Meet Your Prospective Mentor: Feruza Erkulova!

Meet your mentor who is happy and ready to help you become a teacher-researcher!

Hello fellow teachers! My name is Feruza Erkulova. I received my bachelor and master’s degrees from Namangan State University. Currently, I am teaching at Namangan State University.

My ambitions:
One of my ambitions is to become a great MENTOR and set a good example for my Mentees. Knowing that I am responsible for providing appropriate and accurate guidance to them motivates me to work harder. My role as a mentor can contribute to the success of my entire educational system where I will be the most helpful mentor and a perfect facilitator.

The research interests that I would like to help my mentees with lie in online teaching, particularly digital learning technologies, online feedback, teacher preparation to teach online, online data analysis, and surveys through digital tools. So, I would love to help you explore your virtual teaching practices and make them more effective.

Message to my mentees about the training:

For potential mentees, this is a great opportunity for you to connect with a mentor who can offer you insight, advice, opportunity – and help you navigate the next stage/s of your classroom-based research to improve your teaching practices.

Meet Your Prospective Mentor: Khallyeva Dildora!

Meet your mentor who is happy and ready to help you become a teacher-researcher!

Hello fellow teachers! My name is Khallyeva Dildora Ilkhamovna. I received my Bachelor’s in English philology and Master’s degrees in Linguistics and English literature from the Uzbek State World Languages University. I am an English language teacher at the University of World Economy and Diplomacy.

My research interests that I would like to help my mentees with: The improvement of digital learning, critical thinking in adult students; promoting positive interactions and motivation among students; collaborative learning; creativity in education.

My ambitions:

As any conscientious educator, I’m determined to improve my students, make them a little stronger, help them believe in themselves and facilitate them. Studying and improving my knowledge, I set myself such an ambitious goal as infecting as many students as possible with positive experience who can learn new skills and bring something from themselves and further promote them among their friends and loved ones.

Message to my mentees about the training:

Every student is unique with inimitable knowledge and a non-standard viewpoint. For me, there are no unfit students, I believe in each of them. I am convinced that together with you, my dear mentor, we will help our learners achieve higher learning results, empower them to do everything and overcome learning difficulties. I am always happy to support you and tell you the right way in your endeavours. Let's enjoy this journey together!

Meet Your Prospective Mentor: Malika Mirvokhidova (Kudratova)!

Meet your mentor who is happy and ready to help you become a teacher-researcher!

Hello fellow teachers! 

My name is Malika Mirvokhidova. I received my MA TESL from Webster University in Tashkent, MA Linguistics (English language) from Uzbekistan state world languages university, and BA Philology (English language) from Uzbekistan state world languages university. Currently, I am an Academic Communication Skills Module Coordinator and an Instructor for the TEAM university.

My ambitions:

From the first years of my teaching career, I felt that teaching is not the only reason for me to do this job. I intend to do good for people: help and guide them, communicate with them and encourage for new endeavours.

My research interests that I would like to help my mentees with:

Increasing lessons' efficiency; implementing environmental education into ELT; effective methods of teaching EAP. 

Message to my mentees about the training:                                                    

This training is promising to be fruitful and fascinating with carefully designed and well communicated practical workshops. It would be a great opportunity to learn and share together knowledge and experience along with local and international specialists. Join us! Join me! We will explore your classroom practices together and improve them! You will learn how to conduct exploratory action research and use it in your teaching practices!

Meet Your Prospective Mentor: Nilufar Tillayeva!

Meet your mentor who is happy and ready to help you become a teacher-researcher!

Hello fellow teachers! My name is Nilufar Tillayeva. I received my MA in TESOL from Webster University in Tashkent, Bachelor’s Degree in English philology from ASPIL. Currently, I am an adjunct professor and ESL instructor in the MA TESOL   program at Webster University in Tashkent.

My ambitions: I would like to contribute to the quality of EFL teaching in Uzbekistan, investigate the issues of the field, and be a valuable asset to the education system of Uzbekistan.

