Experienced Educator

Saturday morning there is a fair, where all farmers bring their homegrown and home-made gastronomic delights. We also went to the Botanical Garden where the light festival turned the place into a fairy tale. On this note, one day in Madison is certainly not enough to explore the entire city. Hence, I asked my friend who went to the college in Madison to share his impressions of student life in Madison and here is his answer:

“For me, studying in Madison offered a unique combination of immaculate scenery and challenging coursework. I lived on one of Madison’s four lakes for the final two years of my studies. I made it an important aspect of my time in Madison to enjoy the parks and lakes as much as possible. My absolute favorite place is the Terrace which overlooks the lake Mendota with iconic seating and views. I consider Madison to be the gem of the Midwest and encourage everyone to visit.”

Wisconsin Badger

TEACHING IS A GREAT WAY OF LEARNING AN INTERVIEW WITH ENE PETERSON, CHAIR OF THE ESTONIAN ASSOCIATION OF FOREIGN LANGUAGE TEACHERS

What could you say about your educational background and professional career?

I come from Viljandi and finished Viljandi Carl Robert Jakobson Secondary School in 1968. After that I entered Tartu State University and obtained the speciality of a philologist and teacher of the English language. After graduating from the university, I have worked at three different schools (Võhma Secondary School, Viljandi Secondary School, Kohtla-Järve Järve Upper-Secondary School) for eight years and more than 30 years at Virumaa College of Tallinn University of Technology. I have worked for two years as a visiting lecturer of English teaching methodology at Narva College of the University of Tartu. In the

academic year 1995/1996 I had an opportunity to study second language teaching methodology at the University of New Brunswick (UNB) in Fredericton in Canada in the framework of an international development project called the Estonian Language Training Project. In 2015 I attended FIPLV World Congress in Niagara Falls as a presenter. The most exciting experience at the congress was meeting my Canadian colleague Paula Kristmanson who I collaborated with twenty years ago at the UNB.

I acquired a MA in Education Science (Andragogy) at Tallinn University. My professional career has been a mix of teaching, administrative work (head of the chair of the Humanities and Social Sciences at Virumaa College), curriculum development, teacher training, work in expert commissions, writing articles, preparation of study and methodological materials, involvement in projects and project management, personal development activities and sharing experience at conferences, seminars, courses. At present I am in adult education and training.

What in your learning/teaching history has inspired you?

Changes and challenges. As an Aries I hate dull and repetitive routine. I constantly set myself challenges to keep pace with changes in teaching and learning. Teaching is a great way of learning, and vice versa. Each challenge is an opportunity for personal growth and self-improvement. New challenges in teaching represent an opportunity for personal growth. There are three books that have inspired me and helped me to cope with changes and handle the challenge of change better. I have used these books during the English for Specific Purpose and Business English courses.

Firstly, Physics of the Future written by the internationally acclaimed physicist Dr Michio Kaku who gives us an insider’s perspective on the revolutionary advances, the inventions that will transform our lives in 100 years.

Secondly, Our Iceberg is Melting is a simple fable about doing well in an ever-changing world based on the award-winning work of Harvard`s John Kotter. The fable is about a penguin colony in Antarctica. The characters in the story, Fred, Alice, Louis, Buddy, the Professor, and NoNo, are like people we recognize – even ourselves. Their tale is one of resistance to change occurring in different forms all around us today – but the penguins handle the very real challenges a great deal better than most of us.

Thirdly, Screw It, Let`s Do It written by Richard Branson, a British business magnate, investor, author and philanthropist, the founder of the Virgin Group. Every chapter in his book begins with 5–10 mottos. Mottos that have guided me in my life are: Believe in yourself. Try and try again. Have a positive outlook on life. Don’t waste time – grab your chances. Calculate the risks and take them. Try new things. Challenge yourself. Have no regrets.

Who has inspired you?

First and foremost, my parents. They taught me the value of a hard work, responsibility, and the importance of a good education. I did not have any doubts about continuing my studies at the university, but it was difficult for me to make a choice between Tallinn Pedagogical Institute and Tartu State University.

Secondly, my teacher of English at Viljandi Secondary School was a huge inspiration to me, too. Her passion for teaching English was motivating and put the fire in me to choose the teacher’s career and to start my studies at the University of Tartu.

Thirdly, face-to-face meetings with world-famous linguists, lecturers, authors, methodologists, teacher trainers, storytellers, such as David Crystal, Nik Peachey, Russell Stannard, Keith Kelly, Mario Rinvolucri, Gavin Dudeney, Nicky Hockly, Kieran Donaghy, Andrew Wright, Sonia Carmona Tapa.

They have enriched my professional life as a lecturer of English and a teacher trainer. For example, David Crystal inspired me to plunge into the world of words, Gavin Dudeney and Nicky Hockly have helped me familiarise myself with the full range of digital literacies, Kieran Donaghy encouraged me to use film and video in language teaching and provoke interest in visual literacy, Andrew Wright inspired me to use poems and stories and Sonia Carmona Tapa arose interest in storytelling. I follow Nik Pecahey`s blog on digital materials that can be used in the online or physical classroom. I subscribe to Russell Stannard`s Newsletter to become more confident to incorporate technology into my teaching.

How did you hit on the idea of founding the Estonian Association of Foreign Language Teachers (EAFLT)?

