Jadambaa B, Narantsetseg D, Batdelger J, Baigalmaa Ch, Altangoo,O (MSUE)

 Our Own MSUE Question Response is How has AR supported educational reform in Mongolia over past 2 decades? ◦ Three Stages of Reform ◦ Main Projects for Implementation  Collaboration with European partner Universities  Collaboration with New Mexico State University in MSUE School of Preschool Education with introduction of AR led by Dr. Candace Kaye ◦ Impact of AR activities on local level  Identification of Future Activity

1st stage – Period of confusing and unconscious imitation from others Transformation from communist ideology to democratic view of civil society in which educational system started to reform 2nd stage – Period of understanding negative impacts of teacher centered learning and looking for creative reforms which started in this period 3rd stage till present 2010 – Creative period to begin upgrading based on research practices, traditions and culture, which is authentic, managed, and adapted period We have started the action research mainly to develop professional skills of teachers in all educational stages MSUE School of Preschool Education invited a guest professor from NMSU,USA to gain first understanding of AR and implemented AR projects, ex. Using rubrics for evaluation and setting up local communities of AR activity

 – Period of confusing and unconscious imitation from others ◦ How to begin to select an area of focus ◦ How to start transformation from the teacher centered approach to learner centered education ◦ How to examine the situation with the staff’s professional knowledge and ability (above 50 % were educated in former Russia) ◦ How to find a partner University from abroad to invite and start our reform

 – Period of understanding a negative impacts of teacher centered learning and looking for creative reforms which started in this period ◦ Found a partner, University from Denmark and have been working under the ECP project by DANIDA ◦ Identified the problem to be addressed ◦ Selected 80 schools to introduce AR methodology ◦ Formed a team with different participants ◦ Provided capital support & provided methodological assistance

 Educational reform of Mongolia made in the period of developing from 1st stage into 2nd and from 2nd into 3 rd was conducted within an action research process  Our main aim in the AR process is to develop professional skills of teachers in all educational stages

 Professional development of the MSUE staff: ‘teacher of teacher development’  AR started on selected 80 schools of provinces with about 1000 participants  They developed their professional skills gaining AR methodology and learnt AR in their working place  This process made quality changes in teachers, administrators, methodologists, parents and community members cooperation. This community participation allowed schools to become the Center for studying and developing cooperative work of local people together

Problem formulation Planning & Data collection Data analysis & implementation Reporting of result Rethinking, conceptualization & future action planning

 AR Community has a 40 lecture team set up since 2000 Systematically contributes to the theory & knowledge base and enhances professional practice ◦ Supports professional skills development ◦ Recruits of MA & PhD students to AR ◦ Helps them identify problems & seek solutions systematically ◦ Builds a collegial networking system ◦ Is beginning to use a Rubric test of evaluation

 AR local community set up in province schools ◦ 80 secondary school transformed to learner centered training, team work model set up ◦ Around 1000 local teachers involved to AR project and each school have skills to provide AR as well as they have AR Data on solving present problems ◦ There have been direct changes made for implementation of school reform ideas that teachers and school administrators can use in their actual situations in terms of empirical research, ‘community wisdom’ and ability to make decisions together ◦ Builds a collegial networking system

 Teachers continuously develop and change their curriculum and methodology according to school and province tradition, culture and real living environment  Each classroom training has become a place to learn creatively together based on research, i.e. students view action research study not only to gain knowledge for action but to gain understanding of a scientific process

 They tend to make changes and reform not from top to down, but they have tended to immediately initiate constantly developing bottom up  During more than 10 years project implementing schools’ teachers, school administrators and project administrators team have been providing action research together and found out what our nomadic ancestors created and we pass on the great cultural base which was made in order to meet their needs to live and adapt to nature, making action research study as a process to recognize the action of humanizing

