Teachers, Teacher Education, and Professional Development

Human capital is the most important resource for ensuring quality of education. The number of teachers in Kazakhstan in 2014 was 297,200.

In Kazakhstan, pedagogical colleges and universities provide education for prospective primary school teachers. Pedagogical colleges offer a two year program for high school graduates and a four year program for primary school graduates. Graduates of pedagogical colleges typically continue their education at a pedagogical university.

Pedagogical universities provide education for prospective primary school teachers, including courses in science and mathematics, in accordance with Kazakhstan’s classification of specialties in higher and postgraduate education. Model curricula for Pedagogy and Methodology of Elementary Education, Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry, Biology, and Geography are based on the State Mandatory Standards of Higher Education.

The theoretical component of Kazakhstan’s teacher education programs consists of 129 credits (206 European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System, or ECTS, credits) and includes the study of general education, divided into basic and major components. Programs provide additional types of training, such as a professional internship (20 credits) and physical training (16 credits). Graduates obtain a Bachelor of Education degree and a corresponding qualification (e.g., primary school teacher, teacher of mathematics, physics teacher, chemistry teacher, teacher of biology, or geography teacher).

Teacher education is provided in two forms—intramural and extramural. The duration of intramural programs is four years for students who have completed general secondary education, and three years for students who have completed technical college. The duration of extramural programs is three years for students who have completed technical college, and two years for students who have completed higher education.

Pedagogical programs include subjects such as History of Kazakhstan, Philosophy, Foreign Language, Kazakh (Russian) Language, Informatics, Environment and Sustainable Development, Introduction to the Teaching Profession, Ethno-Pedagogy, Psychology and Human Development, and Methods of Teaching Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry, Biology, and Geography.

Depending on their chosen major, prospective teachers may elect to take the following courses: Fundamentals of Educational Work, Fundamentals of Modern Kazakh (Russian) Language, Elementary Mathematics, Astronomy, Chemical Ecology, and Introduction to Biology.

Within the framework of the course Professional Guidance for Teachers, prospective teachers learn new teaching approaches, develop critical thinking skills, learn to use ICT in teaching, and study the leadership and management of change in education. Prospective elementary school teachers study core subjects, including Fundamentals of Natural Science and Methods of Teaching the World Around Them.

Prospective teachers are required to complete a professional internship, which is organized according to the specifics of their specialization. For example, internships for prospective teachers working to complete the Pedagogy and Methodology of Elementary Education would comprise the following:

Educational and pedagogical practice (Introduction to Pedagogical Activity)
Training and familiarization practice (Fundamentals of Natural Science)
Pedagogical practice (Pedagogical Diagnostics of Juniors, Methods of Educational Work, Trial Lessons, The First Days of the School Child)
Pedagogical internship
Diploma internship

Teacher education programs use conventional and unconventional technologies and education techniques (e.g., interactive and project technologies, critical thinking development technologies, dialogue training, case studies, smart cards, basic schemes, conceptual tables, graphic representations of information, solving situational and practical tasks, and laboratory workshops).

Teacher Education Specific to Mathematics and Science

Prospective teachers specializing in the natural sciences and mathematics take courses in their subject of specialization. For example, prospective mathematics teachers would take the following courses: Mathematical Analysis, Differential Equations, Theory of Probability and Mathematical Statistics, Integral Equations, Algebra and Number Theory, Analytic Geometry, Differential Geometry and Topology, Foundations of Geometry and Projective Geometry, Algebraic Systems, Innovative Technologies for Teaching Mathematics, Workshop on Solving Mathematical Problems, and Solving Olympiad Problems.

Requirements for Ongoing Professional Development

According to the Law of the Republic Kazakhstan on Education, teachers should participate in active professional development at least once every five years. Kazakhstan has developed a system to support teacher professional development: the JSC National Center for Professional Development “Orleu” was established, along with 16 regional branches (14 regions and 2 cities of national status); various international and national conferences and seminars are conducted to provide professional development opportunities for teachers; and national competitions are held annually, such as Best Teacher, Best Class Master, and the Altyn Disc for ICT Teachers.