Message to your mentees about the training:

• Are you teaching nonstop?
• Are you concerning a lot?
• Are you preparing tons of worksheets?

BUT

• Have you achieved the desired outcomes?
• Have you ever analyzed your way of teaching comparing 21st-century skills?
• How can уou define a 21-century teacher?

My research interests that I would like to help my mentees with: critical thinking in EFL classes, curriculum design, material design, assessment.

Keep in mind, Teaching is not enough today. Teachers are not only teachers. They are researchers, material designers, assessors, etc. If you want to enjoy your work, try to solve the problems which are happening in your class, do not make an assumption, address the experienced teachers and experts. Apply your findings in the class and share your success and research findings with your community (at the local and international level). The starting point is always difficult. The NETRUZ PROJECT will definitely help you to find out yourself as an inquiring teacher and a researcher.

Don’t forget you are the right person to change your class, your community and the world.

Meet Your Prospective Mentor: Dilafruz Sarimsakova!

Meet your mentor who is happy and ready to help you become a teacher-researcher!

Hello fellow teachers! My name is Dilafruz Sarimsakova. I received my bachelor’s degree in English language and Literature from Andijan State University, master’s degree in English language and Literature from Namangan State University. I am currently a Trainee Researcher of Namangan State University in English Methodology and a PhD Student of Namangan State University.

My ambitions: It is proved that there is not one single best method for everyone in all contexts and that no one’s teaching method is inherently superior to the others. Also, it is not always possible or appropriate to apply the same methodology to all learners, who have different objectives, environments and learning needs. Having experienced some different approaches in my teaching, having absolute confusion in my mind, I decided that I would need to do classroom-based research that would consider my students' needs and the problems that occurred with me in the classroom. But how to do exploratory action research was a problem. The project “NETRUZ” broadened my theoretical knowledge on how to conduct EAR to improve my teaching practices. Now I have developed my research questions and going to start exploring action research based on my research plan. As a future mentor, I am ready for sharing with my prospective mentees what I have learnt within this project.

Message to my mentees about the training:  Teachers never stop learning. We learn and practice today; we teach and instruct how to do it in practice tomorrow. You will broaden your theoretical knowledge at the same time you take action on the problems you have faced in your classroom.

My research interests that I would like to help my mentees with:  teaching methodology, classroom-based action research, how to ingrate LMS more effectively.

Meet Your Prospective Mentor: Ella Maksakova!

 Meet your mentor who is happy and ready to help you become a teacher-researcher!

Hello fellow teachers! 

My name is Ella Maksakova and I am here to be your guide to the unknown and for now may be little comprehensible world of research. I remember my feelings about the research before joining the project, I literally felt an alien what came to understanding statistics in tables, could hardly distinguish one tool for data collection and analysis from another, was puzzled by seemingly endless literature reviews and generally found myself lost somewhere by the middle of a research article. However, I didn’t want to give up, I wanted to be rescued! I was desperate for someone to help me through! I needed a good adviser, a mentor and I was lucky to find such one within NETRUZ project that aims exactly at assisting language teachers interested in classroom-based research, but not knowing where to start.

If you are that kind of teacher, who feels strongly interested in and at the same time a bit intimidated by research per se, then NETRUZ is the right place for you to start the journey. Besides, you are not going to be alone, I will be happy to be your mentor along the path until we reach our final destination! Shall we set off???

Here is some information about me, so you we do not feel total strangers😊:

NETRUZ project, mentorship training (April-June 2021);

Active member of a global Mentoring community for teacher-researchers (TR2021);

Professional development course on TEAP (2020), Reading University, UK;

MA in TESOL, Webster University Tashkent (2020);

BA in English philology (2001), Tashkent State Pedagogical University,

Successfully cooperating with:

Moscow State University of International Relationship, (Tashkent campus) Senior EFL teacher;

Webster University (Tashkent campus) adjunct professor at MA TESOL program;

British Management University, EAP lecturer.

My research interests include: EAP/ESP, classroom-based research, teacher identity, Learning through play for very young and young language learners, ELT methodology, creativity in the classroom.