As an Aries I am motivated by challenges. The foundation of the Estonian Association of Foreign Language Teachers (EAFLT) has been one of the toughest challenges in my life. It was not an easy task and the preparatory work took about two years. There was an opportunity to attend an international conference of the Foreign Language Teachers’ Association of Lithuania (LKPA) “Language as a Pathway to a Multilingual Europe” on 20–21 June 2008 in Vilnius. The Estonian Ministry of Education and Research had sent three representatives of Estonian foreign languages teachers’ associations to the Vilnius conference. LKPA president Eglė Šleinotienė and Lithuanian foreign language teachers shared their experience, encouraged us to establish an umbrella organization of foreign language teachers. On the initiative of the Association of the Teachers of Estonian as a Second Language, the conference “Languages Open the Doors” was organized in Tartu on 29 October 2008. The purpose of the conference was to initiate cooperation between foreign language teachers and all seven foreign language teachers’ associations with more than 100 participants took part in the conference.

The springboard of the EAFLT was the Estonian Foreign Language Strategy, launched on 17 March 2009. One of the aims of the strategy was to diversify the possibilities to study foreign languages, and an important role to achieve this aims was seen in the foundation of “an umbrella organisation uniting foreign language teachers who shall be created with the support of the state and shall maintain active operations. The organisation shall plan in-service training, provide advisory services, provide information on opportunities for international cooperation and training abroad and share experience and best practise.”

Although there were obstacles, we received encouragement, advice and moral support from Eglė Šleinotienė (former LKPA president), Raija Airio (former chair of NBR region of FIPLV 2008–2010), Denis Cunningham (former Secretary-General of FIPLV Executive Committee), and Sigurborg Jonsdottir (FIPLV NBR president).

And finally, we DID it! The Estonian Association of Foreign Language Teachers (EAFLT) was established on 5 December 2009. Its founding members are the Association of Teachers of Estonian as a Second Language, the Association of Teachers of German and the Association of Teachers of Finnish. During the following years other associations joined: the Association of Teachers of Russian (2012), the Estonian Association of Teachers of English (2015), the Estonian Association of Teachers of Swedish (2018). Our motto is “Together we are stronger, together we have more possibilities!”

What has the Estonian Association of Foreign Language Teachers given to you?

The foundation of the EAFLT and being the chair of the association for ten years has been an integral part of my life – facing and overcoming challenges, meeting inspiring colleagues from all over the world, becoming more tolerant and better at dealing with people, negotiating and organisational skills. I have learned the secrets of organising and running effective conferences (including international) from the scratch. Managing the project “An International Examination” has supplied me with the skills

of launching a project and keeping the project on track. On everyday basis I have learned many more skills that I had never thought I would need in my life, e.g. basic accounting, budget monitoring, drawing up contracts, recordkeeping, keeping up with the knowledge of legislation in the field of education, language learning and teaching.

I would like to thank our board members who have trusted, supported, and encouraged me during these years.

How does it happen that you smile in every picture?

As matter of fact, I acquired the habit of smiling when being photographed when I studied in Canada at the University of New Brunswick twenty years ago. And I haven’t got rid of this “habit”. It`s become a natural process for me to smile when being photographed. I don’t want to see myself sad or gloomy, and, therefore, I smile. I believe it adds beauty to the face. I think that there’s always a reason to smile, you just must find it.

What makes you seem to be in high spirit all the time?

It surprises me that I have made such an impression. A high-spirited person is energetic and happy and likes doing exciting and enjoyable things. I am happy because I can do the things I Iike, have a supporting family and wonderful colleagues. It is true to say that I try to think positive, see the brighter side of life, encourage, and inspire other people as well.

What are the challenges and the opportunities that language teachers’ associations face?

I do believe that there is still – perhaps more than ever – a need for teachers’ associations which can instil in their members a strong sense of belonging to a wider community of caring and committed professionals. Teachers who join teachers’ associations value first and foremost practical benefits: a chance to attend conferences or seminars at a reduced price, receive newsletters and fresh information about language teaching events and courses, be a member of electronic discussion lists, get in touch with other teachers and get the energy from being with like-minded professionals.

However, the greatest challenge is how to guarantee the sustainable development of language teachers’ associations (LTAs). You need finances (membership fees do not cover all expenses), and you need energetic people wanting to make a difference and change things. One of the key conditions for the existence of an association is that it can attract new members and retain their membership for as long as possible. In Estonia, only 10–20 % of foreign language teachers have joined different language teacher associations. It is increasingly important that associations can effectively present themselves to the world and communicate the advantages that come with membership. To encourage foreign language teachers to become a member of one of our member associations, the EAFLT prepared a videoclip. You can watch it (with subtitles in English) here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UzuJeGj8PNM

Based on my own board member experience, the most important other requirements for guaranteeing the sustainability of LTAs are the following: time (readiness to work for extra hours on a voluntary basis apart from your main job responsibilities), team mindedness (a good team is the foundation of an effective association), responsibility (each board member should have a duty to deal with and act concientiously to fulfil his/her tasks), and skills (each board member should demonstrate readiness to acquire new skills needed for the development of the association).

What would you like to change at school or in education in general?

This is a difficult question to answer. 20–30 years ago, we used to have a centralised education