Education provision for children at risk in the North Caucasus: Development of the Teacher Manual “Intractive Class Hours”
Report on organization of master classes with school teachers on presentation of
Teacher Manual “35 Class Hours” in Chechnya, N. Ossetia, Kabardino-Balkaria, Karachai-Cherkessia, Stavropol krai and Dagestan)
20 September to 10 October 2012
Background Information
As part of ESP’s Education Cooperation Across the Caucasus Initiative, a group of 25 teachers has participated in a series of 5 workshops and training of trainers in critical thinking (CT) and other interactive methodologies from January 2009 to October 2010 and the idea of a Manual was proposed as a tool that would organize the collected material in a manner that would allow both the trained teachers and teachers who never received in-service training, to use these materials in their work with children. The niche for use of such a Manual was also identified: so called class hours conducted by headmasters (schools in the project area have a system of 34 class hours which headmasters must use to support learning). The Manual development project has started in April 2011, and The textbook was published in August 2012 and after the experts meeting in April 2012 their proposal was to organize the presentation of manual as master –classes with local teachers in every republic using the network of Institutes of Teachers trainings (ITTs) and assistance of Ministries of Educations (MoEs) from all the North Caucasus republics on 20 September to 10 October 2012 in every re-public of NCR
The objectives of the meeting were the following:
1. To present the manual the broader audience of teachers and education institutions that are responsible for teachers in-service trainings (MoEs, ITTs and Methodical councils on school education of municipalities);
2. To show the advantage of manual in comparison to other methodical materials and to show how to use it;
3. To create a network of potential helpers in dissemination of methods of CT;
4. To convince the MoEs, ITTs and Methodical councils on school education of municipalities to include the Manual into the plans of these organizations.
The master –classes the NCR worked intensively during the one days meeting For these purpose we contacted all MoEs and got their support (with exception of MoE of Ingushetia). They deny participation but as it was known later the Minster resigned in that time. But the lecturers from Ingush ITT were invited to come to Chechnya and they participated in training and got manuals. They were very sorry and asked to keep them informed and do not exclude their ITT from our network. ITTs organized the meetings very well. On our request they also invited the teachers from Centers of Temporary Residence (CTS) in every republic in addition to the teachers from school. Also master classes attended representatives of local Methodical councils on school education of municipalities. In every republic on meetings were not less then 35 people and we had to divide groups on two sub groups.
Every master class included introductory part where we presented the methodology of CT and interactive technologies and two master classes. The local experts evaluated the Manual is user-friendly, and its format and design make it easy for the teachers to implement. They were very enthusiastic in evaluation of Manual. They told that may be it is one of few good examples when the second generation standards were introduced and simultaneously the methodological book (our Manual) was issues. Usually it takes years according to their opinion. The internet assess to the manual was provided also, because it is already posted on Dialogue website. The representatives of local Media also positively evaluated the Manual (see file with articles and photos).
Involvement of the ITTs ensures wide dissemination opportunities since their teacher training programs reach to the big number of educators. Totally in meetings for two weeks were participated more then 250 teachers and lecturers. We think that strategy to involve directly the Institutes of teacher in-service training was a good strategy for the Manual dissemination and for its implementation in everyday work of teachers and lecturers of ITTs. Representatives of MoE of N. Ossetia, the rector of Chechnia ITT, vice-rector of Dagestan ITT, deans of ITT departments of Stavropol krai, KBR and KChR evaluated the cooperation as very important for their institutions and they are ready to cooperate in future. They already planned to include the manuals into their plans for the teachers trainings.
During the presentation of the manual in NCR organizers of workshops and teachers expressed the following opinion:
· The manual meets the needs of teachers and schools, both in terms of content (topics), and the methodology;
· The manual allows teachers to save time for preparation to class hours and to conduct them according to second education standards, that were introduced in June 2012 for secondary school;
· textbook allows seeing new opportunities in pedagogic work;
· the process of cooperation of teachers and authors of the manual gave opportunity to work out the textbook that is relevant to the regional and Russian education requirements;
RECOMMENDATIONS AND FUTURE ACTIVITIES:
Several recommendations and proposals were done during and after the master class talk:
· there is a need to develop such guides for classroom hours for both elementary school, as well as for high school pupils;
· suggestions to include new, important topics;
· To implement the methodology not only in class hours, but in other subject of teaching in schools;
· Institutes of teachers training emphasised grate enthusiasm to introduce the special module on presentation of manual in their program. The administration of Institutes (Dagestan, Chechnya, Kaberdino-Balkaria and Stavropol krai is ready to disseminate the materials in their trainings of class tutors.
Nevertheless the organization of master - classes revealed that majority of the participants have difficulty in understanding the mechanism of psychological and pedagogical impact of interactive methods. This observation suggests that in cases where a teacher will be making changes in the implementation of class topic, proposed by manual, the results predicted by the authors will not be achieved. As a consequence, the teacher may refuse to use interactive technologies in the future and once again go to the traditional teaching.
Also the important step is the future development of CT program and interactive methods not only for class hours, but in the teacher own curricular, because every teachers usually has own subject they teach and the class group they are tutors for years of secondary school
Thus, to consolidate the success and promote the use of interactive technologies, the following steps are advised:
· To support Lecturers from ITT in the process of modification of courses for teachers, particularly in inclusion of Manual materials in module for class masters “interactive methods in the conduct of class hours”.
· In partnership with the ITTs to organize a tender for conducting class hours based on the manual. The competition will not only encourage the use of the materials, but will make changes that will promote growth of its effectiveness.
· In partnership with the ITT there should be a competition organised for conducting original (not described in the manual) educational activities, planned in accordance with the model proposed in the manual and using interactive techniques. Best work may be published in a new manual (it can be a continuation of the manual for class teacher or a collection of teaching materials on the subjects or disciplines cycles).
· Create a community of teachers who use interactive technologies of Manual. Teachers must be able to communicate via Internet and share their practices, observations and recommendations.
As soon as North Caucasus Federal University (NCFU) administration (vise-rector……..) is very enthusiastic in development of future cooperation on manual implementation it could be good opportunity to organize the training of teachers from ITTs on implementation of manual (in NCFU) and to work out with them the plan of implementation and manual development activities. According to the Russian Government initiative “Our New school” the retraining of teachers becomes one of the important task of ITT. For the achievement of sustainability and progress in implementation Manual, CT and interactive methods in every institute should be created the well trained lecturers in Manual implementation that will be able to provide the trainings and facilitate the future manual development with our support.
Dr. Molodikova Irina
4