Lesson Study Kazakhstan, 2024-2025
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Lesson Study at the NIS Centre of Excellence
The greatest demand of the Centre’s services is for programs to develop teachers’ research skills (Action Research and Lesson study), meta-subject competencies (learning how to learn), functional literacy development, as well as the development of leadership skills of school leaders.
The Centre was and still is the only organization in Kazakhstan which has been introducing Lesson Study in schools through professional development (PD) courses since 2012. Since 2015, CoE has been an official member of the WALS Council (World Association for Lesson Studies).
This collection of lesson studies were carried out in schools across Kazakhstan and published in 2024. Studies have been peer-reviewed prior to publication in accordance with Camtree's Quality Criteria.
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Item Improving Students’ Analytical Writing Skills Through Effective Questioning Strategies in Chemistry Lessons(2025) Bejerano, Mary Joy; Kimatova, Gulsim; Sergaliyeva, AliyaBackground and purpose: This study explores how effective questioning strategies can improve analytical writing skills among Year 11 and 12 students at Nazarbayev Intellectual School of Physics and Mathematics in Uralsk, Kazakhstan. Analytical writing is essential for success in the external summative assessment, which aligns with international CIE Cambridge A-level standards. These assessments require advanced skills in reasoning, evaluation, and writing well-structured responses, areas where students often face challenges. Given the importance of preparing students to succeed in these assessments, the study focuses on addressing skill gaps and fostering the competencies necessary for academic success. Aims: The study specifically focuses on how effective questioning techniques can enhance students’ abilities to analyse, plan, write well-reasoned conclusions, and evaluate information effectively. The primary objective of this study is to prepare students for the demands of external summative assessments. Study design or methodology: This study was conducted during 2023-2024 academic year with eight Year 11 students (aged 16-17), through collaboration between Chemistry and English language teachers. Lessons integrated CLIL (Content and Language Integrated Learning) strategies to build subject knowledge alongside analytical writing skills. Data collection included summative assessments, teacher observations, and student feedback to evaluate the effectiveness of questioning techniques in improving student readiness for the external summative assessment. Findings: The findings demonstrate that effective questioning strategies significantly enhanced students' skills in planning responses, constructing conclusions, and evaluating information critically. These strategies contributed to improved performance in both short-answer and extended-response tasks, which are integral components of the external summative assessment. The approach also demonstrated potential for broader application across all year level to support long-term academic development. Conclusions, originality, value and implications: This study highlights the importance of effective questioning strategies in preparing students for the external summative assessment. By improving essential skills such as planning, evaluation, and conclusion-writing, the study contributes to the school’s mission of fostering independent learners and critical thinkers. Future work will focus on refining these techniques and providing targeted support for struggling learners, ensuring consistent progress across all year level.Item Gamification in high school computer science: enhancing engagement and critical thinking through lesson study.(2025) Ramazanov, Ravil; Ramazanov, RinatBackground and Purpose: Traditional teaching struggles to engage students. This study explores gamification as a strategy to boost motivation, participation, and critical thinking in high school computer science. Using Lesson Study, it integrates avatars, challenges, and teamwork to enhance learning. Aims: This study aims to enhance student engagement and motivation through gamification, strengthen critical thinking and problem-solving skills, optimize task completion rates via interactive learning strategies, and foster collaboration through structured, team-based activities. Methodology: This study followed a three-week Lesson Study cycle with 12 high school students (ages 15–16) at Nazarbayev Intellectual School. Gamification elements, including personalized avatars, level-based challenges, and structured argumentation tables, were integrated into computer science lessons. A mixed-methods approach combined task completion rates, time-on-task records, motivation surveys, classroom observations, and structured reflections to assess engagement and learning outcomes. Engagement was measured through participation tracking and task completion rates, while motivation was evaluated using self-reported Likert scale surveys (1-5). Observational data and teacher feedback provided qualitative insights into student collaboration, problem-solving, and analytical thinking. Data triangulation ensured the validity and reliability of the findings. Findings: Gamification significantly enhanced student engagement, motivation, and collaboration. Engagement levels increased by 15%, with task completion rates rising from 65% to 83%. Motivation scores improved from 3.3 to 4.2 on a five-point scale, while classroom participation grew by 15%, and student satisfaction reached 85%. Observations revealed that structured argumentation tables and team-based challenges improved problem-solving abilities, fostering analytical thinking and independent learning. Students demonstrated greater autonomy in structuring arguments and applying logical reasoning in coding tasks, highlighting the effectiveness of gamification in computer science education. Conclusions and Implications: Gamification has proven to be an effective strategy for enhancing student engagement, motivation, and critical thinking in high school computer science classes. The structured integration of game elements improved task completion rates, collaboration, and problem-solving skills. Findings suggest that gamification can serve as a scalable approach to improving learning outcomes, particularly in STEM education. Future research should explore its long-term impact across different subjects and student demographics.Item Development of critical thinking competencies in grade 9 biology students through effective use of laboratory experiments to positively affect skill levels(2025) Balabayeva, S.S.; Van Der Merwe, D.Background: In laboratory lessons, problematic situations related to life are presented as scenarios, and the students' desire for finding solutions ensures that they can effectively use the knowledge they have acquired outside the classroom, in any situation. Research indicated a lack of correlation between student learning and practical work. The main improvement focuses on understanding how students can optimise practical learning. Aims: Establishing how effective and focused practical experiments enable students to develop critical thinking skills, improving