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 great-ly determined by his or her fi rst 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 teach-ers throughout their careers.It contains ideas for improving the reputation of the teacher’s profession and opportunities for their professional development and continuing education.

There are activities for:a) facilitating the work of young teachers. Their

confi dence comes from teacher training skills and teaching practice;

b) providing teachers with career, continuing education and retraining opportunities;

c) making both young and more experienced teachers feel that their profession is attrac-tive and appreciated and that teachers’ pro-fessional organisations are necessary.

To make this strategy work, we have launched structural fund programmes. There is a pro-gramme for improving the qualifi cations of teachers in general education schools. The ob-jectives of this programme are to create a system for supporting teachers’ professional develop-ment, to evaluate teachers’ qualifi cations and to support professional networks. The other one is the Eduko programme with its central part fo-cussing on the development of teacher training.

I wish good luck to everyone in implementing all the good ideas!

Tõnis Lukas Minister of Education and Research

1) Teacher education is based on a solid theoretical foun-dation and supports the de-velopment of the teaching skills described in the pro-fessional standards.

2) Teacher education employs fl exible models that con-sider the needs of the edu-cation system and the indi-viduality of pupils.

3) Teachers’ professional de-velopment and support for it are systematic and con-sistent.

4) Teachers are active commu-nity members, working with colleagues, specialised or-ganisations and profes-sional organisations, and help to promote their sub-ject.

5) Management and develop-ment of teacher education is based on proven meth-ods, and is consistent and linked to the overall devel-opment of the education system.

6) The profession of teacher is attractive and enjoys high social status.

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 evalua-tion system for learning organ-isations; institutions of higher education that offer teacher education and continuing edu-cation strive for the integral development of teacher edu-cation through partnerships; teachers’ professional organi-sations develop partnership networks and help to build up the reputation of the profes-sion of teacher; teachers ana-lyse and plan their professional development.

Teachers work and plan their professional devel-opment in line with the following principles:

• Teachers enjoy a digni-fi ed social position. Teach-ers are fully aware of their role in the society and their respon-sibility for supporting their pupils’ development as deci-sive and responsible citizens of

Estonia and Europe. Teachers help to promote local culture and the culture of their profes-sion.

• Teachers are learners who can evaluate and plan their professional develop-ment. Teachers use analytical thinking and empirical prob-lem solving methods. They are familiar with and make use of

the most recent research on teaching and learning. They can evaluate the effi ciency of their working methods and participate in research. They can evaluate and plan their education needs.

• Teachers support the de-velopment of their pupils. Pupils’ development is a per-formance indicator of teachers’

work. Teachers consider the individual development needs of their pupils. They analyse every learning situation, mo-tivate 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 con-sideration 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

learning process through a sup-portive learning environment. Teachers are familiar with modern information sources and informal ways of learn-ing. They use up-to-date in-formation and communication technology in their work and help their pupils to gain inde-pendent learning skills and to select and process information.

Teachers can also offer guid-ance to adult learners (parents, colleagues, student teachers).

• Teachers are experts in their subjects and in-tegrate different fi elds of knowledge. Teachers are experts in their subjects. They are familiar with new trends in their specialised fi eld 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 sub-jects, to the surrounding envi-ronment and to the experience of their pupils.

• Teachers use the help of their colleagues and par-

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 coop-erate with parents, colleagues, community representatives and specialists.

STRATEGIC VISION FOR 2013 In 2013, schools in Estonia have dignifi ed, motivated and competent teachers

STRATEGICGOALSMeeting the strategic vision will require the following goals to be fulfi lled

• Teachers will be trained in institutions of higher educa-tion where research in educa-tion has been internationally recognised.

• The teacher education pro-grammes and studies planned and carried out in those insti-tutions will be based on recent research, the skills described in the professional standards for teachers and the objectives

of the national curricula. In the initial education and induction year, emphasis will be given to the development of coopera-tion skills so the teacher can support the individual devel-opment of pupils, participate in school development and teach the national curricula.

