Ms. Naira Smbatyan has been teaching at AUA Open Education since 2008. She completed TEFL Certificate Program at AUA in 2003. In 2005, she earned her MA degree in Teaching English as a Foreign Language at AUA. The topic of her MA thesis was teachers’ and students’ perceptions of language assessment in Armenian schools. Also, she got a postgraduate education (ABD) in General and Comparative Linguistics at the European University.
Naira worked as a high school teacher/ supervisor for the University of Nebraska, Lincoln (UNL) via Distance Learning in 2005. In 2006, she started teaching English for Academic Purposes at the European University. In addition, she got interested in teaching English for Specific Purposes (Law / International Relations). Naira is the author of the textbook “The Language of Politics through Political Speeches” intended for students of the faculty of International Relations.
“My teaching philosophy is based on the belief that a positive classroom atmosphere is one of the keys to student success. Positive teacher-student and student-student interactions are of major importance for creating a friendly and relaxing atmosphere in the classroom. A positive atmosphere helps students to break down the psychological barriers they bring with them to the learning environment. As a teacher, I do my best to motivate my students as well as to inspire and enhance their self-confidence.”