четверг, 13 ноября 2008 г.

Mentor Workshop in Khatlon

On the 24th of October 2008 I Zeboniso Murodova the participant of English mentor Program run one day workshop for English teachers in Sarband, Kurgan-Tube and Vakhsh. Before the workshop started I told a little about English Teacher Mentor Program and showed some photos of our unforgettable summer training. Twenty five teachers participated in the workshop. In this workshop there were introduced many interesting topics best practices in methodology, material development and professional development.

In this workshop participants will focus first on learner attributes and variables as well as the learner’s role in the process of learning English. Participants will also will be introduce about using authentic materials in their lesson plan, including language-based realia such as signs, magazines, advertisements, newspaper, maps, pictures, symbols and chart. In addition participants will create their own student- centered lesson plans with 5 key components of lesson plans and develop variety kind of assessment tools to measure the effectiveness of a lesson as well as criteria for observing the teaching and learning as it occurs in the classroom.

In workshop teachers worked in group and gave idea to each other, share with experience and write lesson plan.

Feedback from participants of workshop.
We learned useful things. Especially writing lessons plans. They say that now it 21st century modern century with new technology and etc but in our school and class you can’t say that. We use old traditional lessons. In this workshop we saw new methods and techniques

English Mentor teacher
Zeboniso Murodova
Sarband

Mentor Workshop in Garm

Another mentor workshop was held in Garm conducted by Rahmiddin Mahmadov, mentor participant. You can read about his workshop here below.
Report on English Mentor Teachers Workshop

Date: October 3, 2008
Place: Business Incubator premises, Garm

Trainer:

1. Rahmiddin Mahmadov– finalist of the English Mentor Teachers Course

Goal:

The goal of this training was to improve teaching skills of the Rasht District English teachers.

Objectives:

1. Meeting with the Rasht Head District and Educational Board Chief to get their approval for conducting the workshop.
2. Dissemination of the invitation letters to the teachers
3. Conduct training in Business Incubator venue.
4. To copy all necessary materials for the workshop.
5. To provide logistical and financial support to organizing the workshop.

Activities:
During the training different methodology-presentation, pear and group work sessions, practical exercises, and individual exercises and energizer was used. Attention was paid to pear and individual work on lesson planning, learning styles and strategies, material development and the ways of learner’ assessment. Apart from it the teachers had an opportunity to meet with the students of the Rasht Access Micro scholarship Program supported by the US Embassy Dushanbe, where warm discussions hold on obstacles and constraints faced for the English teaches in teaching and students while learning the language. The teachers and students pointed out their interest in finding alternative ways of making the learning process more effective.

Organization
First of all a letter was submitted to the Rasht Head District and Educational Board Chief and after meeting with them approval received. Invitation letters had been disseminated through Educational Board via school Head Masters.
All necessary materials were available.
The place was comfortable (light enough, training room for workshop and separate place for coffee break and lunch).
Twenty two secondary, one Access Micro scholarship and two teachers for the Rasht Pedagojical University invited.


Conclusion
The trainees improved knowledge on new methodology, lesson planning, and learners’ assessment as well as shared their experiences and challenges faced. They expressed their gratitude towards Dushanbe Foreign Master School and US Embassy for making the workshop available for them. The participants also tasked the trainer to organize another workshop in January 2009.

Problems
Some of the participants were late as it was raining “cats and dogs”.

Lessons learnt
Time was not enough. A two days or three days workshop could be more effective.

Impact
The participants improved quality of providing English classes using different methodology.

