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Success Story
After USAID study tour,
a teacher promotes new
learning methods to
expand opportunities for
rural children
Educator Promotes Innovative Methods
Photo: Alma Mater\Natalya Efendiyeva
Baymyrat Korhanov (center) and his
colleagues at a training on interactive
teaching methods
“I am glad that I had a
chance to see different
U.S. schools and learn how
they are managed,” said
USAID study tour participant
Baymyrat Korhanov.
Baymyrat Korhanov is an experienced German and English
language teacher at a small school in Yangala Village about 25
miles from the capital city Ashgabat. While teaching approaches in
the region are usually limited to lecture-style, recently, Korhanov
has begun introducing interactive methods not only in his own
classes, but to other Turkmen educators as well.
In 2007, Korhanov won an opportunity to participate in a USAID
study tour to the United States. Together with nine other Turkmen
school administrators and teachers, Korhanov spent three weeks
in Seattle attending an intensive training program on school
management. The program focused on the best practices in
the U.S. education system, cutting-edge school management
strategies, student-centered teaching methodologies, and effective
parent-teacher activities, and included visits to educational facilities.
“I am glad that I had a chance to see different U.S. schools and
learn how they are managed. I was impressed by the efforts made
to involve parents in their children’s school life,” said Korhanov.
The study tour inspired Korhanov to share his experience with his
colleagues. Since his return home from the U.S., he has conducted
multiple training sessions for the administration and teachers at his
own school, as well as specialists from other schools in his district.
He now trains education professionals together with the Turkmen
teachers’ association Alma Mater.
One of the driving forces for Korhanov is his desire to impact
learning processes in rural areas, where access to innovation and
information is especially limited. To do this, he began a collaboration
with the Soltan Dag Education Center to organize English, German
and Russian language courses in several schools of Gektepe
Region. At the center, young people that are eager to learn foreign
languages can attend the courses for a small fee.
In the future, Korhanov plans to develop and publish a manual for
Turkmen teachers on how interactive teaching techniques can be
used for extracurricular activities. He would also like to conduct
additional training programs and organize free language courses
for orphans from rural areas.
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