Methodological explorations and achievements of a new school in its first academic year
In the context of the development of digital technologies and the spread of artificial intelligence tools, requirements for educational outcomes oblige schools to build approaches to management and learning in a new way. The newly opened school faces two important tasks: to form a quality educational process and to create a professional environment capable of continuously improving it. A key role in this is played by the personality of the teacher, as emphasized by the outstanding Kazakh educator Akhmet Baitursynov: "As the teacher is, so is the school."
General Education School No. 114 of the Astana city akimat began its work on September 1, 2025. The school's first academic year is the period when the professional DNA of the school is formed, determining its identity. It is built from the culture of pedagogical communication, methodological traditions, shared values, the professional position of teachers, research culture and an environment oriented toward student development, and it determines the priorities of future development.
The main principle in shaping the school's image is the combination of teacher development with student achievements, and individual initiatives with the strategic goals of the school.
The overall direction of the teaching staff's work was set by the Development Program of School No. 114 for 2025–2030, "A Leader School, True to Values, Open to the World." The school's mission: "We form leaders who are flexible to global trends in education and true to national values."
Methodological Service: From Events to a Shared Culture of Development
One of the main tasks of the new school's first year was organizing methodological work and building an integrated system that promotes the professional development of teachers. To this end, the activities of methodological associations were aimed at exchanging experience, unlocking the creative potential of teachers and introducing modern approaches into the educational process.
Subject decades became not only a platform for demonstrating the professional capabilities of teachers, but also an environment that makes it possible to increase students' interest in subjects and to apply knowledge in real-life situations. In particular, decades were organized on the themes "The National Language and Artificial Intelligence: A Companion of a New Era," "Mathematics, Physics, Informatics and AI: A World of Boundless Opportunities," and "Biology, Chemistry, Geography and AI: A New Horizon for Understanding Life and the Universe."
The distinctive feature of these initiatives is their focus on combining traditional subject knowledge with digital capabilities. Along with subject assignments, students were engaged in research, analysis, comparison and proposing creative solutions. And for teachers, this provided an opportunity to test new approaches to teaching their subject and to enrich their experience.
An important principle of methodological work at the school is not applying innovations for the sake of innovations themselves, but understanding their impact on the educational process. Therefore, the content of each pedagogical initiative was linked to the student's learning activity, the quality of knowledge acquisition and the teacher's need for professional development.
Teacher-Researcher. An important mechanism for the development of the school's methodological service is the testing of pedagogical ideas in practice and the analysis of their effectiveness. From this point of view, Lesson Study, work in the STEM direction and platforms for the exchange of professional experience can be considered as interrelated elements of a pedagogical laboratory. The work is based on four stages: identifying a problem → testing a solution → analyzing the result → improving practice. Such an approach allows methodological work not to be limited to holding events, but to orient it toward the professional needs of the teacher and the learning activity of the student.
About 70 teachers took part in the Lesson Study research, who, through joint lesson planning, observation of students' activities and analysis of results, sought to improve teaching practice. In order to systematize the process of lesson observation, the digital tool Google Forms was used, which made it possible to summarize the observation results, determine the professional needs of teachers and identify priority areas of methodological work.
This work was aimed at the interrelation of teachers' professional development, support for young specialists and the development of students' research potential. The combination of Lesson Study with digital observation tools showed the importance of improving methodological work in accordance with specific professional needs.
Professional development and exchange of experience. The lines of Abai Kunanbayev, "A mentor will not tire of teaching children," reflect the continuous nature of a teacher's professional search. At our school, in order to improve the professional competencies of teachers, their scientific articles were published in republican and international publications, and author's programs were approved by the methodological council. More than 30 teachers took part in scientific and methodological searches, contributing to the improvement of professional experience and the dissemination of effective pedagogical ideas. Among them, two particularly creative approaches can be especially noted:
– The "Workshop of a Creative Lesson" platform. Here, teachers, not limiting themselves to ready-made templates, mastered the transformation of each lesson into a world full of discoveries, search and emotions for the student. The topic was revealed in the format of a quest, case, role-playing game, podcast, short video, mind map, STEM project or mini-research, and teachers exchanged experience in the "5 minutes – 5 ideas" format. For example, a formula in mathematics turned into an architectural project, a cell in biology into a city model, an event in history into a role-playing trial, and a literary hero into a modern media portrait.
– The "Creative Suitcase and Rotating Stations" platform. This was the most productive approach as a continuation of the workshop. Each teacher came to the lesson not with a ready-made presentation, but with a "creative suitcase" containing 5 unexpected objects – a 3D pen, a QR code, an old key, an hourglass, LEGO parts. The lesson was built around these objects. And in the "Rotating Stations" / World Cafe format, one topic was considered from four sides: Station 1 – Visual, Station 2 – Gamification, Station 3 – Storytelling, Station 4 – Research. Every 12 minutes, teachers changed stations and proposed 4 different creative solutions for one lesson. Teachers were given the opportunity to discuss pedagogical ideas, demonstrate effective methods and consider practical ways to improve the educational process.
Professional development of teachers should be carried out not only through the acquisition of new information, but also through its testing in practice, evaluation of results and constant application of effective approaches.
