GMU and TESOL Program Mid-Line evaluation 

Joan Kang Shin from GMU visited: 

• Kashkadarya region (Karshi) 

• Samarkand region (Samarkand City) 

• Navoi region (Kiziltepa City) 

• Syrdarya region (Gulistan City) 

• Tashkent region (Chirchik) ;

• Tashkent city  

Joan Kang Shin in Samarkand 

Joan Kang Shin in Kiziltepa City  

Rebecca Fox from GMU visited: 

• Namangan (Uchkurgan) 

• Andijan (Asaka city) 

• Fergana (Kuva) 

• Bukhara  

 

 

Rebecca Fox in Namangan 

Heidi Faust from TESOL International Association visited:

• The Republic of Karakalpakstan (Nukus City)
• Khorezm region (Khiva City, Urgench City) 
• Jizzakh region (Jizzakh City)
• Tashkent region (Buka City)

Heidi in Karakalpakstan, Nukus city.

Joan Kang Shin, Rebecca Fox, and Heidi Faust shared their impressions about the impact of ESN program on teachers` development stating: “First and foremost, teachers expressed so much gratitude for participation in the ESN Program. They thanked the US Embassy in Tashkent, American Councils for International Education, TESOL International Association, and George Mason University for this experience. Many expressed that this program changed their teaching as well as their lives. They described their pride in being an innovative English teacher and being part of an international community of teachers making an impact on English language teaching in Uzbekistan. Teachers expressed how important the coaches were as models and mentors who helped them improve their ability to teach English through English effectively and provided support for them to cascade this program to other teachers in their regions.
 

We observed 21 teachers in both elementary and secondary classes, i.e., 4th grade, 6th grade, 7th grade, 8th grade, 9th grade, and 10th grade. In addition, we conducted 27 focus groups and 17 individual interviews as well as observing 3 cascading workshops by RPMs. Below are some of the highlights from our observations and interviews:

• Classes were conducted in English, which included all activities, instructions given by the teacher, and students’ interactions.
• All the students were totally engaged in the class.
• There was a joyful atmosphere with lots of energy in the classrooms.
• The classroom dynamic was active and interactive. Students were up and actively participating. They were learning interactively and using English.
• In every lesson, students were reading, writing, listening, speaking, AND thinking in English.
• Teachers reported their strong level of increased confidence in using English and in conducting their cascading in COPs.
• During the focus group interviews, many teachers also talked about their increased English proficiency and ability to conduct their classes in English.
• Teachers also talked about their shift to student-centered teaching.
• Teachers also expressed their pride and gratitude to have been part of this program. In particular, those who completed the TESOL Core Certificate Program (TCCP) were proud to have an internationally recognized certificate.
• The lessons were organized to implement interactive learning strategies.
   

During the visit, Joan, Rebecca, and Heidi observed interactive classrooms. Both students and teachers actively used English during the lessons. This is a big change from past years; many ESN participants report that before the ESN program, the primary language of instruction in their English classrooms was actually Uzbek. Now, teachers use English to teach English. Some teachers even report that they conduct their entire lessons in English.

GMU and TESOL representatives shared stories that surprised them as well: “Several teachers talked about how energized and excited about their students they feel now at the end of the school day, as compared to before when they said they always come home exhausted.”

Many teachers reported how other teachers seek them out for new and innovative teaching ideas. Sometimes, this even included teachers from other subjects, like math, science, and Russian language. One teacher even said that his student asked a math teacher to use the cooperative activity “Think-Pair-Share” in class, showing that many of these approaches prove interactive and engaging for students regardless of the subject matter.

Teachers also shared how much they now love to share with other teachers; many no longer wish to be confined to their own classroom silos. “Sharing is caring,” as one teacher put it.

Another affirming comment from a teacher was that now when she looks at the textbook and considers the exercises, she sees how she can incorporate active components – such as jigsaw, mingle, and concentric circles – into the exercises.

During the focus group interviews, one gentleman reported that before ESN he was thinking of leaving teaching and even possibly moving from Uzbekistan, but now he is excited about teaching and is planning to stay in the profession.

Regarding the progress of the ESN program, GMU and TESOL representatives remarked: “The ESN program was highly successful and appears to have had a huge impact on how program participants are teaching English through English. The teachers demonstrated their ability to apply the program content (i.e., TETE, TCCP, and TOT) effectively in their classroom contexts throughout all of the regions we visited. Based on our on-site classroom observations, we saw the teachers apply many of the activities from the TESOL and GMU course content, and often in their own unique way that was very effective and engaging for their learners.

For example, one of the communicative activities used in the coursework was a mingling activity that promotes student-to-student interaction. We saw this activity used in multiple classes observed, but teachers used different content and facilitated this activity to fit their classroom context and their students’ level and interests. It was obvious that they were not applying the activities only as an exact copy of how they saw it in our courses. They made instructional decisions based on the lesson they planned and their specific students.  

Based on our focus groups and interviews, we learned about program participants’ perspectives on how their teaching has changed from before ESN and after ESN. Here are some of the common themes we found across the regions based on our initial review of data.

Before	After
classroom atmosphere was strict before   teachers did not enjoy teaching very much   their instruction was grammar focused, and even referred to using grammar translation method   students weren’t able to communicate in English   classes were very quiet and focused on doing and checking textbook exercises	classroom atmosphere is now “free” and friendly   teachers mentioned loving their students and that their students love them   their instruction is now student-centered and focuses on the learner   their instruction is now communicative and engages learners in interaction in English   classes are now noisy, but in a good way because students are communicating with each other in English

Many CTs and RPMs mentioned that they would love for the program to continue in order to reach more teachers, not only English teachers but other subject-area teachers.

They want to expand their communities of practice in order to continue learning from one another. Some teachers mentioned that they want the opportunity to gather across regions to collaborate, perhaps have another conference where they could all share ideas. They want to keep up with one another and their work. This would support the ongoing growth of new teaching practice across the regions and nations. As an English-speaking professional community, this step would continue to nurture and promote English proficiency for the teachers.

For the ongoing success of effective program cascading, we sincerely hope that adequate support for the CTs and the RPMs will continue. In addition, it would be advantageous for those teachers who did not participate in TCCP to now have this opportunity to do this because it will help them to increase their professional language and ability to use the pedagogy confidently and articulate why they are using the pedagogy in specific ways. This will help to reinforce the program’s impact and better ensure that the cascading is both fully successful and sustainable.  

Participants stated in all focus groups that they would like opportunities for exchange programs in the U.S., where they can learn more about English language teaching and improve their English language proficiency. Some asked for more professional development in building students’ digital and media literacy.

On October 27^th, American Councils, GMU and TESOL representatives also met with the Director of the Institute of Retraining and Advanced training of Public Education workers named after A.Avloniy. During the meeting, they discussed the seminars and trainings conducted so far within the framework of the ESN project, the participation of English language teachers in cascades and the effectiveness of the cascading course, and reforms designed to improve the qualification of teachers in the public education system.