THE ESTONIAN TEACHER EDUCATION STRATEGY
for 2009-2013
I
believe that a child’s development and his or her attitude to life and society are greatly determined by his or her first teacher, as well as all the other teachers that the child will have later on. We are used to talking about how teachers have a key role in education but not so much about how to support them in performing this role. We are now lucky to have a strategy for teacher training that focuses on how to give student teachers the best possible training and how to support teachers throughout their careers. It contains ideas for improving the reputation of the teacher’s profession and opportunities for their professional development and continuing education.
c) making both young and more experienced teachers feel that their profession is attractive and appreciated and that teachers’ professional organisations are necessary. To make this strategy work, we have launched structural fund programmes. There is a programme for improving the qualifications of teachers in general education schools. The objectives of this programme are to create a system for supporting teachers’ professional development, to evaluate teachers’ qualifications and to support professional networks. The other one is the Eduko programme with its central part focussing on the development of teacher training. I wish good luck to everyone in implementing all the good ideas!
There are activities for: a) facilitating the work of young teachers. Their confidence comes from teacher training skills and teaching practice; b) providing teachers with career, continuing education and retraining opportunities;
Tõnis Lukas Minister of Education and Research
learning process through a supportive learning environment. Teachers are familiar with modern information sources and informal ways of learning. They use up-to-date information and communication technology in their work and help their pupils to gain independent learning skills and to select and process information.
STRATEGIC VISION FOR 2013 In 2013, schools in Estonia have dignified, motivated and competent teachers Teachers work and plan their professional development in line with the following principles:
Estonia and Europe. Teachers help to promote local culture and the culture of their profession.
• Teachers enjoy a dignified social position. Teachers are fully aware of their role in the society and their responsibility for supporting their pupils’ development as decisive and responsible citizens of
• Teachers are learners who can evaluate and plan their professional development. Teachers use analytical thinking and empirical problem solving methods. They are familiar with and make use of
the most recent research on teaching and learning. They can evaluate the efficiency of their working methods and participate in research. They can evaluate and plan their education needs. • Teachers support the development of their pupils. Pupils’ development is a performance indicator of teachers’
work. Teachers consider the individual development needs of their pupils. They analyse every learning situation, motivate pupils, choose suitable learning activities and methods and analyse how these affect pupils’ performance. Teachers can successfully cope with a multicultural group of pupils. They notice and take into consideration the special needs of their pupils. • Teachers offer guidance and teach learning skills. Besides passing on knowledge and skills, teachers offer more and more guidance and advice to their pupils. They direct pupils’ development and the
Teachers can also offer guidance to adult learners (parents, colleagues, student teachers). • Teachers are experts in their subjects and integrate different fields of knowledge. Teachers are experts in their subjects. They are familiar with new trends in their specialised field and link
them to other disciplines. They can differentiate between what is important and what is less important, linking the content of their subject to other subjects, to the surrounding environment and to the experience of their pupils. • Teachers use the help of their colleagues and par-
STRATEGIC GOALS Meeting the strategic vision will require the following goals to be fulfilled 1) Teacher education is based on a solid theoretical foundation and supports the development of the teaching skills described in the professional standards. 2) Teacher education employs flexible models that consider the needs of the education system and the individuality of pupils.
3) Teachers’ professional development and support for it are systematic and consistent. 4) Teachers are active community members, working with colleagues, specialised organisations and professional organisations, and help to promote their subject.
5) Management and development of teacher education is based on proven methods, and is consistent and linked to the overall development of the education system. 6) The profession of teacher is attractive and enjoys high social status.
ents in supporting their pupils’ development. All teachers are ready to work in teams, give and get feedback and initiate and guide group processes to support pupils’ development. Teachers cooperate with parents, colleagues, community representatives and specialists.
To meet the vision and the goals, it is necessary that: the parliament and government of the Republic of Estonia amend the law; education institutions implement an internal evaluation system for learning organisations; institutions of higher education that offer teacher education and continuing education strive for the integral development of teacher education through partnerships; teachers’ professional organisations develop partnership networks and help to build up the reputation of the profession of teacher; teachers analyse and plan their professional development.