And… I am currently applying to obtain MA in Education and Innovation to make my lessons more effective through creative pedagogy based on research-informed decisions. Willing to participate in national educational reform projects as an ESL consultant. I am a part of a global mentors’ program initiated by Richard Smith to assist teacher-researchers to become better mentors for other teachers interested in classroom-based research.

Call for teacher researchers: We are looking for you!

Dear English language teachers of Uzbekistan,

NETRUZ: Network of English  Teacher Researchers in Uzbekistan is pleased to announce the opening of a new call for teacher-researcher who would like to be trained and mentored to do classroom-based research. 

This project is funded by Hornby Trust and British Council. The main aims of this project are to develop the network for English language teacher-researchers and teacher research mentors, train English language teacher research mentors and teacher-researchers, and allow teachers to share their best teaching practices.

If you would like to improve your research skills, explore and analyse teaching practices, and develop your collaborative and reflective learning through our workshops and meetings, you should JOIN our mentors’ training program which will start in October 2021! This training offers the opportunity to experienced (over 2 years of teaching experience) teachers and practitioners who would like to expand their knowledge and improve their teaching and research skills, and become professional teacher-researchers.

• Are you interested in doing research, particularly classroom research? 

• Are you interested in finding solutions and improving your classroom practices? 

• Are you working in the educational sector and can dedicate a minimum of two hours every week (or more if you like) to training and mentorship? 

Send your contact details (email, phone number, telegram number), your CV, and a brief cover letter (max. 150 words) outlining why you are interested in this project and how you can benefit other teachers in terms of research and classroom practices to the following email: netruzproject@gmail.com by September 10, 2021.

Best wishes,

NETRUZ Mentors

NETRUZ Research mentor training course has finished

 
As you know, the NETRUZ Project organised the first Teacher research mentor training course at the end of April 2021. The purpose of this course was to train English language teachers in research and encourage them to improve their teaching practices by integrating action research, exploratory action research in classrooms, increase their research literacy and implement context-appropriate methodologies.

Within this training, 7 English language who are working in educational institutions (schools and universities) of Uzbekistan were selected to become TEACHER RESEARCH MENTORS of our project.  They are Dilafruz Sarimsakova from Namangan State University; Ella Maksakova from Webster University in Uzbekistan, British Management University in Tashkent; Feruza Erkulova from Namangan State University; Klara R. Nazmutdinova from UzSWLU, Webster University in Tashkent; Malika Mirvokhidova (Kudratova) from TEAM University; and Nilufar Tillayeva from UzSWLU and Webster University, Dildora Khallyeva from the University of World Economy and Diplomacy.

For our training, we have also invited teachers and researchers from various countries to share their research findings, research tips, exploratory action research tips with our mentors. These wonderful guest speakers are Addy Ahmad from Malaysia, Suzie Ryu from South Korea, Vinayadhar Raju from India, Darío Luis Banegas from the University of Strathclyde, Scotland, and Sagun Shrestha, a PhD candidate at Dublin City University.

NETRUZ Research Sharing Workshop 4

NETRUZ Project welcomes our next guest speaker Mr Sagun Shrestha who is a PhD candidate in the School of Applied Language and Intercultural Studies (SALIS), Dublin City University. He is researching on affordances of and challenges to using ICT in secondary school education during crisis settings in Nepal. 

He has earned an MA in English Language Teaching from the University of Warwick, UK, and a Master's in English Education from Tribhuvan University, Nepal. Currently, he is serving as a joint coordinator of the Irish Association for Applied Linguistics Postgraduate Students Special Interest Group. He is interested in ICT in education, teacher education, language planning and policy, and discourse analysis.

Mr Sagun Shrestha will be presenting their research study and also sharing their experiences and achievements related to Exploratory Action Research with the Uzbekistani teacher-research mentors on May 29, 2021, at 5:30 pm (Tashkent time). 

If you also want to attend the workshop which will be delivered via ZOOM, please send your contact details to netruzproject@gmail.com.

