A bit more background
After the ceremoniously empty August Conference that filled the first three days, most of us were given the day off while a few of us, including the economics teachers and "project teachers", were asked to return the next three days for further training which I learned would be provided by Cambridge University.
A side note on Cambridge and their role here. Cambridge is the organization in charge of helping modernize and organize the Nazerbayev Intellectual Schools. They have representatives here in Kazakhstan every month or so, from what I gather, and provide guidance, feedback, training, and curriculum development for the schools and teachers here.
Thursday morning I arrived eager for answers since with a title like "Project Teacher" my mind had gone wild with possibilities ranging from mentoring teachers across the curriculum to directing school musicals and other extra-curricular activities as had been suggested to teaching a course in test preparation. I was getting nervous anticipating my interviews for future positions, "tell me about what you were doing in Kazakhstan." But to my great relief I entered the assigned classroom to find a Cambridge instructor from the UK flown in to train us in a Cambridge designed course called Global Perspectives and Research. Not only is the course legitimate but also well supported, outlined, and designed, complete with an online teacher resource network, lesson plans, and Cambridge created assessments which will be externally assessed. In fact, we will not have our students' work externally assessed this year as it is the first year of this course being taught in Kazakhstan but the plan is to commence these assessments next year. I am excited to teach this course that involves current global issues as the content and skills such as critical thinking and analysis, research and writing (thank you Central Utah Writing Project), and multimedia presentations, a perfect blend of my personal and teaching interests and strengths.
In these sessions, which lasted through Saturday *sigh*, I met the group of local teachers among which we would find our team teachers for the subject. Again a sigh of relief to find that they all speak at least a little bit of English and are all very pleasant, helpful and hardworking. This week I discovered that my team teachers will be two first year teachers named Alibek and Dauren, a pair of delightful and very young looking young men straight out of Nazerbayev University. Primarily I will be working with Alibek a tall stylish Kazakh who was also recently married and who is helping me learn Russian with great patience and a great sense of humor. I can't wait to see how things go working in a team every day, every lesson. I have only very briefly had any experience working in a team in the past and so the task of team teaching so extensively this year will be a great learning experience for me and Alibek both.
The other great news I received this week is related to what we call "contact hours". Contact hours are an important matter here in Kazakhstan and the target number that a teacher should have with students in a week is 18. This means that a teacher should only spend 18 40-minute class periods in front of a class each week, a major change from my 30 contact hours in the States. The other time is to be filled with tutoring, one-on-one time with struggling students at their request as I understand it now and something that our Vice Principal called "interesting things we will find for you to do," an unnerving phrase at best.
Although the reality of a whole group of Kazakh students walking into my classroom on Monday is daunting, I am incredibly optimistic that things are going to be great this year. I am teaching only one course allowing me to focus on good teaching practices, an innovative and exciting classroom, developing a strong and united team with Alibek, and enjoying my time here in Kazakhstan. Coming off of a cripplingly stressful and busy year at my last school, I already feel my general sense of well-being improving and my affinity for teaching as a profession restored. All it took was a flight halfway around the world, go figure.
Keep your questions coming, I am trying to cover things you want to know about. Thanks for reading.
A side note on Cambridge and their role here. Cambridge is the organization in charge of helping modernize and organize the Nazerbayev Intellectual Schools. They have representatives here in Kazakhstan every month or so, from what I gather, and provide guidance, feedback, training, and curriculum development for the schools and teachers here.
Thursday morning I arrived eager for answers since with a title like "Project Teacher" my mind had gone wild with possibilities ranging from mentoring teachers across the curriculum to directing school musicals and other extra-curricular activities as had been suggested to teaching a course in test preparation. I was getting nervous anticipating my interviews for future positions, "tell me about what you were doing in Kazakhstan." But to my great relief I entered the assigned classroom to find a Cambridge instructor from the UK flown in to train us in a Cambridge designed course called Global Perspectives and Research. Not only is the course legitimate but also well supported, outlined, and designed, complete with an online teacher resource network, lesson plans, and Cambridge created assessments which will be externally assessed. In fact, we will not have our students' work externally assessed this year as it is the first year of this course being taught in Kazakhstan but the plan is to commence these assessments next year. I am excited to teach this course that involves current global issues as the content and skills such as critical thinking and analysis, research and writing (thank you Central Utah Writing Project), and multimedia presentations, a perfect blend of my personal and teaching interests and strengths.
In these sessions, which lasted through Saturday *sigh*, I met the group of local teachers among which we would find our team teachers for the subject. Again a sigh of relief to find that they all speak at least a little bit of English and are all very pleasant, helpful and hardworking. This week I discovered that my team teachers will be two first year teachers named Alibek and Dauren, a pair of delightful and very young looking young men straight out of Nazerbayev University. Primarily I will be working with Alibek a tall stylish Kazakh who was also recently married and who is helping me learn Russian with great patience and a great sense of humor. I can't wait to see how things go working in a team every day, every lesson. I have only very briefly had any experience working in a team in the past and so the task of team teaching so extensively this year will be a great learning experience for me and Alibek both.
The other great news I received this week is related to what we call "contact hours". Contact hours are an important matter here in Kazakhstan and the target number that a teacher should have with students in a week is 18. This means that a teacher should only spend 18 40-minute class periods in front of a class each week, a major change from my 30 contact hours in the States. The other time is to be filled with tutoring, one-on-one time with struggling students at their request as I understand it now and something that our Vice Principal called "interesting things we will find for you to do," an unnerving phrase at best.
Although the reality of a whole group of Kazakh students walking into my classroom on Monday is daunting, I am incredibly optimistic that things are going to be great this year. I am teaching only one course allowing me to focus on good teaching practices, an innovative and exciting classroom, developing a strong and united team with Alibek, and enjoying my time here in Kazakhstan. Coming off of a cripplingly stressful and busy year at my last school, I already feel my general sense of well-being improving and my affinity for teaching as a profession restored. All it took was a flight halfway around the world, go figure.
Keep your questions coming, I am trying to cover things you want to know about. Thanks for reading.
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