TEACHER EDUCATION Teacher education is based on a solid theoretical foundation and supports the development of the teaching skills described in the professional standards • Teachers will be trained in institutions of higher education where research in education has been internationally recognised. • The teacher education programmes and studies planned and carried out in those institutions will be based on recent research, the skills described in the professional standards for teachers and the objectives
dent teachers to create links between theory and practice in their working environments.
of the national curricula. In the initial education and induction year, emphasis will be given to the development of cooperation skills so the teacher can support the individual development of pupils, participate in school development and teach the national curricula. • Institutions of higher education will evaluate the professional skills of student teachers in the light of the initial education programmes. • Teacher education curricula will integrate the main subject, pedagogical subjects such as pedagogical and psychological subjects, and general and specific subject-based didactics, and teaching practice. Lecturers of pedagogical subjects will link theoretical knowledge to practical tasks in the school
environment, developing both the content and format of observation practice. • Subject courses will support the objectives set for each subject and meet the general objectives of the national curricula. • Teaching practice will be divided between different stages of study, and teaching practice supervisors will encourage stu-
• Subject teachers will be encouraged to complete their teaching practice in different types of schools and in schools where the language of instruction is not the student’s mother tongue, for example with subject teachers in vocational schools, and Estonian students in Russian-language schools. There will be additional education and support and motivation systems available nationally. • Lecturers will carry out surveys on teaching and learning, working together with teachers and student teachers. • Students will learn the principles and methods of empiri-
cal research and use them to solve practical problems in their work, to give meaning to their work and to predict its outcomes. • Together with schools, universities will create innovation centres to decide the best teaching methodology for each subject and use it in developing curricula and integrated
study processes, carrying out research on subject didactics, offering teachers guidance, improving the skills of subject didactics lecturers and the professional skills of teachers, improving the content, organisation and quality of supervisors of teaching practice and professional skills of student teachers in initial education and graduates.
• To ensure the quality of initial education and the integral development of teacher education, universities will create structures that unite all academic units and organise the development of teacher education by: drafting the university’s development strategy for teacher education, drawing up annual action plans, planning teacher surveys, working
with schools to coordinate the content development of teacher education curricula and teaching practice, carrying out analyses of teacher education curricula and induction year feedback forms, and informing all lecturers involved in the implementation of the curricula.
TEACHER EDUCATION CURRICULA Teacher education employs flexible models that consider the needs of the education system and the individuality of learners • Universities will establish initial education curricula by branches of study so that students can gain a qualification that allows them to teach several subjects in schools (at least two subjects from all curricula for teachers in comprehensive schools) and to start studying pedagogy concurrently they enter higher education. • Universities will ensure that
at least 25% of the initial education curricula for vocational teachers is devoted to allowing teachers to improve their professional knowledge and skills. • Universities will establish uniform minimum subject teaching requirements for teachers in basic and uppersecondary schools and develop a system for evaluating teachers’ skills which recognises
previous studies and work experience. • The Ministry of Education and Research together with the universities will create opportunities for working teachers - to learn minor subjects and expand their qualifications, according to the actual needs of schools, and - to gain a pedagogical qualification or a higher education in programmes linking theory to practice where their previous study and work experience will receive academic recognition. • Universities that offer initial education and retraining will consider the needs and availability of working teachers. They will use flexible study formats including distance education, cyclical studies and
individual studies, the schoolbased teacher education model, mentoring in the working environment etc. • Universities will complement all initial education curricula with a course on the methodology of teaching in a foreign language in order to teach student teachers the skills for working in multilingual classes such as language immersion or the methodology for bilingual learning. • When student teachers complete teacher education programmes their oral and written expression in the Estonian language and at least one foreign language will be assessed. • The state and the universities will ensure that pre-school teachers and class teachers receive initial education in the Russian language. However, graduates must speak Estonian at level C1 (advanced level) as defined in the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages.
• The initial education of Russian-language basic school teachers will mostly be based on the Estonian language. To ensure the quality of subject teaching in Russian, the universities will help student teachers learn the specialised language in both Russian and Estonian through bilingual teaching.