Support for young specialists
The sustainable development of a new school depends on the formation of an environment based on mutual support and professional cooperation. It is especially important that a young teacher at the beginning of his career receives methodological support, can discuss professional difficulties and demonstrate his capabilities.
To unlock creative potential and support the professional development of young teachers, our school organized seminars, mastery hours and the competition "Best Young Specialist – 2026."
The main meaning of supporting a young specialist is not only providing him with ready-made solutions, but also creating conditions for his development as a teacher capable of making decisions independently, carrying out professional reflection and striving for continuous development.
The Formula of Methodological Development of School No. 114
The quality of the methodological service should be determined not only by the events held, but also by the changes they have brought to the educational process. Summarizing the experience of the first academic year, the main directions of the school's methodological service can be considered through four interrelated components.
The first direction – a professional team. Advanced training of teachers, support for young specialists, exchange of experience and development of professional cooperation.
The second direction – research and innovation. The use of Lesson Study, STEM, digital tools and artificial intelligence capabilities for pedagogical purposes, analysis and improvement of teaching practice.
The third direction – student development. The formation of functional literacy, research skills, critical thinking, creativity and leadership qualities.
The fourth direction – sustainable development of the school. The connection of professional searches with the development goals of the educational organization, systematization of effective practices and evaluation of their results..
The First Achievements of Our Students
The school's mission is based on the goal of forming a personality who has absorbed national values, is adapted to global changes and possesses developed leadership qualities. This goal requires support for the scientific, intellectual and creative initiatives of students.
During the academic year, in order to increase students' cognitive activity and develop their functional literacy, various events based on the edutainment approach (education + entertainment) were held. The quests "Land of Knowledge" and "In Search of the Treasures of Knowledge," the educational journey "The ABC of Politeness," the intellectual games "Journey Through Fairy Tales" and "The Mysterious Chest of Knowledge," the logic competition "Brain Battle" and the detective game "The Kingdom of Numbers" gave students the opportunity to actively participate in the learning process.
Through the use of elements of play, quest and competition, the development of logical thinking, decision-making, group interaction and the application of knowledge in practice was intended.
The Karl Popper format debate tournament on the topic "AI – the Future or a Threat?" was aimed at developing students' critical thinking. During the discussion, students had the opportunity to prove their point of view, compare sources, evaluate the reliability of information and take a critical attitude toward the capabilities of artificial intelligence.
Work in the natural science direction also contributed to the development of students' research interest. Practical classes and show programs "Simple Experiments" and "Science Is a Miracle!" were organized on the basis of the STEM approach.
The educational event "Journey into the World of Chemistry and Biology," the model competition "Living Science: Create Life with Your Own Hands," the exhibition "Science in the Palm of Your Hand: The World in Miniature" and the quest "Terra Incognita" created conditions for combining students' theoretical knowledge with practice, observing scientific phenomena and proposing creative solutions.
The common feature of this work is the orientation of the student from the role of a consumer of ready-made information to the role of a researcher of a problem, a seeker of a solution and the author of his own idea.
International and Intellectual Achievements: The Result of Work
Students' participation in scientific projects, subject olympiads, creative competitions and international competitions is an important component of the school's educational environment.
In the school's first academic year, our students took part in intellectual and creative competitions at the international level and showed excellent results.
Within the framework of the international summit organized in the city of Bishkek of the Kyrgyz Republic, at the international team oral olympiad "My Language Is the Testimony of My Being" using the "Satylai kешенді оқыту" technology, first-grade students of the school took 1st place.
In the qualifying stage of the international festival "RoboLand–2026" in the "Robogeometry" category, seventh-grade students took 2nd place.
However, what is important for the school is not only the number of prize places, but also the opportunity for each student to reveal their abilities, develop interest and apply knowledge in new conditions.
Forming the School's Traditions
The 2025–2026 academic year became an important stage for General Education School No. 114, marking not only the formation of a new educational environment but also the determination of priority directions for the methodological service.
The first academic year taught us one important idea: the true success of a school is measured by the professional culture formed in that space, the ability to unlock a student's potential, and a team acting together on the path to a common goal.
Going forward, it is important to systematically continue work in this direction, evaluate the effectiveness of pedagogical initiatives through concrete indicators, study teaching practice and widely disseminate effective solutions.
The goal of School No. 114 is not to limit itself to today's achievements, but with each academic year to analyze its experience, renew itself and become a leader school that expands the opportunities of students.
Ulbala TOILYBAYEVA,
Director of General Education School No. 114, Astana,
Zarina MUSLIMBEKOVA,
Deputy Director for Specialized Education
АННОТАЦИЯ
Мектептің жетістігі тек оның материалдық мүмкіндіктерімен ғана емес, сонымен қатар педагогикалық ұжымның кәсіби әлеуетімен, ортақ құндылықтарымен және үздіксіз ізденіске деген ұмтылысымен де өлшенеді. Мақалада № 114 мектептің алғашқы оқу жылындағы әдістемелік қызметі, педагогтердің кәсіби дамуы, жас мамандарды қолдау, сондай-ақ оқушылардың зияткерлік, ғылыми-шығармашылық жетістіктері қарастырылады.
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