The 2017-2018 cycle of the Araratian Baccalaureate Teacher Professional Development Program has entered the final stage.
From March 26 to 29, participants presented their professional inquiries, which they had conducted in the classrooms by applying in practice the new knowledge, skills and teaching methods they had acquired during the program.
“Around three months of teacher selection, 10 months of active learning, over 30 journal clubs, three face-to- face sessions, continuous testing of acquired skills and classroom inquiries and four days of presentation of professional inquiries and subject training for all 103 participants of the program: the 2017-2018 cycle is coming to its end, but this is just the beginning,” said Hasmik Kyureghyan, Head of the Araratian Baccalaureate Teacher Professional Development Program.
The topics of the professional inquiries were diverse: “Impact of Differentiated Instruction on Encouraging General and Individual Learning,” “Improving Students’ Motivation through Collaborative Learning,” “Formative Assessment as a Tool to Increase Students’ Motivation,” etc.
“This program served as a stimulus for self-development, and my inquiry helped me know better both my students’ and my possibilities. I hope all this will be ongoing,” said Aida Kerobyan, participant from Gyumri High School No. 1.
To attend the presentations of the professional inquiries, five leading specialists from the University College London (UCL) Institute of Education (IoE) were in Yerevan in the period of March 26-29; apart from being present at the presentations, four of the specialists also held subject training sessions for all the participants. Thus, from March 26 to 29 Armenia hosted the following specialists from the UCL IoE:
Dr. Jacek Brant, who watched the entire process of presenting the professional inquiries to evaluate the program progress and results;
Dr. John Yandel, who conducted subject training for Armenian language and literature teachers and specialists;
Jennie Golding, who conducted subject training for mathematics teachers and specialists;
Dr. Arthur Chapman, who conducted subject training for history teachers and specialists;
Dr. Mark Hardman, who conducted subject training for teachers and specialists of sciences.
Deputy Minister of Ministry of Education and Science of Armenia Davit Sahakyan as well as Head of the Preschool and Secondary Education Department Susanna Azatyan and Head of the Legal Department of the Staff Lusine Grigoryan were also present at the presentations.
The certification of the program participants is scheduled for summer this year.
About the Araratian Baccalaureate Professional Teacher Development Program
The Araratian Baccalaureate Professional Teacher Development Program is a new teacher development program meeting international standards. It is designed for 10-11 months and comprises theoretical and practical courses. Participation in the program is mandatory for all teachers and specialists wishing to teach the Araratian Baccalaureate.
The program has been developed within the framework of the National Program for Educational Excellence by the Ayb Educational Foundation, in collaboration with the University College London (UCL) Institute of Education.
