Translator: Yura Ganjalyan
It is difficult to imagine a better period for the learners’ independent, creative and active work than this review camp. Three reviews were organized at a time: Public Educational Digitech, Science Technical and Athletic. In addition to all these we had just finished the review “I Can”.
The camp routine is not something new in the Educomplex, but this year the content of the camps, the way of organization and the schedule for carrying out events have been different from all the preceding ones. At first we had some precautions, because we didn’t imagine the content of the camp well enough; the components of the camp content were to be club activities, further education and the reviews, but club activities and further education are not intended for primary schools, so we had to be engaged only in the reviews. As usual works having been done during the whole school year are presented at reviews, and it was supposed that we shouldn’t have anything to do during a two-week camp, and the happy camp routine would turn into everyday lessons. But the reviews dictated their own procedure.
The camp became an entirely educational environment. The teachers have never had such a complete and concrete project. The inspiration and enthusiasm of the teachers was based on the awareness of their tasks and the willingness to work purposefully, and this enthusiasm was transferred to the learners. Educational work is like the mirror which reflects the teachers activities. If the teacher works willingly and with inspiration, he/she will have inspired learners willing to work and vice versa.
The teachers’ enthusiasm was transferred to the learners and the learners took it to their families, and now we can see how the family review materials have overwhelmed the Basic School website.
The first graders with their parents have become media learners. I couldn’t even imagine that science teaching-learning process might become so attractive, inspiring and educational: watch the series of science experiments done by Tamar Marimyan.
You will be pleased if you see the robot being made by Lusinae Gasparyan’s 3rd graders and Anahit Aghasyan’s 2nd graders.
One of the merits of the January camp was high percent of the learners’ attendance. If we look up in the attendance register, we can see that we hardly had any absentees. The January camp had interesting manifestations in the Basic School: the two-week musical lessons ended in a concert with ritual songs and dances, in which both the learners and teachers displayed themselves with all their charm.
Folk songs and dances have a unique charm and their instruction at Primary School gives a particular loveliness to the teachers’ everyday activities. I myself have taken part in the teaching of all the folk songs, dances and short role play performances. Primary School teachers and musical teachers have worked out a scenario of ritual songs devoted to Barekendan (an Armenian national holiday which resembles Pan Cake Day). Before teaching all the ritual songs and role play performances we had explained their meaning or connotations to the learners. So they understood both the words and actions and performed these songs with pleasure.