BEGIN:VCALENDAR VERSION:2.0 PRODID:-//Talks.cam//talks.cam.ac.uk// X-WR-CALNAME:Talks.cam BEGIN:VEVENT SUMMARY:Teacher Identity and School Autonomy in Secondary Education in Kaz akhstan - Aimzhan Iztayeva\, Gulmira Smanova &\; Aizhan Omarbekova\, Na zarbayev University Graduate School of Education\, Astana\, Kazakhstan DTSTART:20140709T160000Z DTEND:20140709T173000Z UID:TALK53305@talks.cam.ac.uk CONTACT:Laura Carnicero DESCRIPTION:The goal of this seminar is two-fold: to address the professio nal teacher identity concerns from the perspective of gender and mass comm unication studies and explore the concepts of autonomy and accountability in secondary education. \n\nUnderstanding Gender Constructs in Teacher Ide ntity\n\nAimzhan Iztayeva\, Nazarbayev University Graduate School of Educa tion\, Astana\, Kazakhstan\n\nThe first part of the seminar will offer a g ender-aware analysis of the construction of teacher's professional identit y in Kazakhstan. Using the theoretical framework drawn from the work by Be ijaard et al. (2004) on teacher’s professional identity that offers four distinctive features\, this particular research strand focuses on gendere d discourses in teachers’ narratives in order to investigate how gender affects the construction of teachers’ professional identity and what imp lications such construction may have upon the feminisation of a teaching p rofession as a whole in Kazakhstan.\n\nThe Role of Mass Media in the Const ruction of Teacher Identity\n\nGulmira Smanova Nazarbayev University Gradu ate School of Education\, Astana\, Kazakhstan\n\nAnother line of the resea rch on teacher professional identity will pursue examination of the constr uction of teacher professional identity from the perspective of mass commu nication studies. Most of the research on teacher professional identity is based on the teachers’ own narratives\, perceptions and storylines abou t their role in society\, upholding status and challenges they are facing. The primary objective of this approach is to identify how teachers are re presented in Kazakhstani print media and to correlate these discursive rep resentations with teachers’ own narratives. By doing so\, it tries to un derstand the role mass media in shaping public understanding and in educat ion policy in a broader social context.\n\nExploring Prospects for School Autonomy in Kazakhstan\n\nAizhan Omarbekova\, Nazarbayev University Gradua te School of Education\, Astana\, Kazakhstan\n\nThe second part of the sem inar will concentrate on the concepts of autonomy and accountability in se condary education. These notions have recently been discussed widely in Ka zakhstan. Under the government initiative to grant more autonomy to higher education institutions\, the notion of autonomy in secondary education ha s also become of interest from the perspectives of national and internatio nal research focus. This has led us to analyse and evaluate the extent of secondary schools’ independence in Kazakhstan’s education system and e xplore forms and degrees of school autonomy at this point. There are at le ast two good reasons for exploring this idea: it will firstly contribute t o building knowledge on the idea of autonomy in education. Secondly\, it w ill provide some thoughts for reflection in the context of translation of the recently-established network of autonomous Nazarbayev Intellectual Sch ools’ practices to secondary schools across Kazakhstan. LOCATION: Faculty of Education\, 184 Hills Road\, Cambridge\, CB2 8PQ\, DM B\, Room GS1 END:VEVENT END:VCALENDAR