TEACHER COLLABORATION DURING THE LESSON PLANNING HOUR: EXPERIENCES OF ENGLISH TEACHER-LEADERS AT A LYCEUM FOR GIFTED CHILDREN

Abstract

“Bilim-Innovation” lyceums for gifted children (BILs) provide teachers with opportunities to collaborate by implementing the Lesson Planning Hour (LPH) that focuses on a range of topics such as exchanging experiences, planning lessons, discussing teaching methods, professional development, and other school-related topics. This qualitative study explores the experiences of English teacher-leaders while collaborating with colleagues during LPH and aims to see how the imposed form of teacher collaboration influences actual collaboration. Also, the research addresses the concept of teacher collaboration in Kazakhstani schools for gifted children more broadly, focusing on various characteristics of teacher collaboration: for instance, the preferable types of collaborative practices; the process of organization of collaborative meetings by teacher-leaders; the development of the collaborative environment within a team; the perceived value and benefits of teacher collaboration; and factors related to teacher collaboration...