Recommendations:
1) Conduct another workshop in January in collaboration with the local Educational Board.
2) A two days or three days workshop could be more effective.
3) Find the way if financial support for the other wokshop




Submitted by,

Rahmiddin Mahmadov,
English Mentor Teacher,
Garm Tajikistan

Final Mentor Training in US Embassy

Final training of English Teacher Mentor program
Oct 7th, 2008 by sarband.
We participants of English Mentor program on October 6th had the last training with English specialist Bruce Lee Ingraham. As it was our last training we talked and discussed about all trainings we had this year. It must be mentioned we had 4 trainings with different English language specialists. All participants talked about what important things they learned from these trainings. Indeed, all trainings were very useful and informative and interesting. We updated our knowledge.
We learned many different ways to use Warm ups in the lessons, and chants and poems, fluency and accuracy. Earlier we paid little attention to phonetic because we focused on grammar, vocabulary and from training we were told about importance of phonetic and the ways how to use it.
All participants told that how they benefited from summer training which was from July 7th till 25th.It was the longest training and very useful. Our instructors Rich and Dot White gave us a lot of new information in Methodology and Materials Development and Professional development.

This summer training was very unforgettable and interesting. And it was very good organized all teachers stayed together morning till night. And we learned a lot from each other. Teachers were from different regions and with rich experience.
Now several mentor teachers got grant and will run one day workshop in their regions.
I want to thanks US Embassy for this fantastic program we English Teachers from different regions of Tajikistan take a lot of new information for ourselves and happy to share it with our colleagues. We appreciate how US Embassy contributes a lot in our Education system and for our country.A big Tajik Rahmat to US Embassy.

Zeboniso Murodova

English Teacher from Sarband

Mentor Workshop in Khujand and Chkalovsk

Nigina Mirzoeva the participant of Mentor Training conducted two Mentor Workshops. Here in this article you can read about it.
Thanks to the US Embassy and English Teaching Mentor Program the teachers from different parts of Sogd region: form Konibodom, Istaravshan, Isfara, Kayrakkum and Chkalovsk have the chance to participate in one day workshop and were gathered for the English Teaching Workshop on October 4. I shared with them the knowledge that I have gained during my participation in English Teaching Mentor Program this year. I shared with them the knowledge that I gained due to this program. I have showed them several activities how to present vocabulary, how to present grammar, we have discussed about what is cooperative learning and other useful themes. The teachers were thankful for such kind of workshop and now they can share the information of this workshop with their colleagues at school, teach their students English using interactive methods of teaching. The teachers told that it would be nice to have English workshops as much as possible and they will participate in the English workshops with great pleasure.

On November 8 I have provided another workshop for 10 teachers of Chkalovsk. The workshop took place in the ILC of Chkalovsk. The teaches were thankful and we are going to organize another workshop for the teachers in Chkalovsk during winter holidays.

Source: http://connect-tajikistan.org/blog/?p=213

понедельник, 21 июля 2008 г.

Week two

Our workshops in training centre “Sarvar”
Teachers about the ETM program.
Extra curriculum activities.
Creative poems.
Social activities.

Good teaching is more a giving of right questions than a giving of right answers.
(Josef Alberts)

Now we all have such a good opportunity to ask right questions concerning our work as teachers of English. Hopefully, we can improve our teaching skills, thanks to the trainers Dorothy and Richard and of course to each other, because all brilliant and innovative teachers from different regions had been selected to participate in the said workshop.

This week was fruitful for all of us. We have visited the US Embassy Recourse Centre, found a lot of useful new publications, materials which can help us to teach English and computers with excess to the Internet. It is excellent that the students, teachers and who ever wants can use the Resource Center.

We have a chance also to learn something new from our colleagues, every day before each session teachers do some warm-up activities. Some of them were new for us and for sure, we can use them during our classes.


Kima conducts a warm up Shuhrat proving himself before Gulya

I’m Azamova Maqsuda from Sogd Region, Kanibadam, an English teacher, school # 3, Microschoolarship program. My pedagogical activity is 26 years. As you know two weeks sessions passed. On the first day of the second week we went to the US Embassy and there we were introduced with the resource centre. We saw different kind of books there.

During the sessions I learnt a lot of information, three kinds of activities such as Methodology, Material Development and Professional Development, 8 elements of planning for professional development. I’m proud that I was selected as participant of this seminar.