 2010 to Present – Creative period began upgrading based on research practices, traditions and culture, which is real managed adapted period ◦ 1. We started the action research firstly to develop a professional skills of teachers in all educational stages ◦ MSUE School of Preschool Education activity: Impact of ‘Green Apple’ project implementation

Core team of MSUE (16 lectures from 13 School of MSUE) Provided training through 4 modules for 90 teachers from both provinces Central province Developed 4 modules: * Professional creative thinking * Teachers Discovery & Practice development * Researcher Teacher * Creative-Teacher Khentii province (same 4 modules was developed )

ModulesNo.1No.2No.3No.4 TitleProfessional creative thinking Teachers Discovery & Practice development Researcher- Teacher Creative- Teacher OutcomeSelf- assesment Experiment, research ARDeveloped teacher ProductEssay of Experiment & research Article ParticipationFrom Failed 16 From 71-71From Failed 3 From Failed 8

 Goals: ◦ Because of Action research project students can become a learning community ◦ Transition from teacher centered training to learner centered ◦ Give a opportunity to implement the theoretical knowledge on AR ◦ Develop BA & MA modules on AR

Students activity in local training on AR Teachers activity in local training on AR Dr. Candace Kaye provided “AR Training“ for 120 students.(144 hours) March –May 2011 Dr. Candace Kaye provided seminar “AR Learning Community “ for Faculty Fall’ 2012 Students learned to identify a problems; collect and analyze a Data, report analysis and planning future action Lectures learned to identify present problems; redesign their syllabus, lesson planning, make self assessment Student, themselves assessed their research’s steps by AR Rubric Lecturers themselves assessed their research’s steps by AR Rubric Team work skills Listening Planning Expressing ability Decision making Team work skills Listening Planning Expressing ability Decision making

 How to wash hands children in kindergarten?  Reasons for school drop out in countryside  Why students are coming to school late?  Parent’s Influence for social development of children  Parent’s blame for children’s behavior in schoola  How to work with disabled children?  How four year’s children are learning new vocabulary in classroom?  Lesson and playing: what is dominating in classroom?  Equal communication of teacher to each child  Difficulties facing overloaded classroom  What kind of toy materials more playful for children?  How teachers are involving in in-service training?

 The club consists of 12 students who are in different year grades, from difference provinces  Club lead by and Dr. Jigmed and Javzandulam.  Every week, students meet and work together and exchange ideas and information online as well.  Goals of the club are: ◦ To support students who are interested in research and academic work by collaborative activities and flourish their motivation. ◦ Every member of the club is conducting his or her own research and they will discuss and present in Students’ Research conference. ◦ As a group, they are studying English language intensively because it is one of main skills of researcher.

Western modelNon western model Based on constructivism and learner centered education (Piaget, Vigotsky, Bruner,etc) Identify a Research problem: Literature Review Selection of participants Research Design Data Collection&Data Analyses Application of Results Constructivism based nomadic philosophy views of AR concept by Jadambaa formulated Learnt to identify a research problem Published over 10 main books, articles and handouts on AR Sustainable lectures team working above AR ‘Learning through action’ model developed Package of Data over 10 years project implementation with analyses Learnt to identify AR Planning

General research skillsDANIDA, Outreach8 Green Apple projects outcomes Ability to design research Ability to develop instruments Ability to select subjects Ability to collect Data Ability to analyze Data Done

Action research  … is dynamic power of teachers, school administrators’ professional development  … is the most powerful equipment for continuous development of teachers and school administrators through “action training process”  … is the main way in the continuous development of its education reform by interested groups to work cooperatively together

Action research  … is the most effective and efficient basic tool for school, its teachers and administrators’ educational development and reform management matters by their traditions, culture and real business sides  … is enabler and creator of new concepts and trends of education

Action research  … is a promoter, contributing to the undertaking of any attempt to make educational changes from the “top” to the “bottom”  … is not educational reform “supporter”, it is initiator, catalyst and doer  … is nomadic people’s living and working basic tools

Thank you for your attention!