"Education in a new reality: lessons from the pandemic" discussed at NIS

"Education in a new reality: lessons from the pandemic" was analyzed at a round table in NIS, which was attended by more than a thousand teachers from all regions of the country.

Is there a new reality in education and what factors have contributed to this? Kulyash Shamshidinova, the Chairman of the Board of the autonomous educational organization "Nazarbayev Intellectual Schools", began her speech with answers to fundamental questions.

American futurist Alvin Toffler said that " Illiterate in the 21st century will not be those who can not read and write, but those who can not learn, unlearn and relearn." Indeed, today, new technologies are changing educational needs, and the future is shaped by resilience to shocks and uncertainties. Education is going through a digital transformation, which involves the development of the digital infrastructure of education and digital teaching materials, tools and services, including digital assessment, as well as the development and dissemination of new models in the organization of educational work, " Kulyash Nogataevna emphasized.

From England, one of the most authoritative scientists in the field of education, an expert on the happiness and well-being of children, Andy Cope, joined NIS. And immediately called for a revolution:

"But this is not a radical revolution - I'm not calling on you to march to parliament and demand change. I call for a quiet revolution - a revolution of happiness and well-being. In order to make a revolution, I need to prove that the current education requires change.

Logically, another fundamental question arises. The teacher's mission in the era of turbulence-this topical issue was addressed by the Deputy Chairman of the Board of the autonomous educational organization "Nazarbayev Intellectual Schools" Svetlana Ispusinova:

One of the most important lessons that the pandemic has taught, according to Professor Hargreaves, is how quickly teachers have been able to adapt to the changes and rebuild their practices. We have made sure that we will always need traditional schools, and the teacher will remain indispensable in any transformation of his role.

Svetlana Bagitovna was personally supported by a well-known scientist from Lithuania, an expert of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development Darius Radkevicius:

What does a student lose in distance learning? The magical authority of the teacher: what the father says is debatable, what the teacher says is true. Live eye contact cannot be replaced. What else does the student lose? The most important thing is the joy of learning in group work, inspiring energy for each other, joint trips and holidays. And what does the teacher lose? This is esprit-a living resonance of the soul and mind, a didactic inspiration when you see happy children next to you and when their eyes sparkle.

Teachers were particularly interested in the presentations about the lessons of the pandemic and the introduction of distance learning by the director of the Kozhabergen Zhyrau secondary school of the Zhambyl district of the North Kazakhstan region, Baurzhan Musabayev, and the mathematics teacher of the Shubarkuduk school-gymnasium No. 1 of the Temir district of the Aktobe region, Nurgul Abdullayeva. Aizhan Zhanatova, a teacher of the Ural school-gymnasium named after D. Kunaev, as well as the Lithuanian speaker, first of all shared her personal experience: how not to lose the desire of children to learn, create feedback and motivate students in a situation of emotional burnout and uncertainty.

Many participants of the round table, having got acquainted with the agenda, were connected to specific speakers. Samat Kalmenov, Head of the Department of Analysis, Research and Project Management of the Center for Educational Programs, analyzed digitalization and post-teen learning as a shock innovation and new opportunities, as well as what needs to be taken into account when rethinking educational programs? The speech of the director of the Center for Pedagogical Measurements Aidana Shilibekova was devoted to a more than relevant topic – assessment in new conditions and its future.

A new topic for many teachers was the creation of a friendly and safe environment for children, one of the main trends in world education was analyzed by the Director of the Department of Student Welfare Dinara Ualkenova.

The round table was a successful lesson for thousands of teachers of Intellectual and general education schools who joined the professional conversation. The vast majority of teachers work in secondary schools, which combine various partner projects with intellectual ones. These are "Rural School powered by NIS" in Akmola, North Kazakhstan and East Kazakhstan regions, "Biz birgemiz" in Maktaaral district of South Kazakhstan region, S. Seifullin secondary school in Akhmet village of Nurinsky district of Karaganda region-under the project of Global Teacher Prize 2021 ambassador Dinara Beisembayeva and many other schools.

All teachers noted the relevance and relevance of professional reflection on the new reality in education and the identification of the main trends for each school in the format of a pandemic.

The round table on the lessons of the pandemic is the first of a series of round tables on strategic trends in global education, planned as part of the NIS anniversary project dedicated to the 180th anniversary of Ibray Altynsarin.