Teachers, Teacher Education, and Professional Development
The State Pedagogical University of Armenia is the main provider of teacher education in Armenia. There also are many universities (e.g., the Yerevan Brusov State Linguistic University) that have pedagogical faculties as well as professional colleges that provide quality education and teacher preparation.
Teacher Education Specific to Mathematics and Science
New teacher education programs have been implemented in Armenia since 2005, with the aim of making teachers into leaders in the country’s process of educational reform. To ensure the effective implementation of new curricula, syllabi, standards, and assessment tools, subject-based teacher education programs were introduced in 2005, following the sequence of syllabi development. These programs have been conducted using the training of trainers model (i.e., a core group of central trainers is trained by international experts, the central trainers in turn train local trainers, and the local trainers train teachers). School-based training courses are conducted by school centers in all of the Marzes (regions) of Armenia and by the National Institute of Education (NIE) and its 11 Marz branches. Approximately 4,000 teachers have participated in courses in various subjects, creating potential for the expansion of the training programs.
In this age of information, as knowledge is expanding at an ever increasing rate, the main goal of education is to produce independent learners. In the past, the emphasis of education was on learning by rote; now, the emphasis is on navigating information, acquiring practical skills, and developing and applying competencies. This requires the active participation of students in the learning process and their development of the capability to organize the learning process independently. In the educational process, this goal may be achieved using both interactive and cooperative learning methods. To support teachers in implementing new cooperative learning methods, three 3-day seminars on the application of cooperative learning methods are being offered in Armenia at present.
Requirements for Ongoing Professional Development
The key factor of success in education is teachers’ professional development. As teachers are the core players in implementing general educational reforms, their ongoing professional development is of vital importance. For this reason, completing quality teacher education is only the initial requirement for teachers in Armenia. At present, the licensing process for teachers and headmasters is ongoing, which creates opportunity for professional skill development. Teachers attend training courses and seminars that culminate in system-wide examinations. Passing the examinations allows them to renew their license and continue to teach.
Ongoing teacher training courses also are available for improving computer literacy.