Nodira Isamukhamedova
Nodira Isamukhamedova is making big contributions to the teaching of the English language in Uzbekistan. But with the support of the British Council, she is doing it from thousands of miles away.
Nodira is a senior lecturer in online education at the Polycultural Immigrant and Community Services, an organisation based in Toronto, Canada. There, she helps recent immigrants to Canada to improve their English language proficiency. Nodira’s journey to become an English language instructor in Canada began through her participation in British Council projects in Uzbekistan, beginning back in 1998 when she was still a student. She attended the British Council Library in Tashkent, which set her on a path. A year later, she graduated from the Uzbek State University of World Languages and began teaching English.
"In 2004, I saw an announcement in the British Council about the opportunity to participate in the Hornby Educational Trust grant program. I applied, went through the proper formalities, and became a pleased winner of a grant,” Nodira recalled. She would go onto study for her master’s degree at the University of Leeds. Her master's thesis focused on the difficulties of teaching students written language in Uzbekistan, where she had previously studied abroad. She had found her vocation.
“During my studies in England, my worldview changed in many ways, a completely different perception of my profession arose, I fell in love with my profession, studying there,” Nodira said.
Returning to Uzbekistan, Nodira participated in British Council projects, including the INSETT project focused on the professional development of Engish language teachers. Being engaged in the development of materials, conducting dozens of trainings, and then becoming a project coordinator, Nodira went through a formative period working with the British Council. She helped create a new methodology to improve the qualifications of English language teachers, implemented jointly with the Ministry of Higher and Secondary Specialized Education.
"In addition, since 2007, I have been participating in the Encouraging Learner Autonomy project, which was regional, for the countries of Central and South Asia. Self-study English abilities can be developed in a fun and engaging way with this initiative. At that time, the libraries at the British Council offices in different countries also served as centres for independent language learning, where employees were also consultants in this area. Moreover, as part of the project, we developed training manuals for these consultants and trainees,” Nodira explained.
Nodira was inspired to start her own project after this event. With the help of the Hornby Educational Trust, she and a colleague set out to create self-study courses. “A lot of universities still use the project as a teaching tool. We get a lot of excellent feedback about how well they teach these self-directed learning abilities,” Nodira said.
In 2011, Nodira relocated to Canada. But she embraced online communication to remain connected to her colleagues in Uzbekistan. Today, she oversees a Facebook group for English teachers in Uzbekistan with more than 7,000 active members. “Some of these people include current and former teachers, foreign experts who trained teachers in Uzbekistan, as well as fellow Uzbeks who, like me, work outside the country. We exchange experiences hold various events,” Nodira explained.
In March 2020, she opened a new “Mentor Hub” as part of the group, organising webinars during the pandemic, with over 100 sessions held to date. The British Council has supported the hub, offering its experts and providing trainings to the community of teachers. The recordings of the sessions are available on YouTube.
"The goal is to provide an opportunity for English language teachers to receive information about modern methods, approaches, exchange experience not only with domestic but also with foreign colleagues,” Nodira said.
Working from afar to contribute to the teaching of the English language in Uzbekistan, Nodira is grateful to the British Council for its support throughout her career. “What I have achieved, I got thanks to the British Council. I try to contribute to the growth and development of others, paying forward what I received by giving back to my community.”