NIS experience dissemination
NIS experience dissemination to the secondary education system of Kazakhstan is one of the strategic strands of the Centre. It includes elucidating the implementation of renewed content of secondary education, coordination of content development for Educational Resource Portal (ERP), development of textbooks and methodological recommendations on the application of modern technologies and pedagogy in the learning process.
- Educational Resource Portal http://smk.edu.kz/
Educational Resource Portal is a large online platform designed to provide teachers of Kazakhstan with up-to-date scientific, methodological and educational information and resources.
ERP provides documents and teaching materials required for the implementation of the renewed content of secondary education: State Compulsory Standard for Secondary Education, Model Course Plans, subject programmes and course plans, lessons, presentations, activities, audio and video materials; guides and methodological recommendations for criteria-based assessment, textbooks, digital educational resources, etc.
As of the end of 2020 ERP provides free access to more than 183 945 materials for Grades 1 to 11 for all subjects in Kazakh and Russian. The portal allows registration using national IIN.
1.2 Media Library in English https://smk.edu.kz/Course/TeachingEnglish/35
ERP also has been supporting teachers who teach science in English in a form of Media Library populated with educational and didactical resources in English since 2019.
Media Library contains lesson plans, presentations, books, textbooks, encyclopaedias, reference books, teaching aids, articles, videos, virtual laboratories, examples of assessment tasks, links to educational websites, glossaries and dictionaries.
To date, Media Library boasts over 2 000 materials in English
1.3 Integrating Reproductive Health Issues (2019) UNPFA Project
In 2019, the Centre together with the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), participated in a project to integrate children’s reproductive health issues in the educational process.
The project included the revision of 1 401 ERP lesson materials with a focus on the improvement and preservation of sexual and reproductive health. Issues related to the promotion of reproductive health were integrated into the didactic materials for the following subjects: “Biology”, “Chemistry”, “Kazakh Language” (L1), “Kazakh Language and Literature” (L1), “Kazakh Literature” (L1), “Russian Language” (L1), “Russian Language and Literature” (L1), “Russian Literature” (L1), “English Language” and “Physical Education”.
The ERP contains a Reproductive Health section with additional information sources for the development of authentic, practice-oriented learning activities.
2. Modernisation of Education Content and Organisation of Educational Process at Zh. Dosmukhamedov Higher Teacher Training College SMMO (2018-2019)
In order to improve the professional level of future primary school teachers, NIS launched the first republican project at Zh. Dosmukhamedov Higher Teacher Training College in Uralsk in 2018.
To develop experimental educational and subject programmes for the major in Primary Education the project brought together the specialist of the Centre and other NIS branches. The educational programme and subject programmes developed on the basis of the best national and international practices passed external assessment provided including by Dr. Phil Lambert, an international OECD expert.
The project involves training college teachers in the methodology of monitoring the implementation of subject programmes and consulting support in data collection and analysis.
Specially for the college teachers NIS developed Experimental Project Site at ERP and populated it with teaching materials and resources (www.smk.edu.kz).
3. Support to the Education System in Turkmenistan(2018-2019)
Within the NIS experience dissemination in 2018 NIS signed a memorandum of cooperation with the European Union on Support to the Education System in Turkmenistan. The Centre’s specialists organised professional development activities for the staff of the National Institute of Education of Turkmenistan, teachers and heads of educational organisations in Turkmenistan.
Two training workshops on “Current Trends in Secondary Education Development” were delivered to teachers and educators of Turkmenistan.
The course of the project was widely covered in the European Union through the EU Delegation representatives in Kazakhstan, in Turkmenistan and Kazakhstan media, at NIS International Conference in 2019.
4. Rural School Initiative (2020-2021)
Since 2020, the Centre has been participating in the Rural School joint project initiated by NIS with the aim to reduce the quality gap between urban and rural secondary schools in Kazakhstan. The project focuses at improving teaching practice, modernisation of facilities and equipment and the providing access to digital resources.
The Centre staff explains rural school teachers of grades 1-11 the peculiarities of functional literacy development, problem-based learning, aspects of CLIL, and communication skills development.
In 2020, the Centre provided training to teachers of Karaganda region (secondary school No. 1 named after O. Zhautykov, secondary school No. 2 named after A. Yermekov, secondary school No. 44 named after Madi Bapiuly in Karkaralinsk, secondary school No. 4 in Koktas, Karkaralinsky district); Akmola region (school-gymnasium in Makinsk); North Kazakhstan region (secondary school of Kyzylzhar named after Abai (Peterfeld)).
Teacher training in Zhambyl, Kyzylorda and East Kazakhstan regions is planned for 2021.
