1. Technologies for 21st Century Skills
TVET International Conference in Armenia
Alexis Ramos
Director of Leadership Development
Teach For Armenia

2. Teach For Armenia: Who are we?
Teach For Armenia recruits, trains, and places “Fellows” to teach in Armenia’s most underserved schools and disadvantaged communities for a minimum of 2 years in order to foster ambassadors for educational equity in Armenia and, in so doing, transform the Armenia’s future.
Fellows participate in our Leadership Development Program, a rigorous 2-years of training, coaching and coursework designed to prepare Fellows to be transformational teachers.
They also work to inspire the local community, leading by example and directing grassroots development projects.

3. Inequity…
According to the World Bank Group, 90% of firms find that the key obstacle to hiring in Armenia is a lack of appropriate skills.
These firms site equity in education and vocational education as the third biggest obstacle to hiring in Armenia
World Bank Group (2015)
According to the world bank group, 90% of firms consider skills to be the key obstacle to hiring. What this means is our education systems and our vocational educational education structures need to prepare our job seekers for the job market of today and tomorrow. More telling, these employers ranked equity in education and vocational education as the third obstacle to hiring in countries like Armenia

4. By Ending Educational Inequity…
Educational Equity
Lead Self
Lead Students
Work with Communities
Contribute to a better Armenia
By placing teachers in the most underserved communities and the country, and training them to be

5. Teach For Armenia’s Model
103 Fellows
85 Communities
Teacher Training
So, we have 102 Fellows in 85 communities and it is our job to train these teachers to make significant academic gains in their classrooms without seeing them face to face. So how do we do it?

6. Leadership Development Team: What do we do?
We train a cohort of over 100 Fellows across Armenia & Artsakh, in 85 communities, to be transformational teachers & leaders, helping to develop strong communities.
Coach Fellows as Teachers and Leaders
Connect Fellows with resources they need
Deliver Trainings and Workshops
Lesson Observations
Interventions for those who need support
Provide lesson feedback, strategies & techniques
Track Fellow data and growth
Track academic progress
Each LDM manages & coaches between
20-23 Fellows

7. Trending in Education Technology
Online Learning Platforms
Virtual/Augmented Reality
Cloud Computing
In many ways, we harness technology and mobile learning to hone our Fellows’ pedagogical skills from afar.
We use tools like Google Classroom, distance learning through video conferencing,
Work based learning model in which teachers are learning and working at the same time.

8. Teach For Armenia’s Model
Technology enabled learning & Mobile Learning
Virtual Classroom Observations
Instructional Videos/Modeling
Video Conference Learning
Virtual Coaching
Online Learning Platform
In many ways, we harness technology and mobile learning to hone our Fellows’ pedagogical skills from afar.
We use tools like Google Classroom, distance learning through video conferencing,

9. Teach For Armenia’s Model
Technology enabled learning & Mobile Learning is successful with:
The right tracking
The right skills
The right technology
The right mindsets
What we have found is that the question isn’t really what’s hot and what’s not. Indeed, even the most basic technologies can make a huge impact in training people for their careers. Rather the question becomes, is everything else in place to make that possible. What we have found is that, from the most basic to the most complex, technology enabled learning is only possible with the right tracking systems, the right skills, the right technology and the right mindsets. Without any of these elements in place, even the most innovative and impactful technologies are rendered useless.

10. We ensure that we have tracking systems in place to track academic progress, teacher growth and pedagogical mastery.
Tracking

11. 2. We develop 21st Century skills in our Fellows; training them in the tools that we use in our LDP at our 5-week Summer Institute, so they enter the field knowing how to use the technologies and systems
Skills

12. Tech
3. We provide Fellows with the technology they need to be successful in our program (mobile internet, mobile phones)

13. “Technology is just a tool
 “Technology is just a tool. In terms of getting the kids working together and motivating them, the teacher is most important.”
- Bill Gates
Mindset
4. We continuously foster a mindset of continuous learning and growth and the immense value of online learning in our contexts

15. Why It Works
45% Average Academic Growth in TFA Classrooms from

16. Teaching & Technology Teach students Computer Science
Connected students with the company A to B, a car sharing startup, and leveraged video conferencing to teach students Web Design and how to start their own online business
Students then created their own websites
Many of Mariam’s students had never even seen a computer before.
Ashot wanted to become a programmer- after working with our teacher he entirely changed his mind and went to a 2 year training program to become a programmer. If it wasn’t for Mariam and the 21st Century mindset she had and shared with her students, her kids wouldn’t even know that such programs existed, nor would they be at all interested in applying.
Mariam also held computer literacy classes for the school staff and the parents. Demonstrating how she worked to transform the communities.

17. Community Development: Sweet as Honey
Blagadarnoye/Meghvahovit, Armenia & Vaghazin,Artsakh
Locals taught students how to make honey
Students made and packaged the product
They harnessed online platforms to sell their honey to the public
Entrepreneurism, community development, job creation
In many ways, we harness technology and mobile learning to hone our Fellows’ pedagogical skills from afar.
We use tools like Google Classroom, distance learning through video conferencing,

18. Challenges for Armenia
Unreliable & inequitable access to electricity, technology, and internet connectivity
Inequitable access to training for using those tools
Requires forward-looking programs
Framework for TVET must allow for the introduction of IT enabled learning
A mindset for digital learning

19. A Holistic Approach Tech Skills Mindset Tracking Systems
It begins in our schools and continues into our Vocational Education Programs. The technology is great, and when everything else is in place, it has the potential to change the economic landscape the country. So let’s get our virtual reality, mobile learning, cloud computing and distance learning in our vocational education programs, but let’s also begin earlier and prepare the groundwork for our future to have the knowledge, skills and mindsets to succeed in those programs.

20. Conclusions
If we are going to prepare our youth for the jobs of tomorrow, and if TVET is going to become a viable and desirable route for job seekers, then a comprehensive approach is necessary.
We at Teach For Armenia believe that it starts with our children.
We foster the knowledge, skills and mindsets that make young minds ripe for what Tech & TVET have to offer.
By teaching digital literacy in the classroom, working towards equitable access to technology, and developing the right mindsets, technology can make a real difference for the future prospects of our children, our communities and our country.