Training for Math and IT teachers, 19-20.11.15

Training for Math and IT teachers was organized in Naryn. 14 Teachers from different villages could come for a discussion and practicing new methods of teaching and work. Teachers conducted there integrated sessions where they presented implementation of IT programs into the Math. Teachers practiced in  solving Math problems that can be used for school'  and City's Olimpiad. They enriched their content knowledge and introduced to each other different Interactive forms of work that motivate students at the lessons. Teachers have practiced  on computers  Flash Professional  program that is new for them. They can teach Geometry by using IT skills and visually presenting to students different geometrical shapes and structures. Teachers-trainers from SPCE center also presented their innovative approaches in using technology to teach Math. Trainers introduced and revised some of the strategies of work at the lessons to develop critical thinking skills. Logical tasks that were given to teachers can be used successfully into the classroom and motivate students in learning Math. Participants were very active and shared their knowledge and skills during sessions, coffee-breaks, lunches. They stayed together in the same Guest house where they worked with their home work, and shared with their activities, plans, and ongoing process of work in the project. We paid attention to the time for team-building activities to have a good team of teachers who can work, cooperate, and share their knowledge and skills etween each other.

First meeting in Naryn in 2015

The first meeting in this School academic year was organized at 12of September   in Naryn where all teachers –participants of the Outreach project came to Naryn city from different villages.

We shared with the main results and progress of work from the last year and discussed  the new plan for this academic year. Teachers worked in groups and planned the calendar plan, practiced diagnostic tests to use them in their project’s program.

At the meeting all teachers with coordinators could discuss the main rules, rights and responsibilities in the project. The project plan was conducted as the result of discussion with teachers, according to their needs and interests.

In this year we are planning to work with 17 English language teachers, 9 Math teachers , and 6 IT teachers. Teachers will implement their knowledge and skills in the classes and extra class that they will propose for students. 

The main conceptual approaches are directed to make changes in School Improvement and Student achievement in Naryn region. A focus in this year is on English language, Math,and  IT.

The goal of the project is:

To enrich teacher’s knowledge in their subjects; to  improve the quality of teaching; and to  improve student learning by providing meaningful, focused, professional development opportunities for teachers in Naryn region that are aligned with the National Curricula requirements.

This goal is focus on aspects of practice and student learning, including but not limited to:

·         curriculum and assessment development

·         collaborative learning and support

·         leadership skills

·         differentiated instruction

·         community engagement strategies

Objectives:

• Provide an ongoing training for pilot groups of teachers in Naryn region
•  Continue to support the integration of advance technology applications to improve instruction, enhance student engagement and maximize learning in a 21st century classroom
• To organize an ongoing practice through workshops and lessons with students in academic year
• Ensure that all participants of the project effectively use new knowledge and strategies to implement curriculum and best instructional practices.
• Provide mentoring to new teachers in using appropriate teaching strategies; help new teachers to become familiar with expected instructional practices
• Develop school community through the best pedagogical practice; establish good partnership between      schools and Educational agencies.

The purpose of this plan is:

to improve the quality of teaching and learning, and to directly align this plan with our continued commitment to putting students first, professionalism, instructional technology, respect for all, high expectations, learning standards, and shared decision-making.

The scope of professional development in Naryn will not be limited to attending a workshop or participating in a seminar with a visiting expert. Professional development will consistently be an ongoing process that involves sustainable improvement in student learning and instructional practices. This requires evaluation of student performance and teacher self-assessment, identifying possible action, testing new approaches, assessing results and then beginning the process again. Teachers will not be alone; they will cooperate and work with each other in academic year. This is a process of formation the professional community of teachers inside and outside the school. The needs of learners in the twenty-first century demand innovative, progressive, and cutting-edge instruction. Professional development in Naryn region will deepening teachers’ understanding about the teaching and  learning process.

As such, professional development in Naryn region will:

·         reflect a commitment to ongoing and continuous professional development that is based on the analyses of multiple sources of data

·         include sufficient time and follow up support provided to staff to master new content and strategies

·         ensure that content of professional development focuses on what teachers and students need to      know and be able to do and is explicitly linked to the effect on student learning

·         make certain that content of professional development will provide opportunities to gain an understanding of the theory underlying the knowledge (context) and skills being learned

·         provide both a focus on instructional repertoire and content-specific skills. Instructional improvement requires that teachers possess a deeper understanding of both their academic

·         disciplines and of specific pedagogical approaches and methods of teaching

·         impart opportunities to explore, question, and debate in order to integrate new ideas into classroom practice

·         maintain a differentiated and developmental approach to meet individual and district needs relating to the teaching and learning process

·          involve teachers in the identification of what they need to learn and in the development of the learning experiences in which they will be involved.

