Pre-service Education Training for Azerbaijan (PST)

Program Overview

Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs of the US Department of State

Pre-Service Education Training for Azerbaijan, launched in 2003, was a three-year program that gave balanced attention to the full spectrum of teaching and curriculum priorities in pedagogical institutions. A program of the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs of the US Department of State, PST empowered pre-service teacher training institutions to develop new curricula and instructional materials, and to organize a mentorship program for pre-service students to improve student teaching practices.

KEY ISSUES AND OBJECTIVES

Initiate instructional and curriculum reform in teacher-training institutions by empowering local specialists and teachers
Address the education professional training cycle by improving pre-service teachers’ student teaching practice in secondary schools

PROJECT RESULTS

Over 600 faculty and 1,000 pre-service teachers from 12 pedagogical institutions of higher education trained
Over 200 clinical faculty in middle schools trained
Two handbooks on pre-service curriculum design and teacher training methodologies for social studies published and adopted by several pedagogical institutions

Project Activities

Pre-service Curriculum Development: Through collaboration with US educational experts, the program trained local education specialists in pre-service curriculum design. The program’s approach empowered local educators to institute sustainable pre-service teacher training reforms in Azerbaijan. Ultimately, the new curriculum was adapted and implemented into the Azerbaijan pre-service teacher training system.
Pre-service Faculty Training for Pedagogical Institutions: Pre-service faculty received intensive training in new methodologies and modern pedagogical techniques that foster critical thinking. As a result, the number of trained faculty is increasing continuously thus impacting educational reform throughout pedagogical institutions in Azerbaijan.
Improving Student Teaching Practices through Clinical Schools: Select middle schools served as clinical schools, where pre-service teachers studying at pedagogical institutions actively collaborated with experienced in-service teachers. They worked together using new teaching techniques, developing lesson plans and portfolios, and conducting lessons using new methods.