and contemporary teaching methods tailored to students’ needs, contributing to the teaching of Romanian, German, and English. By working with students from different age groups and proficiency levels, she aims to make language learning processes more effective and efficient.
She believes that language education is not limited to acquiring grammar knowledge, but is also an important tool that builds bridges between cultures. In this regard, she continues to support her students’ academic, professional, and personal development.