Action plan proposes:

1. Identify school/ educational goals

• Analyze student achievement data in the last year
• Diagnose areas of student need

2. Plan for implementation

• Outline flexible and integrated professional development strategies and activities that address the needs as identified through school and region goals
• Identify sources to assist with identified needs and goals

3. Implement professional development strategies

• Provide ongoing training for professional development of teachers in different areas;
• Incorporate best practices into teaching and learning

4. Monitor progress

• Keep records of PD implementation, participation and feedback
• Administer feedback surveys and collectively analyze results

Action plan in academic year includes one organizational meeting with teachers; two methodological training; and a round-table/or a conference to share the result of the work in a year.

Professional Development in AKS

Conference in Naryn

The methodological conference was organized for teachers of Math, IT and English language in Naryn from 21 to 23 of May. The project was sponsored by the AKES of Kyrgyz Republic. Representatives of oblast and city administration, mayor office, City Educational department, MSDSP, SPCE, mass media, and CEO AKES in KR were at the official ceremony and presentation of the Outreach Project in Naryn.  45 teachers from Naryn oblast villages, AKS Osh, AKEL Khorog were invited to participate at the conference.  Teachers were very interested in discussion of their work, achievement and progress of work in several years. Instructors and teachers presented through the workshops, demo lessons, poster-presentations innovative methods of teaching, shared their experience of work with students and parents.  The most successful topics in the group of English language teachers were “Vocabulary teaching through interactive methods”, “Using posters at the lessons”, “Grammar through games”, “Gender issues in Education”, “The importance of teaching listening using information and communication technologies”, Adjectives and Nouns. Lesson: Finding the criminal in Greenville”. At the same time, Math and IT teachers in their sections used for presentations interactive boards, posters, videos, etc. They discussed about their results in preparation of students to the National tests, Olympiads, use of IT technologies in the classroom, various ways to solve mathematical tasks, effective approaches to use visual aids and handouts in the classroom. Teachers could learn from each other, find their colleagues in different regions and to conduct a network between teachers of different regions.

New knowledge and skills that they have got at the conference definitely will be used by teachers in the classroom. It was the first conference in Naryn for professional development of teachers and there are many applicants who would like to join the program from the new academic year. 

Meeting in Naryn 4-5 May

The implementation of the project "Outreach program"  will be continued in Naryn  and villages. Two coordinators- Burulsun and Ruslan were chosen  for this position. They will work with teachers on sites to monitor their work there and to prepare some general events and activities according to the project work. Regions with working teachers were identified . Responsibilities were clarified at the meeting in Naryn with the program coordinator Natalya from 4 to 5 of May. At the meeting we discussed about the policy and strategies of work in the project; the planning and report writing; the monitoring of the work. The next event in our plan is a conference- so we collect application forms from teachers in different villages, and Naryn city, to conduct a program and to plan a conference for English language, Math and IT teachers.

Coordinators will work in SPCE center where AKES  rents a room for office. Laptop, printer with scanner, and copy machine, photo camera were supplied for them to work in the office. 

Training in Naryn

The second methodological training was conducted in Naryn region from 25 to 28^th of March, according to the Outreach program for English language teachers and Math teachers that is supported by Aga Khan Foundation. It was organized in SPCE center where we rented two rooms for the training. The goal of the training is to improve knowledge of English language teachers in essay writing and develop better understanding of Math teachers on the problem solving of Math tasks.  As the result, seven teachers of English language from different villages could revise their knowledge 
about reading strategies and have learned about the new techniques for reading and writing. We were concentrating on essay writing and teachers at the first time tried to write essay according to the structure and logical organization. There were some difficult exercises for them and they worked fully in three days including evening sessions and discussions after the dinner. Our expectations are that teachers will teach their students to write a structural essay and they will organize a contest at school for their pilot groups’ students. For 5 Math teachers from different regions it was organized a work  to improve the knowledge about the problem solving of Olympiad tasks, and to cover the topics on the content knowledge in Math. At the same time, we worked with teachers and discussed many educational issues, their progress of work and challenges in the work with the teachers and students. We used effectively the time of coffee break and lunch time for discussion and solving many administrative issues with teachers.   We could advertise our program through the TV news, because we met with the Ministry of Education Ms. Sarieva, Mr. Shams (AKDN), and Mr.Naken Kasiev, TV reporters, and others. The project was introduced to them and they could have a chance to talk with our teachers on Kyrgyz, English, and Russian to learn more about their comments on the working process.  In the evening on News it was a report about our project and activities in Naryn oblast and many teachers saw it. 

