In accordance with clause 30 of the “Rules for organizing and conducting in-service training courses for teachers”, approved by order of the Ministry of Education and Science of the Republic of Kazakhstan No. 95 dated January 28, 2016, the Center of Excellence (hereinafter referred to as the CoE) conducts post-course support of the activities of teachers. The main goal of post-course support is to provide timely methodological assistance to teachers of educational organizations through identifying professional difficulties in the learning and teaching process.
Post-course methodological support for teachers of educational organizations is carried out in the following areas:
- teaching and learning methodology, including teaching methodology in a distance learning format;
- content of updated programmes and assessment systems;
- research practices in teaching;
- organization of educational work;
- management of the educational organization.
The CoE identified two approaches to providing post-course support and methodological support for the teaching staff of the Republic of Kazakhstan.
I. The cascade approach through a network of leading schools, whose teams perform leadership functions: CoE – LEADING SCHOOL – PARTNERSHIP SCHOOL.
The mechanism of the cascade approach for providing post-course support and methodological support for the activities of teachers of the Republic of Kazakhstan:
- joint observation of the lessons of teachers from leading schools (with the presence of teachers from partner schools);
- providing individual constructive feedback to the teacher on the basis of the observation of the lessons;
- joint discussion of the identified problems and difficulties in practice and the search for solutions;
- conducting training events (seminars, trainings, master classes) for the teaching staff of the leading school;
- joint planning of training activities with teachers of leading schools aimed at solving professional needs with the participation of teachers from partner schools;
- development of recommendations for members of the methodological asset in specific areas of professional development;
- re-observation of lessons to identify changes in teaching and learning.
II. The work of the methodological asset – is the second approach to providing post-course support and methodological support of the teaching staff of the Republic of Kazakhstan.
The organization of post-course support of teachers' activities through a methodological asset allows us to bring the system of in-service training closer to school and teacher training on the principle of “peer to peer”.
In total, the CoE trained 48326 school trainers for secondary schools of the Republic of Kazakhstan, which is 16% of the total number of teachers in general education organizations.