Representatives of the newly-formed Internship Department of Armenian State Pedagogical University (ASPU) and Vesa-Matti Sarenius, Internship Supervisor of the Faculty of
Education, University of Oulu, Finland, today visited ASPU Basic (High-school) College.
The purpose of the visit was to monitor the conduct of a pilot program of pedagogical practices.
At the first [educational-cognitive] stage of the internship, 16 undergraduate students of the Faculty of Biology, Chemistry and Geography got familiarized through a test with the psychology and behaviour of high-school pupils.
With the help of role-playing games and templates showing the psycho-pedagogic description of the class and distinguishing characteristic of pupils, the students tried [as teachers] to analyze the tasks they were faced with and help pupils overcome the difficulties encountered in the educational process.
“At the first stage of practice it is very important to work with a psychologist. The experience and the psychological analysis taught the students to cope with complicated situations. They also taught them not to hurry to label pupils’ demeanour,” said psychologist Mariam Mehrabyan.
“The new package of pedagogical practice was drafted by the example of Oulu University and if proved successful, it will be applied in full. The practice has its peculiarities: it should be targeted and effective.
The continuity of practice will enable the students to observe the dynamics of pupils’ development and maintain the principle of sequence,” said Vahan Sargsyan, Head of the Internship Department, Candidate of Psychological Science and Associate Professor.
He added that in the future they plan to assess the practice according to the educational performance and final results, giving priority to the practical abilities and strengthening of ties between schools and universities.
The Finnish expert expressed his satisfaction with the first phase of the practice. He reminded the students that ‘there is
no recipe to be a great teacher.’ At the same time, he advised the participants to be occupied with self-education and make the educational process child-centered.
“Our collaboration with the Pedagogical University has been transferred to a new level, with the existing problems being gradually eliminated. I am convinced that this pilot program will help improve the quality of practice, develop the quality of schools, further deepening the cooperation between the two universities in question,” he said.
The meeting was followed by an active discussion, with ASPU students making their proposals to the specialists of the field. They underlined that the new format of practice will help introduce teacher’s profession in a new light.
Within the framework of out-of-school activities, the interns of the Faculty of Biology, Chemistry and Geography accompanied the students of the Basic School to the University Museum and Humanitarian Literature Library.
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