NETRUZ Research Sharing Workshop 3

NETRUZ Project welcomes our next guest speaker Darío Luis Banegas who is a lecturer in TESOL in the School of Education, University of Strathclyde, Scotland. 

He is also an associate fellow with the University of Warwick. He carries out research on CLIL teacher education in different settings. His main research and pedagogical interests are: CLIL, action research, teacher education, inclusive language education, and curriculum development.

Darío Luis Banegas will share his experience on how to write a literature review for research articles with the Uzbekistani teacher-research mentors on May 22, 2021, at 7 pm (Tashkent time). The title of his workshop is "Who's afraid of the words "literature review"?".

If you also want to attend the workshop which will be delivered via ZOOM, please send your contact details to netruzproject@gmail.com.

NETRUZ Research Sharing Workshop 2

NETRUZ Project welcomes our next guest speaker Suzie Ryu who holds a BA in English language and English literature from Soongsil University, South Korea, and an MA in Drama Education and English Language Teaching at the University of Warwick, UK. 

She has worked as an English teacher for ten years and was a member of Intel ® Creative Teachers in 2014/2015. She was a recipient of the 2020 Award for International Participation at TESOL sponsored by the TOEFL Board of ETS and a presenter at the 2020 TESOL Convention in Denver, Colorado. Her interest in ELT is Drama, ICT, literature, and PBLL.

Suzie Ryu will share her research experience with the Uzbekistani teacher-research mentors on May 8, 2021, at 6 pm (Tashkent time). Her talk will be on "Google Classroom Experience in Reading Lessons for EFL Classes from South Korea during COVID-19 Crisis".

If you also want to attend the workshop which will be delivered via ZOOM, please send your contact details to netruzproject@gmail.com.

NETRUZ Research mentor training course: Special Guest Speaker

We invited a Guest Speaker Mr. Vinayadhar Raju to the NETRUZ Research Mentor training course to deliver a workshop on Exploratory Action Research on May 1, 2021.

Mr. Vinayadhar Raju is working as an English Language Teacher in Telangana state government secondary school, ZPHS Jangapally in Karimnagar district. He is also acting as a State Resource person and training module writer for in-service teacher training organised by Telangana state government and SCERT.

Mr. Vinayadhar has 24 years of experience in teaching English and Handling in-service teacher training by integrating technologies in teacher training sessions as well as in classroom teaching. He also provided an exceptional contribution to the teaching of English by maintaining a subject Forum, ELTA-English Language Teachers Association- Telangana for the Continuous professional development of English Language Teachers in the state.

Mr. Vinayadhar received M.A in English literature from Kakatiya University,Warangal and completed his Bachelor of Education from the same University. He completed E-moderator course sponsored by British council and TESOL methods from Oregon university sponsored by RELO India. Participated in E-Teacher Alumni programme and organised workshops for teachers working in government school on “Alternative assessment strategies.” He participated in Britisch council's project “Teachers and students as co-researchers in Indian government schools” sponsored by Warwick University, U.K. He also led the Arms and Connecting Classrooms Projects funded by British Council and Usief. Currently, he is mentoring 12 Mentors and 50 Teacher Researchers as a part of the Hornby Project.

Mr. Vinayadhar worked on collaborative project with the teacher in Honor-roll school,Texas, USA. During this project, he connected his classroom with US class-room using asynchronous technology. Students from US and ZPHS Jangapally worked collaboratively on projects like “ Backpacks” and “Film reviews” using padlet as a collaborative wall.

Mr. Vinayadhar is a Fulbright scholar in 2017 visited and worked in US School during his visit.

NETRUZ Research Sharing Workshop 1

NETRUZ Project welcomes our first guest speaker Addy Ahmad, an English lecturer at Jitra Institute of Industrial Training in Malaysia.

Addy Ahmad will share his research experience with the Uzbekistani teacher-research mentors on April 30, 2021 at 6 pm (Tashkent time). His talk will be on "Reflective Practice at Institute of Teacher Education in Malaysia: Challenges faces by student teachers during teaching practicum" with the focus on reflective practices of pre-service teachers in Malaysia.

