On February 20, 2020 the L.N. Gumilyov ENU held a field seminar «BRANCH OF THE DEPARTMENT OF THE UNIVERSITY AS A RESOURCE IN THE PRACTICAL PREPARATION OF PEDAGOGICAL PERSONNEL” in the Specialized Gymnasium No. 81 “Astana English School”. The purpose of the event was for the university faculty and representatives of the university branches and practice bases the questions and problems in organizing the process of professional practice of students and undergraduates in secondary schools as well as expand “DEPARTMENT – BRANCH” cooperation in all areas of work: research, educational, methodical, career guidance, etc.
The organizers of the field seminar-meeting – the Career and Business Partnership Office of the Academic Affairs Department and the Foreign Language Theory and Practice Department of the L.N. Gumilyov Eurasian National University. The seminar was attended by representatives of the university, schools, branches and practice bases and employers. The event was held on the basis of the branch of the Foreign Languages Theory and Practice Department – Specialized Gymnasium No. 81 “Astana English School” headed by Principal G. Sadykova.
At the seminar-meeting, the most pressing issues were discussed: forms of cooperation between university departments and their branches; problems and difficulties while organizing the process of internship at school; new requirements for the participation of employees of a general educational institution (branch of a department or practice base) in the management of student interns and payment for their participation in this activity.
The moderators of the seminar-meeting were Head of the ENU Career and Business Partnership Office Laura Aldasheva and Head of the ENU Foreign Languages Theory and Practice Department Zhanna Beisembaeva.
Deputy Director for Foreign Languages Kaunysh Kozhanova delivered a welcoming speech from the branch – Gymnasium No. 81, presented brief information on the forms of cooperation between the gymnasium and the university, and wished all the participants fruitful work of the seminar.
The first report according to the program of the field seminar-meeting was the presentation of English teachers of the branch of the ENU Foreign Philology Department – Gymnasium No. 5 of Nur-Sultan city M. Levitskaya and Ye. Levitskaya on the theme “Pedagogical Practice as an Important Resource for Training Future Teachers”. Teachers are the main leaders of the pedagogical practice of ENU students and thus they emphasized in their speech the subject training of future English teachers.
No less interesting and rich was the report by Doctor of Philological Sciences, Professor of ENU Theoretical and Applied Linguistics Department Zhanyl Zhunussova on the theme “The Effectiveness of the Branches of the Theoretical and Applied Linguistics Department in the Framework of “School-University” Interaction”. The speaker presented detailed information and materials on cooperation between the Theoretical and Applied Linguistics Department and its branches – NIS, gymnasiums 28 and 30.
Speech by Kuralay Zhauke, an English teacher, deputy director for scientific and methodological work of School-Gymnasium No. 22 of Nur-Sultan city – branch of the ENU Russian Philology Department and Foreign Languages Theory and Practice Department, was devoted to the issues of modernizing pedagogical practice at school. The speaker, an experienced teacher, suggested that the departments that train foreign language teachers, in particular, English teachers, introduce an elective course “Lesson Planning” into educational programs.
The final report was a presentation by the senior lecturer at the ENU Kazakhstan History Department Bibigul Muratbekkyzy on the theme “The Effectiveness of Teaching Practice in School and the Importance of Improving Relations between the Employer and the University.” The faculty of the Kazakhstan History Department also maintain close cooperation with the branch of the department – school-gymnasium No. 63, which is the main place for students to practice teaching.
Head of the Kazakhstan History Department, Candidate of Historical Sciences Ganizhamal Kushenova and Head of the Social Pedagogy and Self-Knowledge Department, Candidate of Pedagogical Sciences Tolkyn Slambekova took the most active part in the seminar-meeting and called on the schools present for closer and expanded cooperation with the L.N. Gumilyov ENU.
To continue the work of the seminar-meeting, the Head of the University Practice Ural Kilibayeva presented to the seminar-meeting participants “Regulation on the Payment of Services for the Organization and Conduct of Professional Practice of after the L.N. Gumilyov ENU Students in Educational Organizations”, approved by the university rector as well as samples of accounting documentation for payment and requirements for filling them out: an agreement to perform work on practice, an act of work performed, a report of the head of pedagogical practice, etc.
After lengthy discussions, the seminar-meeting participants came to the following conclusions and recommendations:
1. In order to organize and conduct professional practice on the basis of secondary schools, we recommend partner schools to consider the possibility of opening a “trainee’s office” for university students equipped with personal computers and free access to the Internet. The trainee’s office will allow students-trainees to spend not only the whole day in production, but also prepare for classes, use Internet resources, conduct methodological seminars and discussions under the guidance of an experienced mentor.
2. To introduce “school day” / “practice day” into the academic calendar of teacher training educational programs for better organization of professional practice in secondary schools, for more in-depth involvement of students of pedagogical specialties in the educational and teaching process at school.
3. To increase the number of students for professional practice on the basis of the department branches.
4. To attract experienced teachers of the department branches to teaching at the L.N. Gumilyov ENU – to conduct practical classes in teacher training educational programs (courses like “Maintaining School Documentation”, “Criteria Assessment at School”, etc.).
5. To involve experienced teachers of the department branches into co-supervision of graduate works of students graduating from teacher training educational programs.
6. To develop joint scientific projects with teachers of the department branches and participate in grant funding contests in Kazakhstan and far abroad.
7. To publish together with the teachers of the department branches the results of research and methodical work (scientific articles, theses, monographs, study guides, guidelines, etc.)
After a joint photo, all the seminar-meeting participants – representatives of branches and practice bases of the university – were given a letter of appreciation from the Vice-Rector for Academic Work of the University Yerkin Ongarbayev.
