Regional online workshop “Blended Learning: Effective Ways and Techniques for Schools”
On November 4, 2022, Shygys Regional Center of Education Administration of East Kazakhstan region held a regional online workshop called “Blended Learning: Effective Ways and Techniques for Schools”, in accordance with the action plan of the autumn school break.
The aim of the workshop is to summarize the best practices of the leading schools of North Kazakhstan, South Kazakhstan and Kyzylorda regions.
Leading Schools - a group of schools of the region serving as network organizers to implement leadership functions in creating network communities.
Speakers from three regions shared their work experience: drawing up a plan of work with partner schools, directions of innovation activities, analyzing and observing lessons with the LessonStudy approach, through focus groups created at school, as well as introducing new teaching approaches into practice by a teacher, which ultimately resulted in improving the professional level of a teacher and expanding their competencies.
Gulnaz S. Abildayeva, headmaster of School-Lyceum No. 9, Shymkent city, South Kazakhstan region, showed the relations with partner schools and the strategies used in learning lessons, creating conditions for a new learning environment for cooperation between schools and between teachers within the school, introducing new directions in the educational process and the constant communication of teachers in the network community.
The speaker from North Kazakhstan region Zamira K. Shakirova, headmaster of Yakorskaya Secondary School of Kyzylzhar region, presented the experience of the leading school with 3 magnet schools attached. The school team carried out a study based on Talis to identify the needs of teachers in magnet schools, which resulted in the creation of a single professional networking community to study practice and increase the professional competence of teachers, since teachers were not able to explore their own practice of teaching and educating children. The study has developed the Lesson Study Organizer, and to improve practice, coaching is carried out based on the JIGSO-3 method. The end result of the work was to improve the teaching skills of teachers.
The teachers of Kyzylorda region of U. Karmanov School-Gymnasium No. 262 of Aralsk city, Zhanar K. Kurmangaliyeva, Deputy Headmaster for Academic Affairs and Kyrykbai U. Uzakbayev, a teacher of the Russian language and literature, demonstrated the experience of joint activities of teachers of the Leading School with 15 magnet schools attached. Based on the Pisa Schools analysis and lesson research, a joint plan was developed, including mentoring work towards effective lesson coordination to enhance learners’ abilities, as well as to disseminate and translate teachers' experience via training workshops, coaching, trainings, research competitions, projects, conferences.
In the course of observation and research of lessons, innovative methods, techniques, strategies for step-by-step lesson planning were chosen, which resulted in increasing learners’ achievements and professional development of teachers.
During feedback, E.T. Shaumenova, Head of Education Management Unit of Shygys Regional Center of Education Administration of East Kazakhstan region noted the practical relevance of the workshop and thanked all the participants.