Competence raising through teaching of ESD environmental key topics implementing “project technology”
Higher education in Armenia is currently facing the pressure of reform as well as tremendous opportunities for development. Implementation of these reforms is conditioned by the fact that competence is emphasized among knowledge, abilities, skills and values. The package of reforms also requires a new introduction to global environmental issues in higher education. In the conditions of the present ecological crisis one of the most important issues is to develop new approaches to ESD in higher education. The main problem of ESD is to raise the competence and participation of learners regarding environmental protection and resolution.The UNESCO Chair on “Education for Sustainable Development” at the Center for Ecological-Noosphere Studies of the National Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Armenia in cooperation with the National Institute of Education of the Armenian Ministry of Education and Science are carrying out a series of trainings and seminars for educators and students from pedagogical institutes to increase their competence on key environmental topics in the context of sustainable development implementing project method of teaching. Pedagogical-oriented universities and vocational training institutions have been chosen, where trainings and seminars have been carried out with the best students and the teaching staff using project method. In the result of the trainings and seminars 44 teachers and learners from 5 universities, 3 vocational colleges, 5 high schools, 3 NGOs were trained in 3 regions of the Republic of Armenia (with different environmental problems). Evaluations were carried out and the best tested projects were presented at round table discussions.