Kostanai State Pedagogical University

Ungraded schools in the spotlight of Kostanay state pedagogical institute

Rural school of Kazakhstan is presented mainly as an ungraded school by virtue of social and economical conditions. Specificity is determined by a small contingent of students, combined class-sets, multi-disciplinary of one teacher, combination of different ages of students in a class, a special form of training sessions. These features determine the problems and difficulties in the work of teacher of ungraded school.

A teacher of ungraded school in his activity is needed in qualified scientific and methodological help. It is due to the need to organize a system of future teachers training that would ensure the formation of their readiness for the ungraded school within the higher education. At KSPI is gained special experience in providing guidance to teachers of ungraded schools. Chairs of the higher institution enter into a contract on pedagogical cooperation with ungraded schools of the region, whereby they assist methodological help in organization of training and educational work; they conduct field training seminars, workshops, round tables, on-line conferences on topical issues of ungraded schools' development.

The contract is signed and a new joint plan of work of chairs of pre-school, primary and special education (PP and SE) with Moscow US is developed. According to the approved joint plan of 27th of March, 2014 based on Moscow intermediate ungraded school of Kostanay region was held a scientific and methodological seminar on the theme "Improvement of professional training of future teachers to the work at ungraded school".

During the seminar actively participated teachers of chair PP and SE, representatives of Education Department of akimat of Kostanay region, Regional scientific and practical center "Kostanay daryny", scientific and research center of issues of continuous pedagogical education of KSPI, headmasters' deputies on educational and methodological work of schools of Kostanay region, pedagogical collective of Moscow intermediate ungraded school.

Great interest aroused by performance of senior methodist from the department of ungraded schools development of Regional scientific and practical center "Kostanay daryny" of Education management of Kostanay region akimat Erzhanova Sara Orazbaevna on the theme "Ungraded school in terms of transition to 12-year study". There were considered topical issues which pedagogical staff of an ungraded schools and educational authorities faced with, highlighted perspectives of the 12-year education in the Republic of Kazakhstan. Participants of the seminar noted the importance of an issue raised by candidate of pedagogical sciences, senior teachers of the chair of pre-school, primary and special education Lee Yelena Dmitrievna in the report "New approaches in the modern education". During the discussion, participants noted the professionalism of the speaker, who was able to uncover affordable and convincing scientific essence of the new approaches in education.

Teachers of technology, primary classes, school headmasters' deputies on educational work, and heads of creative sections highly assessed the content of master class, conducted by the Master of pedagogical sciences Borshchevskaya Irina Petrovna on the theme "Formation of aesthetical culture of schoolers". Special difficulty of the work a teacher of US experienced during combined classes. Organization of the lesson in combined classes requires an alternation of students' activity under direction of a teacher and independent work. This study is necessary in order to help learners critically analyze the facts, to think creatively, clearly express thoughts, to work in the classroom with enthusiasm and interest, to see the growth of the labor and be able to assess it.

To solve this problem of study at ungraded school can help an educational program "Development of critical thinking through reading and writing" (RWCT). It is a training program which contributes to development of analytical, critical and creative thinking of learners. Critical thinking means bringing their own positions on the issue and the ability to protect them. This program contribute to create in the classroom a democratic atmosphere of equal dialogue, when a teacher stops being just a source of information, and provides students with the opportunity to participate in the discussion to the ability to ask questions, and to find new information on a particular topic from a variety of sources.

The main value in the classroom is a student, and he has an opportunity to gain information by himself, think, analyze, compare and make choice. In this case, the role of a teacher has changed. He teaches students to learn and gives them the powerful tool of learning. It is more valuable to equip learners with abilities to gain knowledge, rather than to give them ready-made knowledge.

Review of teachers of ungraded schools working in terms of this program indicate that strategy of critical thinking encourage an interest to the lesson, improve the quality of knowledge, teacher children to think creatively, read thoughtfully, analyze, compare and defend their point of view. That is why participants of the seminar demonstrated activity during the master-class, carried out by Ishchanova Raisa Sadykpayevna on technology of critical thinking. The program RWCT gives more opportunities to teachers of US for their growth – creative, professional, gives an impulse to self-improvement. There were very interesting performances by head of methodical room SI "Education department" of Kostanay region akimat Zhurkubayeva Bakyt Kudaybergenovna, director of Moscow US Uteyeva Marina Vakilyevna.

Individual consultations conducted by teachers of the chair PP and SE in the sphere of methodology of teaching at primary school passed productively: on the Russian language and literary reading – Shevchenko G.V., on methodology of teaching nature study – Bekmursina Zh.M., on methodology of organization of the learning process in mixed-age collective – Oleynikova T.N., on methodology of labor teaching and technology – Borshchevskaya I.P. In the process of individual work with teachers of primary classes, special attention was paid to the specialists-beginners, having worked for at least 3 years, as well as teachers working in the classroom with the state language of learning and classes-sets. Consulting of primary classes teachers, working at classes with state language of learning, was carried out by the master of pedagogy and psychology, senior teacher of the chair Kushmurzina D.H. To carry out practice-oriented consultations teachers of the department used didactic materials they brought with them, visual aids, and their own authors teaching aids.

At the seminar were expressed the wishes for further cooperation in the development of long-term plan of joint activities to improve the training of students of specialty "Pedagogy and methodology of primary education", in joint preparation of methodological recommendations on introduction of new approaches to pedagogical process of UPS; in joint publications, participation of teachers in scientific and practical conferences at KSPI. According to the results of the work of scientific and practical seminar were developed methodological recommendations.

Ishchanova R.S. the head of scientific and research center of issues
of continuous pedagogical education