“Armenian Studies for Teenagers”: An Educational Support Program for Armenian Diaspora Schools
The course, designed for youth aged 14 and older, is a unique journey not only through time and space, but also a path toward self-discovery.
"Armenian Studies for Teenagers" is not just a study of Armenia as an object, but a guide to shaping one’s own identity. By learning about Armenia—its history, culture, nature, language, and art—participants begin to see their inner world in a new light, build self-awareness, and develop holistic thinking.
During this course, fundamental knowledge is formed by weaving together information and developing skills, making learning practical and tangible, meaningful and engaging. This not only stimulates intellectual growth but also shapes thoughtful, reflective, and independent individuals.
Short description
During the course, participants will:
- Explore Armenia’s regions and Artsakh—their nature, culture, people, and history.
- Develop knowledge of the geography of Armenia and Artsakh.
- Analyze important historical events, drawing parallels with the formation of modern identity.
- Reflect on the role of art, language, music, and traditional culture in personal development and community resilience.
- Become familiar with the ideas of great Armenian thinkers, writers, and artists, and seek their own responses to this heritage.
- Learn about key figures in Armenian history as individuals, analyze their roles, find similarities with themselves, and form constructive ways of thinking.
- Read beautiful samples of Armenian literature, discovering their own emotions and thoughts through literature.
- Participate in cognitive, creative, and discussion-based activities—debates, team projects, structured experiential games.
- Develop language skills: the ability to express opinions, argue, and narrate in Armenian, both in writing and orally.
- Study the elements of national identity, attempting to find their own place within modern Armenian reality.
Methodological Description
How can the learning process be transformed into a journey that develops the student’s cognitive skills?
The demands and guiding questions lead us toward research and then strategy development, since it is not enough simply to present accessible content. Information today is easily available to students through the internet or books. The essential task is to teach students how to learn, apply, and critically evaluate that information.
Teachers must organize learning with methods that make the student an active participant in the process. New material should be learned not through direct instruction, but through the teacher’s guidance.
Research results lead us to an important conclusion: if we want to develop cognitive abilities—perception, reasoning, and memory—students must be given the opportunity to process information through their own subjective perspective and transform it into knowledge.
Our lessons are built on the principle of developing cognitive abilities and are structured in three stages:
- The student perceives and receives new material.
- The student applies what they have learned / reflects on it.
- The student transforms the new material into knowledge, embedding it into long-term memory.
Materials Students Will Need:
- Dictionary
- Workbook
- Pen
- Pencils
Each program lesson includes:
- Lesson material (slideshow)
- Written teaching guide (for the teacher)
- Video teaching guide (for the teacher)
- Practical activities for students
- Homework for students