Teachers were placed into the Guest House where they stayed together and could work together before the training and after their dinner in GH. It was comfortable for them to stay there in warm and clean rooms.  They enjoyed the food, the positive environment of the training, and transportation to get to SPCE center and to come back after the training.  

Our next step is to prepare for the conference at the end of May. For the conference teachers have to prepare the demonstrative lesson or a poster that they will present to each other. We expect that they will share the results of their work in academic year according to the project plan with colleagues and other active teachers. We are planning to involve some other active teachers and representatives from the City educational department in order to include them into the project work after May. This is also a new experience for us to work in a different region/oblast and to learn more about teacher’s work in other areas. The time was used effectively, teachers could get a lot of new and useful for their teaching information, could share their experience of work in different regions between each other; plan next steps and activities for their work at school; report about their progress of work and fees that they collected from their students; to advertise the project work for others; and to have a chance to organize an interview with candidates on the position of a coordinator in Naryn region.  

Outreach Program

The initiative to organize an Outreach program for teachers from different schools in Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan was approved by AKES in 2014. Analyses of the required educational literature and equipment were made by the trainers and coordinators, as well as by the teachers in Naryn and Gorno-Badashkhan oblasts. According to these requirements the textbooks and tape recorders were bought and distributed for the pilot groups of teachers.  This program allows bringing together teachers of English, Math, and IT in Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan. In Naryn oblast there are 10 schools with 24 teachers and 15 schools in Gorno- Badakhshan oblast with 45 teachers. Each teacher involves pilot groups of students to study according to the program requirement. Teachers designed curriculum for additional classes and implement their new knowledge and skills into their teaching practice. They monitor the progress of work achieved by their students. They will analyze the positive aspects or influence on their students by the program and we will discuss them at the conferences in each area at the end of the academic year. Accordingly, in the academic year we plan to organize two methodological trainings for teachers in these areas and to monitor the process of their work between these trainings. All of the teachers will be introduced to the new methods of teaching and content knowledge for each subject. For example, teachers of English will improve their knowledge and strategies of work in reading, writing, speaking and listening, as well as critical thinking skills and strategies of work with modern technology in the classroom. Teachers share their teaching experience, successes and challenges of their work with the possible solution to them. This program is a professional development opportunity for teachers where they learn, change the style of their teaching for the better result and involve actively students into the educational process.  It will demonstrate for AKES and AKS the role of Professional Development and develop our network with other schools in two Republics. We will share the result of the work with other agencies and enrich our potential of work with other schools.

TOT

The Training for English language teachers was organized and conducted in Khorog by AKS trainer from 12 to 14th of January, 2015. The main focus of the training was to improve knowledge and skills of teachers in  reading and writing. During the training teachers have learned new for them  strategies of work with different activities to teach their students about reading and writing. We practiced with story writing, story- telling, and story building, Teachers could understand better the structure of several essays and to practice writing in several prompts. Some of the teachers wrote several drafts on the topic "Music in our life" and rewrote it again and again before the last version.
There weren't easy  tasks for partcipants at the training , because each time they had new activities or exercises to complete and discuss. Teachers could learn better about the thesis statement and the structure of essay, tried to write  thesis statements for different topics.  We used variety of handouts and videos. In the first Day, teachers could learn more about the strategies for reading short stories, storytelling, creating a scientific report, newscast for report, reading a story "One day like no other", and presentation of the Speech «My Dreams".  Teachers wrote essay and discussed Global issues at the UN Model conference where they presented topics in the way of essay structure.

As the result, teachers have worked individually, in pairs, in groups, and discussed issues with others. They presented their ideas in a positive atmosphere and accepted different opinion .  They have got new knowledge and skills that they will implement in their teaching. Teachers are planning to organize between students a contest for essay writing. In order to organize such activity, they have to learn better about the structure of essay and the ptrocess of essay writing.


These are examples of essays from some of the partcipants: 

Music is a part of our life

"Music is a type of art that attracts your feelings and emotions. There are different types of music in the world that are played with different musical instruments, that every person enjoys listening to different types of songs or music. The music I enjoy the most is our national music, which is played with different national musical instruments and mix modern music.

Firstly, I want to say about our national music which is played by a group of singers in weddings, parties, and ceremonies. It helps people to dance and enjoy the day.

In addition, our national music which is played by a group of musicians is very popular not only in Badakshan, but in different countries. As a result of taking part in festivals of the best musicians in France, the musician who played with the national Rubob, setor, and dutor, they were awarded with a great price.

