In 1989, the Anania Shirakatsi Armenian National Lycee, in Yerevan, Armenia added a goal to their constitution—to become an IB World School as a way to progress and excel.
However, the school had to overcome enormous challenges in the following years when the country faced a devastating earthquake, political turmoil, conflict with neighbouring countries and resulting economic challenges. The school operated without heating and electricity for several years; whilst also providing support and shelter for refugees. At last, in 2007, the school re-ignited their constitutional goal and received authorization in 2013 for the IB Primary Years Programme, and in 2014 for the Diploma Programme. They are now working towards Middle Years Programme authorization.
Tatevik Nalbandyan, the school’s Head of Extra Curricula Department, talks about her teaching experience at the school.
Q: Describe the key challenges and milestones you have faced as an IB teacher.
I joined the school in 2009 and was fully involved in the IB authorization process. The major challenges and milestones I faced, along with the country’s economic situation, were:
- Language—our staff had limited English language skills and we had to translate a lot of documents. However, the school is now a member of the Association of IB Schools of Commonwealth Independent States (CIS) and has access to documents in Russian.
- Teacher training and education—we worked hard to introduce teachers to the IB philosophy and standards, emphasizing the student-centred approach in teaching. We had to:
- address differentiation in the classroom
- engage new perspectives on the planning-teaching-assessment cycle
- consider “reflection” as part of teaching and learning.
- Introducing the IB within the school community—it required great effort to work with the teachers and the parents to implement the programmes. However, engaging them in the process from the very beginning contributed to the overall success of the programme implementation.
Q: How do you use resources from the surrounding community in your teaching?
We invite guest speakers from other institutions to enhance and broaden student learning. We also expose students to exciting new activities and environments. For example, the first TOK class took place in an observatory to demonstrate how things look different depending on the distance between us and them. How can students connect this with knowledge? Should they only look for facts that are closer and easier to grasp, or go deeper and discover the roots of phenomena? Should they use a “microscope” approach throughout their learning experience? What would that “microscope” be in different situations?
Q: How does the IB curriculum benefit your students in their interactions within the larger community around them?
The opportunity to share and learn through networking—for teachers, students and administrators—creates both a deeper understanding of local cultural aspects and improved awareness of global issues. Students are more sensitive to others and also to global issues. Additionally, the delivery of a curriculum with such a focus on conceptual learning and understanding leads to the development of higher order thinking skills.
Q: What are your future ambitions in teaching the IB curriculum?
It’s all about our students’ learning. My ambitions are to help the students to achieve their highest potential, and I have to use my creativity, knowledge, and skills to be able to do so. With rapid changes in all the global aspects that we are witnessing since the beginning of the 21st century, we teachers should not follow but try to keep ahead.
Read the full issue of IB Global News Vol. 2 Issue 7.
