Bilkent Laboratory and International School (BLIS) inaugurated its Documentation Studio on May 3, marking the opening of the first such facility in Turkey.
Documentation Studio is an innovative initiative that provides educators from pre-K to high school, as well as higher education faculty, with an open space to document and exhibit a variety of learning experiences. The Documentation Studio Türkiye’s founders, Dilek Duman and Alona Yıldırım, created the facility with Dr. Stephanie Cox Suarez. Dr. Cox Suarez founded the Documentation Studio in Boston to serve as a resource for educators to explore different methods of documenting the learning process and share their knowledge to deepen and extend learning and teaching.
Dr. Cox Suarez visited BLIS this winter for six weeks as a Fulbright specialist to support the Documentation Studio Türkiye’s establishment and to focus on using documentation as a central pillar of group learning with BLIS teachers. After the settlement, BLIS Board of Trustees member and Bilkent University Education Units Institute Director, Prof. Orhan Arıkan, and his wife, Prof. Feza Arıkan, visited the studio for a small opening. They met with Dr. Cox. Suarez, Ms. Yıldırım, Ms. Duman and the BLIS administrative team to discuss the studio’s vision and potential.
On May 3rd, the grand opening event was attended by esteemed guests, including Rector Prof. Kürşat Aydoğan, Dr. Cox Suarez, BLIS administration, educators and faculty members from Ankara University, Hacettepe University, TOBB University, İDV Bilkent Primary School and Bilkent Preschool.
The event commenced with a welcoming speech by Prof. Aydoğan, who expressed his delight at the opening of the Documentation Studio. The event featured a talk by Dr. Cox Suarez from Boston University Wheelock College of Education and Human Development, presentations by BLIS teachers, refreshments and a tour of the facility. Prof. Aydoğan expressed that “The concept of the Documentation Studio fits well with the idea behind the laboratory status of BLIS to experiment with new methods of teaching and learning. This studio documents the different learning and teaching experiences in classrooms.”
Mrs. Duman and Mrs. Yıldırım intend to organize more in person and virtual exhibitions, open studio gatherings and professional development opportunities next year. The Documentation Studio is an exciting and innovative addition to BLIS’s ongoing efforts to experiment with new teaching and learning methods.
For more information on the Documentation Studio and its upcoming events, visit documentationstudioturkiye.org.