I’m Zarina Qambarova, English teacher from Soghd Region, Kayraqum. My work experience is not so much; this is the first time for me to participate in such kind of programs. I’m very glad that I’m participating in ETM program. Due to this program I hope to improve my teaching skills and get more knowledge. In the workshop I learn a lot about innovative methods of teaching, new interactive activities, about curriculum design and how to plan my lessons. Frankly speaking, everything here is new for me, I came here with little knowledge but now I will return back with a heavy suitcase of knowledge.

Hello! I am Kimatgul Davlatbekova from Dushanbe. I work in Educational Center «Multikid» and my work experience is 10 years. This session is very deeply thoughtful for me, I got a lot information about interactive methodology, about content based – instruction, learning styles and strategies about criteria and evaluating the textbooks and I can improve my professional development through the very interesting sessions with professional trainers from Montana University Richard and Dot. I`ll try to use all my knowledge at my lessons, because my goal is to make English interesting and pleasant for learners. It is really important when people enjoy what they do!
Dot and Rich a big Tajik thanks for your colossal work in
teaching English in our country!

My name is Nina. I’m working at Tajik State Pedagogical University named after Sadriddin Ayni as assistant English Teaching Methodology’s chair. I’m very pleased to be participant of Mentor Program because it’s directly related to my job. Through the knowledge I’ve got from this program I can teach my students at the TSPU much better. It’s very important for students because they will also be English Teachers in future. The sessions and activities we’re taught by our lovely Dot and Rich would be very useful and helpful for our professional development. The point of such kind of programs is to have a great opportunity to share our own experience with each other and to get new information, of course. So, I’m very appreciating for a chance to take part in this program.

Dear all,
I’m Zinatoy Bozorova, a teacher of English language at the Tajik State Pedagogical University named after S. Aini, Dushanbe, Tajikistan.
I want to share my impressions with you about English Teachers Mentor Program workshop which is conducted by Dot and Rich for two weeks. The workshop is very interesting, useful, exiting, especially, about Professional Development, learning Strategies of teaching and 8 key elements, discovery learning styles and methodology.
Thank you, I’m very grateful for you all who organized this training for us.
Extra curriculum activities.

TEA Program, Professional Development seminar

We are grateful for US Embassy in Dushanbe for bringing out 20 English teachers from different regions of Tajikistan to participate in Mentor Training program course. In the course we are learning a lot of new things on methodology, Professional Development and Material Development from our professors Richard and Dorothy Whites and from each other as well.

In the evenings we are doing presentations on different programs in order to use our time productively. As they say ‘Learners learn best from each other’. I made a presentation about my visit to the USA as a TEA finalist and participated in Professional Development seminar.

I shared with my colleagues what I learned, what cultural places I saw and what I did in the USA. I also demonstrated my portfolio which I developed in the USA. And the different questions were asked about it. They asked about the USA education system, school life, teachers and students, cultural places, food and resources. So, that was amazing to share my experience with them and feel that they are happy to use it.

Gulnora Kamolova, Secondary school #15, Hissar.

How to write CV and cover letter

Rahmiddin Mahmadov from Rasht came up with a short training on writing Curriculum Vitae, Cover Letter and to apply for a job. The activity caused interest of participants. He has rich experience of working with NGOs and knows about them a lot. It was very interesting and helpful for the teachers to know some more important and useful details in filling applications and passing interviews. He gave us the instructions how to write Cover Letter correctly and we can share this new information with our colleagues and of course, with our high school students at the lesson.

Thanks a lot!
Rahmiddin Mahmadov, Rasht.

Introducing about Shaping the way we teach English course.