Addy Ahmad completed his MA TESOL at University of Warwick, United Kingdom, and obtained his B. Ed TESOL from Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand. His research interest is in the area of Teacher Education and Development.

If you also want to attend the workshop which will be delivered through ZOOM, please send your contact details to netruzproject@gmail.com.

NETRUZ Research mentor training course

 

The NETRUZ Project has launched its first Teacher research mentor training course this week. 

The purpose of this course is to train English language teachers of Uzbekistan in research. This course will help teachers improve their teaching practices by integrating action research, exploratory action research in classrooms, increase their research literacy and implement context-appropriate methodologies.

12 English language teachers who are working in educational institutions (schools and universities) of Uzbekistan were selected to take part in this course and become TEACHER RESEARCH MENTORS.  They are 

Aziza Kadirova (Bukhara School 2),
Dilafruz Sarimsakova (Namangan State University),
Ella Maksakova (Webster University in Uzbekistan; Moscow State University of International Relations (MGIMO); British Management University in Tashkent);
Feruza Erkulova (Namangan State University, EFLT),
Guljahon Narimova (Samarqand State Foreign Languages Institute),
Gyulsanem Kurbanova ( Nukus #46 school, Nukus, Republic of Karakalpakstan),
Khilola Maksudova (UzSWLU),
Klara R. Nazmutdinova (UzSWLU; Webster University in Tashkent);
Malika Mirvokhidova (Kudratova) (TEAM University),
Nilufar Tillayeva (UzSWLU),
Nozima Mukhtarova (Tashkent school-227),
Zukhra Ikanova (Branch of Astrakhan State Technical University in Tashkent Region).

All of them are interested in doing research and having more research-informed teaching practices.

We welcome our research mentors to our course!

Introducing the Core members of the Project:

Mamura Alimova  is the head of the department at Namangan State University. She graduated from Uzbek State World Languages University in 1993. Through her involvement in countless projects organized by British Council, she has established herself as an important contributor to the field of English teaching in Uzbekistan. She has also taken part in a teaching-materials design group that culminated in the publication of the textbook B2 Ready. She is a member of a big ACCESS - Micro scholarship program family.

She lives in Andijan with her family. In her free time, she shares time with her family members. She likes to read novels and cooking.

Introducing the Core members of the Project: Khikmatullo Urazbaev

Mr. Khikmatullo Urazbaev is the head of Global Education Department at Westminster International University in Tashkent. 

He holds an MA in TESOL degree from Sheffield Hallam University (2016). He is currently an independent researcher at Uzbekistan State World Languages University. 

His research interests include learner autonomy, portfolio pedagogy, teacher research capacity building, and pedagogy of reflection. Apart from being a PhD researcher at Uzbekistan State World Languages University, he designed and facilitated series of workshops for PhD candidates on research methodology, research design, and academic writing for research purposes. He gained extensive experience as a teacher trainer at Sirdarya Regional In-Service Teacher Training Institute. He is a British Council certified trainer to deliver Training for Research Enterprise Development (TRED) project.

Call for teacher research mentors

Dear English language teachers of Uzbekistan,

We are pleased to announce the opening of our call for mentors who would like to be trained and share the received knowledge with other teachers within a new project NETRUZ: Network of English  Teacher Researchers in Uzbekistan. 

The link of our project’s blog: https://netruz-project.blogspot.com/.

This project is funded by Hornby Trust and British Council. The main aims of this project are to develop the network for English language teacher-researchers and teacher research mentors, to train English language teacher-researchers and teacher research mentors, and allow teachers to share their best teaching and research practices.

If you would like to improve your research and mentoring skills and develop your collaborative and reflective learning through our workshops and regular meetings, you should JOIN our project and mentor training program now! This project offers the opportunity to experienced (over 2 years of teaching or research experience) teachers and practitioners to expand their knowledge and their research skills, and help to become professional research mentors.

• Are you interested in doing research, particularly classroom research? 

• Are you interested in finding solutions and improving your classroom practices? 

