Short Bio-data:

Hayal Köksal is an academician (teacher trainer), researcher, author, and expert on “quality”, peace mentor, and project and curriculum designer. She has been teaching for 49 years. In addition to her academic studies, she is the Founding President of the Association for Innovative Collaboration (YİMEDER), and also the Director-General of Turkey within the World Council for Total Quality and Excellence in Education (WCTQEE) founded by the quality experts of 35 countries in City Montessori School, Lucknow, India.
She gave pedagogic formation and newly designed teacher training courses at the Faculty of Education, Bogazici University between 1997 and 2017. She instructed a graduate course at the Institute of Educational Sciences of Bahcesehir University in the 2018-2019 Academic year. She had her Associate professorship title in “Higher Education Studies” on 23 October 2019. She worked as a flying instructor for Cyprus Science University during the 2019-2020 Academic Year. She has been writing books and also guiding some national and international projects since that time due to the pandemic.
After working 45 years at various universities she determined her mission like this: “Training innovative teachers and qualified new generations within a dignified and peaceful world & establishing quality philosophy in schools”. She also believes in the necessity of collaboration (İmece), liberty, equality, and nonviolence for a happy and productive world.
She is an activist and she has been aware of the significance of the power of civil society. She first took part among the first members of a non-governmental, non-profit organization (NGO) namely the English Language Education Association/ELEA (İNGED) in 1995. Then, she has become a member of many national and also international NGOs like WCTQEE, Human DHS, and ATINER since then. Along with 18 friends, she founded a non-governmental, non-profit organization on 15 January 2015 with the name; “Association for Innovative Collaboration (YİMEDER)”. She has been elected as the president of that NGO for the third time since the foundation.
Her slogan is; “Lifelong learning; from theory to practice…”

Life Story:
Hayal Köksal was born in Balıkesir, Turkey in 1956. She graduated from Izmir Teachers’ Training College in 1976 and the Educational Faculty of Marmara University in 1985. She had her MA in English Language Teaching (ELT) at Gaziantep University in 1992 and her Ph.D. in “Educational Sciences” in 1997. In 2019, she became an Associate Professor in the field of Higher Education Studies (HESs).

Prof. Köksal has been dealing with Total Quality in Education since 1992, and between 2000 and 2013, she co-founded the Turkish and Eurasian Center for Schools of Quality with John Jay Bonstingl, the worldwide known US Quality expert. She has been the Director-General of Turkey within the World Council for Total Quality and Excellence in Education (WCTQEE) since 2003. She is also interested in peace and non-violence issues. Since 2005, she has been on the Education Team and Global Advisory Board member of the Human Dignity and Humiliation Studies.

Since she retired from Marmara University in 1999, she has been continuing lecturing at various outstanding Turkish Universities as a freelance INSTRUCTOR on the way of publicizing quality-oriented, project-based, innovative education and working as a QUALITY & PEACE CONSULTANT, NGO LEADER & ACTIVIST,  RESEARCHER, and BOOK WRITER now. She has already had 18 books. Some of them are listed below:

  • The Truth about Total Quality in Education, Istanbul, Academy Publishing, 2003.
  • Power of Unity in Education through İmece Circles, Istanbul Academy Publishing, 2004.
  • A Bunch of In-Class Activities (Based on the Constructivist Philosophy in Education), Istanbul Marduk Publishing, 2006),
  • Me: Life-long Learner (Along with the child within), Istanbul Prism Printing House, 2007.
  • 11th International Convention Book on Students’ İmece Circles (SQCs), Istanbul CB Print house, 2009. (Sponsored by UNESCO Turkey)
  • Removing Barriers through Empathy (A Book about the disabled), Istanbul, Turkey, Positive Printing House, 2010. (Sponsored by Oki Printing Solutions)
  • Catching Our Kinds Young/Çekirdekten Yetiştirme, Published by Dignity Press, USA, 2014 (Supported by World Dignity University)
  • Redesigning Village Institutions through Collaboration (=İmece), Detay  Printing House, Ankara, 2016.
  • Home-Schooling During the Difficult Times, Astana Printing House, Ankara, 2021.
  • Project-based Joyful Classroom Management, Nobel Printing House, Ankara, 2022.
  • Project-based Joyful Classroom Management, Nobel Printing House, Ankara, 2024 (Second Ed.).