I am Zeboniso Murodova, and I am very happy to attend the Teacher Mentor program. And it is a great chance for us teachers to learn from each other. Learners learn best when they teach each other. So, I decided to introduce about Shaping the Way We Teach English program with English Teachers. Last year I was nominated to participate in this course. It lasted from September till December 2007. This was very beneficial for me. I learnt a lot of new things for myself which help me now. Wherever I go, I share any module of this course. So, in this Mentor Training I shared with one module and I hope to show other modules, too. Attending this seminar and I found out that I knew some of them already. In this course there are 14 modules. And today I showed one module in CD which we received from that course. That module was Alternative assessment. It must be mentioned that the lesson course was video based. I showed video to teachers about assessment which we passed during the course. After seeing it, teachers had a clear picture about assessment and what portfolio looked like.

Zebo Murodova
English teacher from Sarband
Sch#1


Poetry from teachers
The teachers were asked to write poems about the workshop. Most of them couldn’t imagine that they had poetic abilities, but now we know if we try to do our best we can do everything. These are poems from Mentor Teachers.

Poem from Rahmiddin
Before I came to this course,
I felt myself as Australian horse.
The methods that I taught,
Seemed to be the best I thought,
Thanks to Rich and Dot,
That we’ve received a lot.
They made me open my eyes,
And become a little bit wise.
But for sure, I know,
That I’m still very slow.
Whenever Gulijon took the floor,
It made Zebijon to know more.
As “two peas of one pile”
They made some to smile.
The experience that has Marifat,
For sure, the same has Shuhrat.
No complaints from Zebo,
Oh, she sleeps on the floor!
Abdulhamidjon, hey, Christmas Tree!
Don’t forget, they say, “agree to disagree”!
We all wish you Zinnatoy,
A healthy, wealthy boy!

Rahmiddin, Rasht




So, the second week of training is over. It seems that this week went fast. One week more is left. So, on Friday evening after training we decided to show Dot and Rich our famous tea house “Rohat”. We ordered different meals and told our trainers about our national dishes. We had a great evening. After Rohat we went to Somony plaza .We took photos near Somony monument and told about who Somony was. We shared with trainers about history of our country. It was wonderful evening walk.

On Saturday we went to Varzob. Varzob is a very cool and beautiful place. The nature is so nice and picturesque. The air is fresh there. We rested very well. We took many pictures. Some teachers swam in the swimming pool and some other teachers with Rich went to explore the place. Unfortunately, Dot couldn’t come. One man there helped us to explore that place. We teachers with Rich went on and on and came to a wonderful place like paradise. We saw waterfall there. On the way to the waterfall we talked a lot with Rich and he talked about some similarities between some things here in Tajikistan and USA. It was good for us to learn more from him.


Nigina Mirzoeva Editor of this
Newsletter



The second week of training is over. During this week we teachers learned a lot.
Teachers had an idea about how to create rubrics, and identifying key components of a lesson plan, cloze tests, traditional and alternative assessment in the second week.
The difference between previous week and this week was that in previous week trainers organized all activities, but in this week teachers came up with new, interesting warm up activities which made the process more effective. And teachers participated in workshop actively.

Teacher Mentor Program

“If you have knowledge, let others light their candles in it.
Margaret Fuller.


So our Teacher Mentor program has started on July 7, 2008. EnglishTeachers from different regions of Tajikistan arrived. They represent Kulob, Sarband, Hissor, Rasht, Kanibadam, Khujand, Kayrakum, Chkalovsk, Ayni and Dushanbe. Our trainers are Dorothy and Richard White from Arizona State, but they represent Montana University. We are very happy that Dot and Rich came to Tajikistan to provide us with a workshop on teacher Mentor Program.


Plant friendship tree that will have much results
And break enemy tree that will bring numberless sorrow.

The participants of the workshop were provided with accommodation in the former Agriculture University dormitory where the Training Center Sarvar is located. It was very convenient for the teachers to have sessions and rest in the same building.

Feedback from Teachers about TMP




Mohida Rahmatulloeva from Kayrokkum. My work experience is 16 years. I teach students from 9th-10th forms. I work at secondary school # 14 since 1991.
My opinion about TMP training: I learned new things, new methods. I worked with map, and I liked this activity very much and now I know about jigsaw, portfolio and much more informed about 4 skills: reading, writing, speaking and listening and syllabus methods and learning styles and here I learned that I am a visual person.