• Are you working in the educational sector and can spare a minimum of two hours every week (or more if you like) for training and mentorship? 

Send your contact details (email and phone number), your CV, and a brief cover letter (max. 150 words) outlining why you are interested in this project and how you as a mentor can benefit other teachers in terms of research and classroom practices to the following email: elyanoramenglieva@yahoo.com. 

Best wishes,

NETRUZ Core Trainers

Introducing the Core members of the Project: Inomiddin Imomov

Mr. Inomiddin Imomov is currently a Core trainer of ESN: STT program. He is from Ferghana, received a Bachelor's Degree in Education and Masters in Education from the University of World Languages. He is certified to teach English as a foreign language. This will be his fifth year at Avloni Research Institute after ten years at Tashkent State University of Law.

He has a true passion for working with our young learners and novice teachers!! Helping each student progress in all areas of their development—academic, social, language, and motor—is a challenge that he is honored to accept daily. He strives to create a community of learners and teachers that nurtures this growth in a positive, fun environment.

Personally, he has been married for 30 glorious years and has two fantastic children who are 9, and 7 years old and attend school. He loves to watch his kids' swim! He also enjoys reading, and spending time with friends and family.

He looks forward to working together with you as partners in your professional growth and development!!

Introducing the Core members of the Project: Nilufar Begibaeva

 

Mrs. Nilufar Begibaeva has been teaching English as a Foreign Language since 1994.

Nilufar’s current responsibilities in the position of the Head of Testing and Assessment Department are observing and evaluating the processes of teaching and learning and providing recommendations after that; assessing learners’ skills and working with trainer trainers.

She was announced as the best teacher by ACCELS (American Councils for International Education) in 2000 and in 2003. Since 2008 she has been a trainer of trainers in the Professional Development Center of Andijan State University. But she started a training activity in 2003 when Nilufar began to work as a DIPECHO Project Instructor (Mercy Corps International NGO) where she first developed modules of training and later trained “Rescue Group” members and “Young Rescuers” in communities, facilitated International and National contests of “Young Rescuers” and two International conferences in Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan.  The position of UNDP Administrator of the Resource Center in the Andijan region allowed her to improve her training skills greatly.   

In 2009 she received a Certificate of Appreciation from Ambassador of the USA in Uzbekistan Richard Norland in recognition for her outstanding contribution to mutual understanding and cooperation between the peoples of the USA and Uzbekistan.   Nilufar is an alumna of several programs of different countries such as the USA, UK, India, China, Malaysia, Czech Republic, Poland, and Russia. The most valuable thing in these programs and different positions she worked for is that in addition to skills and experience she gains Nilufar meets wonderful people and very grateful to have them in her life. She was also the Head of UzTEA (Uzbekistan Teachers of English Association) Andijan branch. Her motto is “Live and Learn” which is the reason why Nilufar tries to get knowledge wherever it is possible: School of Music, English Linguistics (MA), Russian Linguistics (MA), courses, training, conferences, and fellowships, etc.

In her free time, she likes reading video-books and being a beta-tester of the programs and games that her husband creates as a software developer.

Introducing the Core members of the Project: Menglieva Elyanora

 

Ms. Elyanora Menglieva is from Termez, Uzbekistan. She has a BA and MA from the Uzbek State World Languages University and was awarded a Hornby Trust Educational Scholarship to study for an MA in TESOL at the University of Warwick, United Kingdom, in 2018. Ms. Menglieva has experience as an EFL teacher, a teacher-trainer, a curriculum developer. She has been working in local higher educational institutions: Uzbek State World Languages University, Tashkent State Law University, and Head Scientific and Methodological Center.

Ms. Menglieva has also been involved in prestigious international research projects with both the Erasmus Plus and the British Council. In 2020, she received Hornby Trust Alumni Award to develop a Handbook on Formative Assessment Practices, which aims to improve the current assessment practices of EFL teachers. Ms. Menglieva is interested in a range of teaching and learning issues, namely corpus linguistics, second language acquisition, pedagogies in ELT, ESP, EAP, materials development, teacher research.