2004-7 High School Social Science Development and Teacher Education Project for Armenia (HST)

Program Results

Workshop
HST Handbooks

conference

HST Program Pilot Testing Design Workshop

Yerevan, Armenia
December 10-11, 2005

In December 2005, IREX and the HST Teacher Trainer (TT) members organized a conference in Yerevan entitled “HST Program Pilot Testing Design Workshop” that took place on December 10-11, 2005 at the Marriott Hotel. This innovative workshop was the first of its kind where together with constructing a strategy of teacher training and pilot testing of the HST program handbooks, it also provided training for teachers in developing integrated curriculum units. The workshop brought together IREX, HST teacher trainers, pilot school representatives, and guests for two days of interactive presentations discussing the current state of high school education. Representatives from the US Embassy, Ministry of Education and Science, and different organizations were among 50 participants that attended the conference.

The three goals of the first day were to present the main content of the High School Training Program (HST) handbooks; to present contemporary approaches in teaching Social Studies; and to discuss the roles of high school Social Studies stakeholders. The day started with the panel presentation “Current and Future Steps to Improve and Restructure the High School Education of Students in Armenia” and a session led by TT members who introduced the HST handbooks which will be pilot tested in schools throughout Armenia. Through a set of interactive workshops the IREX teacher trainers introduced the participants to the issue-centered approach in Social Studies and the interactive teaching methodologies for Social Studies instruction and assessment considerations. The first day discussion topics led up to the focus of curriculum planning which occurred the following day.

“I think we can state that the training outcomes of our workshop are remarkable. Participants were active, asking many questions, and were tolerant of each other and willing to learn new information and skills” commented Silva Petrosyan, HST Teacher Trainer.

The second day of the workshop introduced the participants to the curriculum design strategies through the backward design and related assessment methods. The IREX teacher trainers also introduced the curriculum design strategies based on the artifact box concept. The participants then incorporated the knowledge gained during these sessions by working together in groups to produce model integrated curriculum units. The practical outcomes of this exercise were several model integrated units as Environmental Protection, Conflict Management and Globalization. The participants departed the workshop with these newly created model integrated units to utilize, adapt, and pilot test in their respective classrooms and which could also be used in future trainings.

The HST Handbooks

The HST program has created specialized handbooks. The books are described below.

Contemporary Approaches to Social Studies Instruction: Handbook for Teachers
Download PDF, 1.23 MB

The handbook is the first of two books to be published under the program which addresses the serious reforms currently taking place in Armenia in the social sciences discipline. The book presents contemporary understandings of social studies and the best practices of contemporary approaches designed by educators and social scientists. Inquiry, standard-based education, multiliteracy, value education, critical thinking, cooperative learning, and professional development school approaches are discussed in the book and these elements are tailored for high school level teachers, teacher trainers, and pre-service teachers. Practical techniques and activities of teaching skills and values are presented as well as how to assess the resulting learning outcomes. The authors present social studies as both an integrated discipline and a field of learning where in both cases the content’s structure incorporates the three compulsory components of knowledge, skills, and moral values. The book is currently being pilot tested in various Armenian high schools and pre-service institutions.

Curriculum Design & Models: Integrated High School Social Studies Instruction
Download PDF, 1.79 MB

“It’s a great honor for us as authors and participants to mention that these handbooks are a step forward to the improvement of Social Studies instruction as well as the methods and approaches needed to move closer to a student-centered classroom. Not only are teachers interested in the methods discussed in the handbooks but the principals are ready to help and this is great progress when the administration supports new reforms and thinking.”

-Marine Arakelyan,
HST Teacher Trainer.

This innovative handbook is the second of two books developed under the program. It is designed for high school social studies teachers and is an invaluable tool for educators as Armenia moves towards a system of integrated curriculum. The handbook focuses on integrated thematic units and presents theoretical questions related to integration as well as separate thematic units as an alternative suggestion to the high school teachers with the objective of creating an empowering environment for teachers’ independent and creative work.

The authors discuss the objective and the necessity of integration, and curriculum integration methods in the teaching process. Furthermore, the book includes numerous cooperative learning methodologies and effective teaching strategies recommended for teaching integrated curriculum units. A separate section is devoted to action research, including the organization of a student’s independent creative research. Finally, in the second part of the book the teachers will find six thematic unit samples with lesson plans and accompanying assessment assignments that they can experiment with and make creative modifications or create their own units based on the samples.