Ministry perspectives on teacher guide uptake studies

• In Event: Using teaching and learning materials in Uzbekistan: Lessons from observations and interviews

Proposal

In this presentation Uzbekistan’s Head of Department for Coordinating Educational Quality at the Ministry of Education will present how pilot implementation and findings from Teacher Guide Uptake studies that inform the pilots have supported the Ministry to embrace approaches and methodologies that enable it to better reach its education reform goals of ensuring that all students develop 21st century skills. Prior to this pilot, the Ministry only tested textbooks during one quarter and only in city schools. In this presentation, we will discuss our shift to a year-long piloting process and the advantages of this process.
We will discuss the inclusion in the pilot of teacher support on ‘methodological days’ throughout the academic year, as this is a new concept for the Ministry. Even though the use of methodological days to support teachers was introduced a long time ago it was not effective.
During the pilot the methodological days were revived to support the professional development of teachers and led to positive results: teachers obtained professional qualifications that they otherwise would not have. Moreover, TGUS findings indicate that teachers are embracing a greater use of student-centered approaches such as pair work.
Finally, the involvement of graduate students in the piloting process is relevant as graduates of pedagogical universities need exposure to the process of developing and implementing student-centered materials and teacher professional development. Graduate students who took part in the pilot learned new TPD approaches and learned how to conduct assessments correctly, skills that will suit them in their future careers. In addition, some students will conduct their research based on this important field work.
The Ministry embraces the piloting approach carried out within the framework of the Program as it provides an evidence-base, informative, and objective, understanding of the processes of materials testing, continuous teacher professional development, and assessment, all in support of improved learning outcomes and 21st century skills.

Author

• Javlonbek Meliboev, Republican Education Center