their analysis and conclusion skills. Method: The study design included a total of 11 students from grade 9 (ages 14-15). The context was Biology laboratory lessons and the data collected via survey and rubric based observations. Some pre- and post-lesson interviews were used, further expanding on the data obtained. Topic specific worksheets were created to match the lesson study outcomes. The lesson study spanned over four terms, observing six Biology laboratory lessons, three of which are discussed in this article. The data was analysed using baseline assessments from the first lesson skill level results. This constituted the analysis of levels at the start of the school year, followed by post- and pre-measurements, while correlating the progress of skills over multiple lessons. Progress as a whole and between lessons were compared to monitor skill developmental progress. Findings: The results indicated that students demonstrated increased interest and engagement in biology when participating in hands-on laboratory experiments, leading to a more active learning environment. Due to active participation by students and specific skill focus planning, the skill levels showed significant improvements over the successive lessons. Conclusions, originality, value and implications: In conclusion, this process takes time to show results but could show results that are long lasting with continued implementation and can be transferred to later grades. Transferability is valuable since students move into more difficult subject levels but would be able to use the skills developed during grade 9 and continue improving. Both educators and students benefit from these results as the skills align more closely with those needed to pass AS and A level courses.Item Improving the quality of laboratory work in chemistry by replacing printed instructions with video instructions(2025) Meshchanova, Anna; Ilyubaeva, GulnaraBackground and purpose: During the teaching of chemistry, a problematic situation was identified: students experience difficulties in performing laboratory work and tasks aimed at the ability to analyse information. Students inattentively read the instructions for performing laboratory work, which subsequently leads to improper use of the equipment and unreliable results. Therefore, our goal was to determine what changes needed to be made so that students would more accurately follow instructions to improve the overall performance of the work. The curriculum states that chemistry lessons should provide students with the opportunity to develop their abilities: "...to plan, execute, interpret and present the results of experiments and observations." To make the lab work easier, the students were asked to follow the video instructions during the lab instead of the instructions they are used to. Aims: The aim of the study is to study the impact of the use of video instructions in chemistry practical lessons on academic performance, and the level of argumentation of students in grades 7-8 of the Nazarbayev Intellectual School in Petropavlovsk. Study design or methodology: The study was conducted during the third quarter of the 2022-2023 academic year. The study group consisted of 13-14 year-old students of grades 7-8 of the Nazarbayev Intellectual School of Petropavlovsk . A total of 89 students took part in the study. At the first stage of the study, the students were divided into 2 groups (experimental and control). The experimental group included 24 students from 7th grade and 21 people from 8th grade. The control group consisted of 21 7th grade students and 23 eighth graders. Students' oral and written responses, interviewing, observation, description, and plotting were used to conduct qualitative and quantitative analysis. Findings: Most of the students indicated that the video instructions were more interesting to watch, that the practical work helped them to better understand and remember the processes of the experiments. In addition, laboratory experiments are important and give students the opportunity to develop practical technical skills needed in the workplace. Conclusions, originality, value and implications: Based on the study, we can conclude that students in the experimental group, after using video instructions, began to perform laboratory work better. When performing work, they clearly follow the algorithm of the stages of the experiment, correctly name the equipment and use it for its intended purpose, and note visual signs of reactions occurring. This contributed to the formation of a higher level of argumentation of observations and the formulation of conclusions, more effective advancement of each student along his educational trajectory. Teachers should diversify laboratory assignments and provide them with a choice.Item Improving students’ speaking skills in English classes by using open questions and interactive speaking methods(2025) Dauletiyarova, A.B.; Rashitova, M.B.; Serikbayeva, Zh.K.; Zhbir, O.V.Background and purpose: Speaking English fluently is an essential skill in the 21st century, yet many students struggle with active participation in speaking tasks, often remaining passive during class discussions. Research indicates that open-ended questions encourage deeper cognitive engagement and critical thinking, leading to more meaningful verbal responses (Walsh, 2011). Additionally, interactive speaking methods are viewed highly effective in fostering oral communication skills, providing students with authentic, real-world speaking opportunities, which are crucial for language development (Ellis, 2003; Nation & Newton, 2009). However, the fact that only a few students express their opinions openly during class discussions requires a thorough study of the planning of each lesson. Therefore, to find an answer to the problematic question "How to develop students' speaking skills in English lessons?", it was decided to conduct a lesson study. Aims: This study aimed to investigate how open-ended questions and interactive speaking methods influence the development of students' speaking skills. By integrating these strategies, the research sought to determine their impact on student participation in class discussions and on encouraging students to confidently express their views. Study design or methodology: Participants included 25 students of Grade 11 from Nazarbayev Intellectual School of Chemistry and Biology, aged 16-17. A mixed-methods approach was utilised, combining pre- and post-intervention speaking assessments, classroom observations, and qualitative feedback from students. Data were collected through video recordings, teacher observations, and post- lesson student interviews to measure changes in speaking skills. Findings: The study revealed that student engagement and confidence heightened when participating in discussions; peer interaction increased, and low-performing students exhibited significant gains, moving from hesitant responses to more confident participation. Conclusions, originality, value and implications: The findings underline the value of combining traditional teaching with interactive speaking methods and questioning to improve speaking skills. This approach can guide educators in modernising their teaching practices, emphasising student-centred learning and active participation.