Big Loss for International Academic Community
With a very heavy heart, on behalf of our all IATELS community, we have to inform about a big loss for our Association and all international community.
Prof. Dr. Erdinç Çakıroğlu, Dean of the Faculty of Education in TED University (Ankara, Turkey), an active member of IATELS, a mindful leader and researcher, whose progressive ideas, kindness, openness to innovations and positive change in education inspired his colleagues, students and everybody who knew him, passed away.
Prof. Dr. Erdinç Çakıroğlu
Dean of the Faculty of Education
TED University (Ankara, Turkey)
Active member of IATELS, progressive researcher and mindful leader
Short Bio
Erdinç Çakıroğlu is a professor of mathematics education at the Department of Mathematics and Science Education at TED University. After receiving his doctorate degree from Indiana University in 2000, Erdinç Çakıroğlu worked as a faculty member at Middle East Technical University (METU) until 2023.
He was the founding president of the Center for STEM Education at METU.
He has taught numerous graduate and undergraduate courses related to mathematics education, curriculum development, and instructional technology.
He has been involved in various national and international projects on innovative curriculum development. He was also involved in national curriculum development projects in Turkey, where he chaired the middle school mathematics curriculum development commission.
Erdinç Çakıroğlu conducts design-based research related to both teacher professional development and students’ learning of mathematics in schools.
His research interests include teacher education, curriculum development, teaching number sense, STEM education, and educational design research.
Prof. Dr. Erdinç Çakıroğlu took an active part in the projects and programs of IATELS.
He spoke at IATELS conferences ICLTE 2023 and ICPATME 2024, participated in developing IATELS trainings and courses.
One of his recent research presented at ICLTE 2023 evoked a lot of interest from the international academia participating in the conference.
His presentation “Learning in STEAM Education: Current Challenges and Future Directions” was based on the studies conducted together with his colleagues from Ireland and Netherlands within the project supported by the Ministry of Education in Turkey and ERASMUS+.
In his presentation, Prof. Dr. Erdinç Çakıroğlu addressed the topic of STEAM education as an integrated approach which encompasses science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematic. STEM education was mentioned as the approach which gained significant attention due to the complexities of the 21st century confronted by the society.
Prof. Dr. Erdinç Çakıroğlu stressed that this educational paradigm aims to foster the development of such skills as critical thinking, problem-solving, and creativity.
At the same time, he noted that integrating STEAM approaches into traditional school curricula presents significant challenges.
In his talk, Prof. Dr. Erdinç Çakıroğlu reviewed the current landscape of STEAM education, highlighted the key challenges and opportunities.
He discussed potential pathways for key stakeholders, including policymakers, teachers, administrators, and researchers on how to deal with the challenges and implement STEAM education initiatives.
In his presentation, Prof. Dr. Erdinç Çakıroğlu also emphasised the role of research in sharing the knowledge about practical challenges of STEAM education.
The presentation was met with deep interest and many questions from the academicians participating in the conference for its vividness, actuality and genuine importance for enhancing the quality of modern education.
Apart from participating in IATELS conferences, Prof. Dr. Erdinç Çakıroğlu was actively involved in developing the IATELS training “AI in Education” as a content developer and an instructor.
With his progressive ideas in education and research, he believed that AI is a powerful tool which is going to affect education as a whole system and needs to be researched on.
Despite his huge experience in research and education, being a high rank leader, Prof. Dr. Erdinç remained to be a kind-hearted person, with curiosity in his eyes and openness for new ideas and developments.
He was an active partner of IATELS and worked to develop more projects and programs between IATELS and Faculty of Education in TED University.
He believed in international collaboration as a drive for development and progress in education and research.
Internationally recognised as an active researcher, leader and mindful educator, Prof. Dr. Erdinç Çakıroğlu was highly respected in academic circles world wide, and it is our honour to have his name in our work too.
With our deep grief and heartful gratitude for all his work and contribution, IATELS and all its members will keep the lightest memories about Prof. Dr. Erdinç Çakıroğlu and all his endeavours to add to the development of education and research in Turkey and worldwide.
IATELS Board
