Robotics in Yerevan and Cambridge: A Panel Discussion

The panel discussion provided a comparative approach to robotics instruction. Barbara Cusack, an assistant professor at Lesley University’s Graduate School of Education and co-leader of the Kennedy-Longfellow/Lesley University Partnership, served as moderator. The panelists were asked seven general questions.

They defined robotics in education as a way to teach a wide range of ideas, not just engineering skills, and approaches to problem-solving. Poghosyan said that in Armenia there was a controversy over what age to introduce robotics. The government distributed tablets to first-graders, but Nairi Lab wants teachers not to give robotics lessons to students prior to fifth grade. However, if lessons will be after regular school hours, only interested students would attend.

When asked to describe some students’ activities that were exciting or unusual, Poghosyan mentioned an eighth-grader who left school to box, and broke his hand. He lived in a village and asked if he could go to the school to warm himself. He started playing on a computer and ended up creating an amazing robotics game. Another child in a village was helped by the entire village to make a robot.

The panelists were all in favor of teacher training workshops. Poghosyan said two years ago with fundraising he was able to bring teachers from 60 schools to training workshops. Many of the panelists also were in favor of international connections and partnerships, including with industry.

Poghosyan felt education in Armenia had to be retaught. His conclusion was that practice should precede theory. Other subjects must be used, things created and problems solved.

The evening concluded with some questions for the panelists. The next evening, at a reception at the home of Jack and Eva Medzorian (the latter is member of the CYSCA board of directors and its past president), Poghosyan provided further information on his work in Armenia. He spoke about the growing importance of drone production. His goal is by nurturing technologies like this in Armenia to provide challenging and well-paying jobs for new generations of Armenians, who will not have to go to other countries for similar opportunities. These new types of industries are global in reach, and international clients can contract with Armenian companies for services. Armenian companies can often provide high quality creative services at very competitive prices globally. Meanwhile, private industry is taking the lead in Armenia in fostering training of students at international levels in new and rapidly growing technological fields.