In fact, every music has its style. Nowadays, a lot of musicians mix old music with modern music. Listening each song or music gives you different feelings and emotions.

In contrast, there is some music which makes you feel sad, if you listen to the song. It reminds you your sad moments in life, even it makes you to burst into tears.

In conclusion, music is helpful for us. It takes our stress; it gives us energy; and leads us to a better way of life."

Sumbulmo Mavlonazarova

Day1

                 

                                                                   
                                                                   Music in our life

"Music plays an important role in our life. We can’t imagine our life without music. I think there is no person who doesn’t like listening to the music. When we listen to the music, we relax. Music attracts everyone and sometimes we begun to dance. The music which attracts my attention, it’s an English music. There are three reasons, that why English music attracts my attention more. First, English music is played with different types of instruments. Second, the English songs have a great meaning and the third one it is their singers are very good, their voice is perfect.

English music is played with different instruments, which are great and when person listen to English  music, he can really relax and it can help to feel better.

Music has no boarders and it’s not matter which genres it is and in which language it is singing.

The English songs really have great meanings and when I listen to them, I really relax and they attracts me more, that at the same time I begun to dance also. Whatever I have in my mood, I always listen to English music.

Sometimes, I can’t understand the meani9ng of some words, when I listen to English songs, but I like listen to the songs. I like their singers, I like their voice, I like the way how they sing the songs. Their voi9ce is perfect.

In conclusion, I can say that music it’s the best way to take our stress. It gives us energy, when we listen to music it doesn’t matter, in which language it is played."

                                                                                                                               Mirzaeva Safarbegim

Day2

          

The role of music in our life

"If you want to forget about your problems or to find some decisions to them, one thing that you can do is- listen to the music! Life consists of many problems and people don’t have to think only about their difficulties, sometimes it is good not to forget about your hobbies too.  Mainly, there are three reasons why music is important: staying young for a long time; it really takes the stress and help people to make an important decision in their lives.

In fact, we know that music is good for keeping us young, because whatever we have in our heart, we can express our feelings by singing songs with music. People can write some songs about their own life and share them with other people their happiness and sadness, and of course, they will keep their youth more and more than other people. Listen to the music for pleasure to have better feelings and to stay young.

Furthermore, listen to music means to avoid the stress. One thing that is really bad for health is stress. By having stress, people can face many illnesses, like high blood pressure and headache. Stress can be reduced by different ways. Some people can have dogs and cats which really help people to forget about their stress with the help of music too.

At last, to make some important decisions, music can be the source of that decision. Why? The answer is everyday life person is loaded by his problems and there is no time to think about something else. But once, you have listened to music and relaxed a bit, good ideas come to your mind spontaneously. Listen to the music and a lot of nice thoughts will come to your mind.

In my conclusion, I want to write that music plays an important role in human beings ‘life. Moreover, it helps us to make a correct decision in our lives. We need to forget about our stress, in order to get pleasure from life with the help of music."

                                                                                                                  Savri Musrigshoeva

Day3

            

Music and people

"Music plays an important role in our life. People like to listen to music everywhere, if they are in travelling in the car, on a boat, or flying by a plane. Even, if people are sad or happy, they like to listen to the music. Also, according to the music we know the feelings of the singer and sometimes it helps   and motivates us to think.

There are three reasons why is music important in our life. First reason is that people can’t imagine their life without music, because when we listen to the music we can forget about our problems. In the past, the life of the people was so difficult and they gathered in one house and sang songs with the drums. The music helped them to relax.

Secondly, day by day the style of the music is changing. A lot of young people like rock and roll music. They express their feelings and emotions. For these reasons, young generation like to  listen to these kind of music.

The last reason is that when we listen to the music, we know the feeling of composer and a singer and we enjoy the life. I can’t imagine my life without music, because of these reasons.

In conclusion, I want to say that music help us to relax and calm down and help us to forget about difficulties. Even if it if a modern or a national music, all people enjoy it!"

Zarrina Devonabekova

Naryn

A trainer of AKS, as well as teachers from rural schools of Naryn oblast conducted a review and assessment of the availability of textbooks and equipment for the program "Education in rural schools in Naryn oblast" in November 2014. Work has been done and the textbooks for English, Math and IT were purchased, as well as tape recorders for English language teachers. Teachers from  Naryn,  Jan Bulak, Togolok-Moldo, Kochkor, Tolok , Ak Baashi, Kara-Oi villages  will be able to start  educational course for their pilot groups of students on the base of these textbooks and additional materials.