| Ms. Irada Samadova from Azerbaijan |
|
| What school or organization are you working at? |
| I work in a small public school which enrolls students of high school based
on their academic merits. It is the only high school in Azerbaijan and
studying is very competitive. Our school is located in Baku, the capital
of Azerbaijan. |
| What makes your school unique?
|
Our school is special, unique in the country since all the other schools are comprehensive where primary, middle and high school are located in 1 building, while in our school there are only 9,10,11th Grades. Our school system requires 11 years of
education. We follow the same curriculum but we are also free to use/add any
extra material at lessons because our students are very striving for knowledge.
|
| Our lyceum holds the name of the mother of current President, who used
to be a prominent eye doctor and passed away early. Since our lyceum is
named after her, we hold a charity event every year on her birthday: 28
April. So, usually we hold a charity bazaar to raise money for a sick child
from a poor family that needs money for expensive treatment locally or
even abroad.
Last
charity, in spring 2023, devoted our
annual event to raise money to help neighboring Turkey after deadly earthquake
that took lives of hundreds of thousands and left lots of people without simple
necessities.
|
An annual charity bazaar to raise money
for sick children
|
A charity event to raise funds for people in Turkey affected by the earthquak |
What do you teach? How long have you been teaching at Zarifa Aliyeva High
School?
|
| I teach English to 9, 10, 11th Grade students. I have been
working for 34 years. |
| Could
you please provide some information regarding public education in Azerbaijan?
|
In Azerbaijan schools are comprehensive, the education system is structured
and runs from primary to high school. That also means primary, middle and
high school students study in 1 big building. That’s why I noted that my
school is the only high school in the country which runs only 9, 10, 11th
Grades. We have 11 Grade education, not 12, like in many countries.
All the schools
start on September 15 and end on June 14. |
| Do most of your students advance to higher education after
graduation?
|
Yes,
the tendency is that school graduates follow the education in higher
institutions. Part of my school students apply for European universities and do
their best to get scholarship. Some even get full scholarship, some part.
Rarely do they pay the full price.
|
| How many years of experience do you have in iEARN？ What iEARN projects have you
done with your students? |
I’ve been involved in iEARN for more than 20. One of the few projects we’ve
done is My Identity Your Identity. The project highlights important topics
in collaborating countries and shows the students similarities and differences
between them.
Unfortunately, my school students have been involved in other projects
rather than iEARN projects. They are mostly interested in Model United
Nations project, in STEAM projects, so iEARN is not very popular in my
school.
|
| What is the current situation like for English language teaching in your
country, and do you encounter any challenges when teaching English to your
students? |
I have been teaching for 30 years and the situation has changed for the
better. The students know that knowledge of English opens the door to well-paid
jobs and they learn it from childhood. Some families take tutors even from
the primary school. I can’t say all the students speak English when they
leave school but most do.
|
 Students
at Zarifa Aliyeva High School in a classroom
|
| What digital devices are available in the classroom, and what do
you see as the advantages and disadvantages of using technology in teaching?
|
| There
are computers, printing machines, smart-boards in classes. Technology saves
time in explanations in the lesson. It also makes comprehension more
acceptable. Challenges are for part of the teachers who are not good at using
technology. The students are eager to study offline.
The
usage of technology is rather slow in schools in the recent years. Computers
and smart boards were provided in schools, the teachers got trained but what
happens is that they are not renewed or repaired and it gets hard to use them
at the lessons. Most of the students have computers at home because they need
them for researches.
|
| Any messages to Japanese teachers?
|
| I
know Japan as an advanced country, maybe the most advanced in the world. I am
fascinated by your level of education and hope cooperation will bring our young
people closer to learn from each other and acquire new skills. |
|
|
AI翻訳 