She acted as the advisor and the localizer of the “Innovative Teachers” project of Microsoft Turkey for five years. She prepared all the documents including an e-book, trained trainers, and almost 200 innovative teachers and coaches between the years 2004 and 2009.
She devoted her life to improving the “İmece Circles” (Adopted SQC methodology to Turkish culture and Turkish schools) methodology focusing; on critical thinking, and problem-solving skills and also improving team spirit. Her project “ICT Seagulls Project” was the practical face, i.e., implementation of “Total Quality philosophy” to daily life and educational problems. She conducted almost 5,000 Students Quality Circles (İmece/Collaborative Teams) and almost 500 ICT Seagulls Projects including not only Turkish schools but also schools in India, the USA, the UK, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Thailand, and South Africa.

Dr. Köksal has been related to the following NGOs:
*She was a member of the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development (ASCD),
*English Language Education Association/İNGED (“Founder of Quality in ELT” Special Interest group),
*Democratic Principles Association (Board member),
*The New Generation Village Institutions Society (YKKED)(One of the founders and board members of Istanbul branch),
*Association for Continuous Improvement (SÜGEDER) (The founding President for seven years),
*Association for Curriculum Development (EPÖDER),
*Association for Researching Village Institutions and Developing Education (KAGEV),
*Association for Higher Education Studies (YÖÇAD)
*Association for Innovative Collaboration (YİMEDER) (Founding President).

Because of her intensive studies, Dr. Köksal received many Awards:
* She owns the “Honorary Medal of the Ministry of Tourism” due to her leadership to students for Archeological projects like Assos and Zeugma.
* She is the owner of the “Business-Education Partnership Award” of the Center for Schools of Quality together with Microsoft Turkey. Köksal is the Turkey representative of the Center for Schools of Quality founded in the USA, Maryland.
* She was the Turkish National Youth Development Trustee (NYDT) of South Africa.
* She won an award from the World Bank for “Turkey’s Innovative Marketplace Competition” through her “İmece Circles Project” in May 2005.
* On 4 December 2005, she was awarded the “World Quality Leader” by WCTQEE.
* In 2008, she got the “Helen Keller Award” in Mauritius due to her studies with challenged people.
* In 2008, she was the convener of the 11. ICSQCC in Istanbul.
* In 2010, she was the convener of the 15. Annual Conference of Human Dignity and Humiliation Studies Network in Istanbul.
* In 2015 she got the “PC Bihari Excellence Award” in India.
*Her NGO_YİMEDER, was awarded the “Institutional Excellence Award” by the WCTQEE for QC-based projects not for schools but for the community.
*In 2022, she was elected one of the winners of the “BOOKS for PEACE International Award for Culture, Peace, and Human Rights.” She was also announced as the “Goodwill Silver Ambassador for Culture” by Italy.
*In 2023, she was determined as the “2023 Gender and Human Rights Global Ambassador” by the Federation of International Gender and Human Rights (FIGHR) in the USA.

Dr. Köksal, in her 23rd year, retired from the State University (Marmara University) and worked at a private university for 3 years as the Chair of the English Department. Then, she left there and moved to Boğaziçi University as a freelancer and spent her 20 years designing and giving pedagogic formation courses at the Faculty of Education, Boğaziçi University. Then, she started instructing some graduate courses at Bahçeşehir and Cyprus Science Universities (Strategic Planning and TQM at Schools).

Courses She Gave: She gave    “Classroom Management”, “School Experience”, “Introduction to Teaching Profession”, “Nonviolence in Education”, “Conflict Resolution”, “Innovative Teaching” and “Quality in ELT” at Boğaziçi University within twenty years.

She also gave; “Personal Quality and Leadership” course to engineering Students at Marmara, Yıldız Technical, and Istanbul Kültür Universities, “Human Resources Management in Educational Administration” at the MBA Program of Bahçeşehir University, and “Quality in Training” to teacher trainees at Yeditepe University.

 Prof. Köksal, after getting her Associate Professorship, worked at Cyprus Science University giving MA courses (Total Quality Management and Strategic Planning at Schools).

Her international ICT Seagulls Project has been popular in many countries due to its concern for training problem-solver future leaders since 2003.

Now, she is still acting as a teacher-trainer and counselor for schools, companies, local governors, and NGO leaders and facilitating the “Education Expert Group” of Sarıyer & Istanbul City Councils.

She is married with one daughter, who is a fellow of the British, Institute of Actuaries living in London. She also has a grandson.

Her Contact Info:
ORCID ID: www.orcid.org/0000-0003-3909-5353

[email protected]   [email protected]    [email protected]

www.hayalkoksal.com     www.yimeder.org.tr      www.bilisimcimartilar.com/En

www.facebook.com/hayal.hoca     www.twitter.com/KoksalHayal

www.LinkedIn.com/hayalkoksal    www.instagram.com/hayal­_koksal

Tel/ Fax: +90 212 341 26 02    Cell: +90 532 373 84 87