Mohida Rahmatullo

Muyassar Nazarova

I am an English teacher from the North, Kanibadam, village Kuchkak. I teach at secondary school # 11. My work experience includes 17 years.
What can I say about the first week of the seminar? It was really great. I have got a lot of information about textbooks, content, context, syllabus and criteria which each textbook has to include.
I participated in such kind of workshops in Dehli last year. But now I see how they are different. Our trainers from Montana University are doing a great job for us. Their sessions are full of interesting interactive activities and warp ups. Each session includes: Methodology, Professional development and Material Development. I hope all new things I have learned here will be useful both for Microscholarship program students and secondary school students, too. I will share my knowledge with other teachers from my district.

Dot and Rich thanks a lot for your great contribution in conducting this workshop for us!

Orzu Sultonova.
I live in Ayni Town which is situated in the North part of Tajikistan. I have 16 years of work experience. It is the first time in my life I am taking part in such kind of trainings. I express my thanks to US Embassy for providing this training for English teachers.

I am satisfied with methods that trainers use during the sessions. Our trainers Dot and Rich, are very experienced teachers. For sure, I’ll return to my school and will organize trainings for all teachers of Ayni area and to teach them what I have learned in these sessions. I also try to use their methods at my lessons. The activities which I like best are warm ups, FOR activity as well as working with map.




Abduhamid Sharipov

I am an English teacher from South, Kulob city. I teach in lyceum # 1. My working experience is 20 years. And I also work as part time job for Relief International. So, what I learned in this workshop. We got new things like how to use interactive methodology, how to evaluate textbooks through some criteria and how to have interesting warm ups and to improve professional development. Especially, scope and sequence is very necessary for the teachers who aim to write textbooks.





Social Activities

Taking into consideration the fact that the workshop participants represent different regions of Tajikistan, the Public Affairs section and Valentina Sobko, the project implementer organized leisure time within weekends.

The highlight of the social activities included the visit to Antiquities and National Historical Museums. All participants left the museums with great impressions, felt proud of our ancestors and country’s rich history.

Sunday’s activity was devoted to nearby Hissar District where the participants knew a lot about Hissar Fortress, the history of which is more than 3 thousand years, Madresse and hotel of Korvonsaroy where the merchants stayed. The teachers imagined the whole picture of the place within the Silk Road times.

Teachers said that they had a great time together and learned a lot from each other, especially from Rahmiddin. These social activities make friendship between all of us tighter. As our very broad-minded participant Rahmiddin from Rasht always reminds us about Saa’di Sherozi ‘s poem that is written above the entrance of UN Office in New York:

Children of Adam are members of one body,
Who are created from the same origin.
If one member is in pain
The other members cannot be at peace.
Zebonisso, the first Editor

I am Zebonisso from Sarband. I am a happy English teacher in Tajikistan. It is honor for me to take part in this training. And we are the first Mentor English teachers who edited the first newsletter illustrating the workshop process. Next week we will prepare the second newsletter.

The first week of training is over already. Teachers learnt a lot in this week. They have two more weeks. And I know that they will learn more. I want to take an opportunity and to thank US Embassy for providing us with such great program. I am sure that teachers will be good mentors for their country.

This issue was prepared by:
Muyassara Nazarova Microscholarship program an ACCESS teacher
Orzu Sultonova teacher from Ayni, Regional Trainer at Zaravshan Valley
Mohida Rahmatulloeva teacher from Kairakkum
Maqsuda Azamova from Kanibadam Microscholarship program an ACCESS teacher
Abdulhamid Sharipov from Kulob, Regional Trainer at Khatlon region
Zarrina Qambarova teacher from Kayrakkum
Rahmiddin Mahmadov, Microscholarship program