• Institutions of higher edu-cation will evaluate the profes-sional skills of student teachers in the light of the initial educa-tion programmes.

• Teacher education curricula will integrate the main subject, pedagogical subjects such as pedagogical and psychological subjects, and general and spe-cifi c subject-based didactics, and teaching practice. Lectur-ers of pedagogical subjects will link theoretical knowledge to practical tasks in the school

environment, developing both the content and format of ob-servation practice.

• Subject courses will sup-port the objectives set for each subject and meet the general objectives of the national cur-ricula.

• Teaching practice will be di-vided between different stages of study, and teaching practice supervisors will encourage stu-

dent teachers to create links between theory and practice in their working environments.

• Subject teachers will be encouraged to complete their teaching practice in differ-ent types of schools and in schools where the language of instruction is not the student’smother tongue, for example with subject teachers in voca-tional schools, and Estonian students in Russian-language schools. There will be addi-tional education and support and motivation systems avail-able nationally.

• Lecturers will carry out sur-veys on teaching and learning, working together with teachers and student teachers.

• Students will learn the prin-ciples 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, uni-versities will create innova-tion centres to decide the best teaching methodology for each subject and use it in develop-ing curricula and integrated

study processes, carrying out research on subject didactics, offering teachers guidance, improving the skills of sub-ject didactics lecturers and the professional skills of teachers, improving the content, organi-sation and quality of supervi-sors of teaching practice and professional skills of student teachers in initial education and graduates.

• To ensure the quality of initial education and the inte-gral development of teacher education, universities will create structures that unite all academic units and organise the development of teacher education by: drafting the uni-versity’s development strategy for teacher education, drawing up annual action plans, plan-ning teacher surveys, working

with schools to coordinate the content development of teach-er education curricula and teaching practice, carrying out analyses of teacher education curricula and induction year feedback forms, and informing all lecturers involved in the im-plementation of the curricula.

TEACHER EDUCATIONTeacher education is based on a solid theoretical foundation and supports the development of the teaching skills described in the professional standards

• 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 univer-sities will help student teachers learn the specialised language in both Russian and Estonian through bilingual teaching.

• Universities that offer ini-tial and continuing education will analyse whether their ex-isting curricula comply with the national curricula for com-prehensive 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’ qualifi ca-tions meet the established re-quirements and will inform the Ministry of Education and Research via the Estonian

Education Information Sys-tem if their employees need to be retrained or need to gain a pedagogical qualifi cation or a degree in teacher education. Headmaster will give their em-ployees the opportunity to gain further qualifi cations.

• The Ministry of Education and Research will write each teacher’s professional develop-ment plan to describe the tar-gets for development based on the teacher’s qualifi cations and work experience, and offer op-tions for continuing education or additional qualifi cations in-cluding teaching courses such as mentoring, tutoring, work-ing 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 continu-ing education will establish the evaluation criteria for continu-ing education.

• Initial education lecturers and teaching practice supervi-sors will use teaching meth-

ods that support the skills that student teachers need for self-refl ection and planning their professional development.

• The induction year pro-gramme will be developed in line with the principle of learn-ing from experience to support the development of self-analy-sis skills and the professional development of beginning teachers.

• Teachers and student teach-ers 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 us-ing self-refl ection. They will determine their needs for pro-fessional development and plan the necessary activities. • Teachers will participate in courses that support their professional and personal de-velopment needs, considering also new trends in education and the development needs of schools.

• Headmasters will develop school culture in line with the

• Universities will establish initial education curricula by branches of study so that stu-dents can gain a qualifi cation that allows them to teach sev-eral 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 edu-cation curricula for vocational teachers is devoted to allowing teachers to improve their pro-fessional knowledge and skills.

• Universities will establish uniform minimum subject teaching requirements for teachers in basic and upper-secondary schools and develop a system for evaluating teach-ers’ skills which recognises

previous studies and work ex-perience.