• Universities that offer initial and continuing education will analyse whether their existing curricula comply with the national curricula for comprehensive schools, with the goals of this strategy and with the professional standards for teachers. They will consider the changes that have taken
place in the education system and will make corrections if necessary. • Headmaster will evaluate whether teachers’ qualifications meet the established requirements and will inform the Ministry of Education and Research via the Estonian
TEACHER'S DEVELOPMENT Teachers’ professional development and support for it are systematic and consistent • The Ministry of Education and Research will write each teacher’s professional development plan to describe the targets for development based on the teacher’s qualifications and work experience, and offer options for continuing education or additional qualifications including teaching courses such as mentoring, tutoring, working with children with special needs, teaching or counselling
adult learners, and exploring career opportunities. • The Ministry of Education and Research together with institutions that offer continuing education will establish the evaluation criteria for continuing education. • Initial education lecturers and teaching practice supervisors will use teaching meth-
ods that support the skills that student teachers need for selfreflection and planning their professional development. • The induction year programme will be developed in line with the principle of learning from experience to support the development of self-analysis skills and the professional development of beginning teachers.
Education Information System if their employees need to be retrained or need to gain a pedagogical qualification or a degree in teacher education. Headmaster will give their employees the opportunity to gain further qualifications.
• Teachers and student teachers will evaluate and plan their professional development on the basis of the professional standards for teachers. • Every year teachers will evaluate their performance and personal development using self-reflection. They will determine their needs for professional development and plan the necessary activities. • Teachers will participate in courses that support their professional and personal development needs, considering also new trends in education and the development needs of schools. • Headmasters will develop school culture in line with the
principles of a learning organisation by supporting and recognising teachers’ endeavours in continuing education, peer-to-peer learning and mentoring (support for new teachers). • Headmasters will carry out teacher evaluations on a regu-
lar basis and will incorporate the professional development plans of teachers into the continuing education plans and internal evaluation analyses of schools. • Institutions that offer continuing education will incorporate study of how to support
teachers’ professional development and carry out teacher evaluations into the qualification courses for head teachers. • The Ministry of Education and Research will support the web-based innovation projects of professional organisations and the networking initiatives
of education institutions in developing regional counselling and resource centres where teachers’ professional organisations, teacher trainers and various support specialists will work together to enable regular individual and group counselling for teachers in support of their self-analysis.
PROFESSIONAL COMMUNITIES Teachers are active community members, working with colleagues, specialised organisations and professional organisations, and help to promote their subject • Universities help support networks of student teachers and teachers in their induction year. • The Local Governments Union will work with schools to create opportunities by coordinating, organising and offering support for joint activities among regional
teacher communities. • The Ministry of Education and Research will found a cooperation forum for the representatives of teachers’ professional organisations and will support common activities by those organisations. The cooperation forum will: - discuss development issues
related to teacher education; - make proposals on recognition systems and career advancement for teachers; - evaluate draft regulations on education; - coordinate networking and disseminate best practice. • Headmasters will recognise teachers’ contributions to
school development and their participation in professional organisations. • Teachers will disseminate the results of action research and best practice among colleagues in their region and all over the country.
MANAGEMENT AND DEVELOPMENT Management and development of teacher education is based on proven methods, and is consistent and linked to the overall development of the education system • Research in teacher education will be carried out by internationally recognised groups of researchers led by
universities. Top specialists from outside universities will also be invited to participate in these research groups.
• The Ministry of Education and Research will plan and finance systematic complex surveys to monitor the quality of
teacher education and shortterm applied research projects to solve specific problems. • A council of teacher education experts and representatives of institutions of higher education will be established under the Ministry of Education and Research. Its tasks will be to monitor the implementation of the teacher edu-
TEACHER’S PROFESSION IS ATTRACTIVE This goal can be achieved by meeting all the other goals cation strategy, to analyse the research results from teacher education, to revise the strategy to accommodate research results and changes in society, to draw up annual action plans for the strategy, to lay out the priorities for continuing education and analyse the results from the monitoring. • The Ministry of Education and Research will write a development plan for the induction year for vocational teachers. • The Professional Council of Education will develop the professional standards, revise the rules for professional certification and make proposals for the use of the professional standards.
