Teachers’ Work Practices in Kazakhstan: Some Comparative Insights from TIMSS 2011 to Guide Curriculum Implementation

Abstract

This paper looks at the different norms of practice between mathematics teachers in two countrie s, Kazakhstan and England. These differences pose challenges and opportunities for the implementat ion of a new secondary curriculum in Kazakhstan; a curriculum that has been shaped by and is grounded in prevailin g practice in English educational system. The paper draws on survey data from the 2011 TIMSS exercise a nd relates it to our observations of classrooms in Kazakhstan over the last 5 years. The analysis draws on var ious crossnational studies of teachers’ work and studies of subject departments. The paper concludes w ith a discussion of the implications for successful curricula change and how it can be supported by a n understanding of prevailing norms of practice. The paper also illustrates the continued value of crossnation al comparison of educational practices especially for relatively new nations. It questions the popular notion tha t global waves of policy solutions have washed, unimpeded and unchanged, across national borders