Eaquals-Inspired Approach to MEF University SoFL Teacher Development and Training by Vladlena Tcherkachina and Robin Foggo
A Review by Serpil Öz
I attended the Eaquals Online 2025 event, which focused on "Building Quality Foundations – From Theoretical Frameworks to Practical Applications," and found myself inspired by a detailed continuous and a developmental study on teacher training and development from MEF University. The session, “Eaquals-Inspired Approach to MEF University SoFL Teacher Development and Training,” was presented by Vladlena Tcherkachina and Robin Foggo. It offered a transparent look at how MEF University’s School of Foreign Languages (SoFL) transformed the Eaquals Framework for Language Teacher Training and Development (TD Framework)1 from a potentially very dense and complex document into a thriving Continuous Professional Development (CPD) system.
They explained their work over a seven-year timeline:
● 2018-2019: Introduction of the Eaquals Teacher Training & Development Framework
● 2021-2022: Reintroduction of the Eaquals Teacher Training & Development Framework
● 2024-2025: Mission, Values, and Beliefs aligned with the Eaquals Teacher Training & Development Framework
● 2025-2026: Eaquals Teacher Training & Development Framework & MEF University School of Foreign Languages - today and beyond
First and foremost, they have 54 teachers and a line management system in which line managers change every two years. Each line manager is generally responsible for six to eight manegees (teachers). In terms of the CPD cycle, here is how they run the system alongside line managers:
● Observations, PD-oriented sessions, and instructor support (developmental) either one-to-one or in small groups
● Job plan meetings (4-5 yearly PD goals)
● Mid-year review meetings
● End-of-year meetings
The Initial Attempt and Key Challenges (2018–2019)
Robin, Head of CPD and Curriculum, mentioned that when the Eaquals TD Framework cycle was first introduced alongside their performance appraisal system, they faced significant challenges:
When they first assigned the framework for the teachers to identify their professional “current place” within the document, they realized that the full document contained too much information all at once, leading to teachers not knowing where they fit or how to engage with it. Additionally, some teachers did not complete the work or engage fully, and the initial rollout suffered from a lack of follow-up activity. Crucially, line managers, who are integral to the support process, "were not trained effectively”, compromising the developmental support designed for teachers. Therefore, because of the challenges mentioned above, meaningful follow-up work could not be achieved.
Reintroduction of the Eaquals Teacher Training & Development Framework (2021–2022)
Following the initial challenges, the institution realized that success in terms of the implementation of the Eaquals Teacher Training & Development Framework lay in targeted and sustainable implementation. Therefore, instead of trying to implement everything all at once, they connect on relating existing practices and institutional "old things" only with specific, relevant items from the framework. This allowed them to provide differentiated support for various stakeholders, including integrating the framework into the induction process for new instructors. This time, they began to receive more structured feedback from line managers with more solid follow-up. The focus shifted to assessing how effective the utilization of the framework was, ensuring previous efforts were built upon rather than abandoned to promote sustainable growth.
Effective Utilization of the Eaquals Teacher Training & Development (2024–2025)
Their future plans show a clear, strategic focus on embedding the framework into the department's culture to secure sustained buy-in. The framework has been explicitly embedded into the departmental mission, goals, and strategies to ensure teachers buy in through workshops and surveys. Line managers were then more aware of the framework and its descriptors. Therefore, they began using the framework in teacher meetings to:
• set individual goals for teachers,
• identify each teacher’s specific CPD needs, and
• allocate teachers to different task groups based on their interests and areas for growth.
In order to align with the framework, a buddy system was introduced for new teachers during their first semester, alongside a mentor-mentee system for structured observations (developmental Phase 3, which includes the keywords “mentoring, guiding, supporting, observing”).
For pre-service teacher candidates in the ELT department in the Faculty of Education, they have the opportunity to observe teachers in the preparatory school and benefit from shorter input sessions or station rotations rather than traditional full-length workshops, to experience teaching.
The Vision Forward (2025-2026)
Looking ahead to 2025–2026, the strategy is to use the framework to help teachers map out their professional goals—whether in curriculum, assessment, or materials development—ensuring it is treated as a developmental guide rather than a checklist. This approach is a highly effective way to support teachers’ professional growth in the specific areas they want to improve, while also providing equal opportunities for each teacher to develop. The framework's use is also planned to expand to the Second Language Department, and they will outline Flipped Descriptors to add a new section on Flipped methodologies, customizing the Eaquals framework for their specific pedagogical needs. The final advice shared was the clear strategy: "when you introduce the framework, introduce it bit by bit," trying to think of the areas with different approaches to ensure long-term success.
The MEF SoFL presentation was a powerful demonstration of how strategic, sustained, and customized use of the Eaquals Framework can transform teacher development, turning theory into practical, measurable quality improvement.
¹ Eaquals Framework for Language Teacher Training and Development (TD Framework) can be accessed here: https://www.eaquals.org/resources/eaquals-td-framework/