Regional Conference on Elementary Education celebrates UNESCO's "Education for All Week" in the Caucasus

UNESCO's "Education for All Week", April 24-30, offers the opportunity for IREX to host a regional conference in Yerevan, Armenia, on April 22-23, as part of IREX's Elementary-Level Teacher Training in Armenia (ELT) program, sponsored by the US Department of State.

The "Teaching and Learning Strategies to Promote Elementary School Success" conference will bring together more than 50 elementary school teachers from Armenia, Georgia, Moldova, Ukraine, and the United States to discuss new teaching techniques and to share their experiences.

In-service and pre-service teachers will participate in workshops on interactive teaching and learning environments, cooperative learning, developing integrated curriculum and lesson plans, using new assessment methods in student-centered classrooms and developing teacher and student portfolios. Participants will then conduct peer-to-peer seminars using their own model lessons that incorporate interactive teaching methods.

At a policy level, the forum will also update the regional participants about the elementary school reform process in their home countries and provide opportunities for further cooperation among the teachers.

Professional development of pre-service and in-service teachers at regional conferences such as this one aids instructional and curriculum reform by empowering local specialists and teachers.

IREX serves as an ad hoc representative expert on US National Commission for UNESCO's Subcommittee for Press Freedom. The United Nations Educational, Scientific, Cultural Organization (UNESCO) contributes to peace and security through international collaboration in the areas of education, science, communications, and culture. UNESCO is headquartered in Paris and has 190 member states.