• The Professional Council of Education, professional unions and the National Examinations and Qualifications Centre will organise the transition of professional certification to teachers’ professional organisations. • The Ministry of Education and Research and local governments will give schools increased autonomy in employing support staff and selecting their support staff to suit their needs concerning pupils with special needs, teachers’ qualifications, student numbers, etc., and development goals within the limits of rationality. The Ministry of Education and Research will analyse the needs for support staff in schools and, if neces-
sary, will increase the minimum number of support staff foreseen by the Minister of Education and Research. • The result-based evaluation of teacher education curricula will draw from the professional standards for teachers. • The following measures will be used to ensure the quality and evaluate the effectiveness of continuing education for education staff: a) The Ministry of Education and Research will analyse the continuing education needs of teachers and head teachers and will allocate additional national resources to important fields of continuing education.
b) The state will regulate the market for continuing education for education staff through quality assurance. The continuing education feedback module will be added to the Estonian Education Information System where head teachers can give feedback on the quality and effectiveness of the continuing education received by their employees. c) Institutions that offer continuing education will register their programmes in the Estonian Education Information System. The classifications will be taken from the professional standards for teachers.
• The state will ensure a competitive salary for teachers. • The Ministry of Education and Research together with the different stakeholders will find ways to reduce teachers’ work load and stress, for example by using specialists and assistant teachers to support pupils’ development, and limit the work load of teachers in induction year to take account of their special needs. • Schools will be the regional pillars of culture and will take an active role in the development of the regions, working together with teachers, pupils and parents. • School managements will recognise and inform their
communities of the achievements of their teachers in supporting the development of their pupils. • Teachers’ organisations
professional will propose
amendments to regulations on the development needs of teacher education and the whole education system to the Ministry of Education and Research. They will also contribute to implementing those amendments. • Universities will give teacher education priority in their development plans and inform the public regularly of achievements in this field. • Comprehensive schools will use career consultations to inform pupils of the opportunities and challenges of being a teacher. Universities will encourage students at Bachelor’s level to continue their studies in teacher education programmes at Master’s level
and encourage the graduates of Master’s programmes to become teachers. • The Ministry of Education and Research and teachers’ professional organisations will work to improve the reputation of the profession of teacher. They will start public debates on important aspects of the development of education and teacher education, publicise success stories and best practice, and launch projects to raise the social status of teachers such as “ministers become teachers and teachers become ministers” on Teacher’s Day, teachers’ song festival etc. • The Ministry of Education and Research will set up a system to recognise education institutions and will establish awards for good teachers.
SUMMARY Teachers have the key role in education Teachers have the key role in education. The development of the Estonian school and all learners depends on the quality of teacher education and the readiness of teachers to analyse their performance and continue their own education. Raising the social status and value of teachers is extremely important. The main objective of this strategy is to support teachers’ professional development, and behind this is the goal of supporting the development of learners. The objectives of the strategy can only be successfully achieved if the different parties work together. The state and the school owners must ensure that we have young people who want to become teachers and that the profession of teacher enjoys a higher social status. The
state and the school owners must ensure the sustainable funding of schools, including greater opportunities for flexible working time and pay. The Ministry of Education and Research must ensure the continuous development of teacher education, carry out systematic monitoring and applied research in education, and amend regulations on teacher education in line with the strategy. Institutions of higher education that have teacher education courses must raise the standard of teacher education and support the professional development of teachers who need to work in an environment that requires a wide variety of skills. Special attention must be paid to teachers’ self analysis, and to fostering professional development and teamwork skills. It is important that teacher
education courses are flexible about who they accept, candidates’ previous study and work experience, the structure of degree programmes, and academic recognition of qualifications. Teacher education must be based on internationally recognised research and give students plenty of opportunities to apply their theoretical knowledge in practical work in schools. Schools must support and promote teachers’ professional development. Head teachers must promote a school culture based on the principles of the learning organisation by facilitating peer-to-peer learning, mentoring and the participation of teachers in professional organisations.
The role and importance of professional organisations in supporting teaching as a profession and in building up its reputation must be increased. In order to strengthen the identity of the community of teachers, both regional networking and national crossorganisational content development must be enhanced. Teachers and student teachers must be fully aware of their responsibility to support the development of their pupils, and must analyse their own education needs and plan their professional and personal development to fit the professional standards for teachers, national education reforms, the needs of their schools, and what they want to be as teachers.
The Estonian Teacher Education Strategy for 2009-2013 full text: www.hm.ee
Unit of Eduko programme Koidula 13A, 10125 Tallinn Phone: 699 9396 E-mail: eduko@archimedes.ee www.archimedes.ee/eduko