DUSHANBE, July 1, 2015, Asia-Plus – Press release issued by the University of Central Asia (UCA) notes that mathematics curriculum expert Naseem Jaffer, who has 30 years of experience in teaching, curriculum design, teacher training and upgrading math skills among underprivileged students in the United States, and newly trained mathematics teacher Bunyod Tusmatov of Tajikistan have worked together to fine-tune the mathematics curriculum that Jaffer designed for the UCA Summer Camp.
The camp is currently underway in Issyk-Kul, Kyrgyzstan, with 76 Grade 10 students from Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan.
“I don’t believe anyone is bad at math. You just have to tailor programs to fit the different ways that people learn,” said Jaffer. “Tusmatov highlighted the pedagogy and gaps in Central Asia curricula, so I could ensure that the program met the needs of Summer Camp participants.”
For Tusmatov, working with Jaffer was an enriching experience. In addition to ensuring that internationally required topics such as probability, graphing and word problems were included to fill curriculum gaps, Jaffer added participatory activities, not typically used in Central Asian classrooms, to help students apply mathematical concepts to real world situations. With training from Jaffer, including detailed teaching plans, Tusmatov was well prepared to teach the innovative curriculum.
Tusmatov has a Bachelor’s degree in Economics and Mathematics from Earlham College in the United States and also studied at United World Colleges in Mostar, Bosnia and Herzegovina. After working as a Financial Analyst in the United States, Tusmatov returned to Tajikistan, where he is an Assistant Project Manager at RISK Tajikistan and a SAT math instructor at American Councils in Dushanbe.
The English curriculum for the UCA Summer Camp was developed by an expert English as a Second Language (ESL) teacher from Canada. The curriculum addresses skill and pedagogical gaps, focusing on writing skills and opportunities for students to express their ideas. To allow for the variability that exists in schools across Central Asia, the curriculum accommodates a range of English-language ability, with built-in opportunities for advanced students to help their peers. It is being delivered by an international team of four teachers; one from Canada, one from USA, one from France and one from Tajikistan.
English teacher Victoria Ivanenko from Tajikistan is serious about education. Ivanenko graduated from the Department of Linguistics, Faculty of English Language at Russian-Tajik Slavonic University in Dushanbe. She has taught English since 2004, at the Russian-Tajik Slavonic University, the Aga Khan Humanities Project and currently at UCA’s School of Professional and Continuing Education, where she is certified to teach Business English, Academic English, TOEFL and Conversational English.
The UCA Summer Camp will run until 7 July 2015. The Camp combines academic sessions in math and English with other learning opportunities, including sessions to enhance success with university applications and activities such as sports, drama, debates and field trips, to practice English-language skills and share experiences.
The University of Central Asia (UCA) was founded in 2000. The Presidents of Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan and His Highness the Aga Khan signed the International Treaty and Charter establishing this secular and private University, which was ratified by the respective parliaments and registered with the United Nations. UCA was established to offer an internationally recognized standard of higher education in Central Asia and prepare graduates to contribute leadership, ideas and innovation to the economies and communities of the region. UCA brings with it the commitment and partnership of the Aga Khan Development Network.
