This online event on 28 April 2021 has been organised by the US Embassy Regional English Language Office, Kazakhstan Teachers of English Association (KazTEA) and the British Council with the support of the Ministry of Education and Science of the Republic of Kazakhstan. It is being held to mark the official launch of the Online Teacher Community platform in Kazakhstan and will involve a series of online workshops with both international and local presenters.
The Online Teacher Community is a new peer-led online platform for English language teachers. It provides a forum where teachers can engage in new ideas and relevant discussions, share knowledge and experience, reflect on their practice and take part in research. It has been designed with the aim of further developing English teaching communities across Kazakhstan by providing networking opportunities and online support opportunities for teachers.
Event programme schedule:
Please note: the event will run from 16:00 to 19.30 (Nur-Sultan time) with participants able to drop in and attend sessions at any point.
| Time | Topic | Speakers |
| 16.00 - 16.15 | Introductions and Welcomes |
Rustem Bigari, Vice-Minister, Ministry of Education and Science of the Republic of Kazakhstan Tatyana Letyaikina, President, Kazakhstan Teachers of English Association (KazTEA) John Silver, U.S. Embassy Regional English Language Officer for Central Asia Eric Lawrie, Country Director, British Council |
| 16.15 - 16.25 | Introduction to the Online Teacher Community platform |
Simon Etherton, British Council Future English Programme Director for Wider Europe Maja Mandekic, British Council Regional Portfolio Manager for Wider Europe |
| 16.25 - 17.00 | Adapting Dogme/Teaching Unplugged Principles to Online/Remote Teaching | Scott Thornbury, English Language Teaching specialist |
| 17.00 - 17.35 | Active Learning via Social Websites: Best Experiences and Challenges from Kazakhstan | Anna Kalizhanova, Karaganda Teachers of English Association (KTEA) |
| 17.35 - 18.10 | The Online Teacher Community: Professional Development through Communities of Practice | Teodora Naiba and Melissa Thomson, British Council Global Moderators for the Online Teacher Community platform |
| 18.10 - 18.45 | Collaborative Online Whiteboards: How to integrate Miro into any Online Lesson | August Garnsey, English Language Fellow, U.S. Department of State Program, Regional English Language Office |
| 18.45 - 19.15 | Five Tips for Using Photographs in Online Lessons | Melisandra Leonardos, English Language Fellow, U.S. Department of State Program, Regional English Language Office |
| 19.15 - 19.30 | Wrap-up and announcement of upcoming webinars on the Online Teacher Community platform | Simon Etherton, Maja Mandekic and Olga Paterova, U.S. Embassy English Language Assistant for Central Asia |