• The Ministry of Education and Research together with the universities will create oppor-tunities for working teachers - to learn minor subjects and

expand their qualifi cations, according to the actual needs of schools, and

- to gain a pedagogical qualifi -cation or a higher education in programmes linking the-ory to practice where their previous study and work experience will receive aca-demic recognition.

• Universities that offer ini-tial education and retraining will consider the needs and availability of working teach-ers. They will use fl exible study formats including distance education, cyclical studies and

individual studies, the school-based teacher education model, mentoring in the work-ing environment etc.

• Universities will comple-ment all initial education cur-ricula with a course on the methodology of teaching in a foreign language in order to teach student teachers the skills for working in multilin-gual 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 Es-tonian language and at least one foreign language will be assessed.

• The state and the universi-ties will ensure that pre-school teachers and class teachers re-ceive initial education in the Russian language. However, graduates must speak Estonian at level C1 (advanced level) as defi ned in the Common Euro-pean Framework of Reference for Languages.

TEACHER EDUCATION CURRICULATeacher education employs fl exible models that consider the needs of the education system and the individuality of learners

TEACHER'S DEVELOPMENTTeachers’ professional development and support for it are systematic and consistent

• 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 co-operation forum for the repre-sentatives of teachers’ profes-sional organisations and will support common activities by those organisations. The coop-eration forum will:- discuss development issues

related to teacher education;- make proposals on recogni-

tion systems and career ad-vancement for teachers;

- evaluate draft regulations on education;

- coordinate networking and disseminate best practice.

• Headmasters will recog-nise teachers’ contributions to

school development and their participation in professional organisations.

• Teachers will disseminate the results of action research and best practice among col-leagues in their region and all over the country.

PROFESSIONALCOMMUNITIESTeachers are active community members, working with colleagues, specialised organisations and professional organisations, and help to promote their subject

principles of a learning or-ganisation by supporting and recognising teachers’ endeav-ours 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 con-tinuing education plans and internal evaluation analyses of schools.

• Institutions that offer con-tinuing education will incor-porate study of how to support

teachers’ professional devel-opment and carry out teacher evaluations into the qualifi ca-tion 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 de-veloping regional counselling and resource centres where teachers’ professional organi-sations, teacher trainers and various support specialists will work together to enable regu-lar individual and group coun-selling for teachers in support of their self-analysis.

• Research in teacher edu-cation 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 fi -nance systematic complex sur-veys to monitor the quality of

teacher education and short-term applied research projects to solve specifi c problems.

• A council of teacher educa-tion experts and representa-tives of institutions of higher education will be established under the Ministry of Educa-tion and Research. Its tasks will be to monitor the imple-mentation of the teacher edu-

MANAGEMENT AND DEVELOPMENTManagement and development of teacher education is based on proven methods, and is consistent and linked to the overall development of the education system

• The state will ensure a com-petitive salary for teachers.

• The Ministry of Education and Research together with the different stakeholders will fi nd ways to reduce teachers’ work load and stress, for example by using specialists and assistant teachers to support pupils’ de-velopment, 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 develop-ment of the regions, working together with teachers, pupils and parents.

• School managements will recognise and inform their

communities of the achieve-ments of their teachers in sup-porting the development of their pupils.

• Teachers’ professional organisations 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 con-tribute to implementing those amendments.

• Universities will give teach-er education priority in their development plans and inform the public regularly of achieve-ments in this fi eld.

• Comprehensive schools will use career consultations to inform pupils of the oppor-tunities and challenges of be-ing a teacher. Universities will encourage students at Bach-elor’s level to continue their studies in teacher education programmes at Master’s level

and encourage the graduates of Master’s programmes to be-come 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 prac-tice, and launch projects to raise the social status of teach-ers 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.

TEACHER’SPROFESSIONIS 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 strat-egy to accommodate research results and changes in society, to draw up annual action plans for the strategy, to lay out the priorities for continuing edu-cation and analyse the results from the monitoring.

• The Ministry of Education and Research will write a de-velopment plan for the induc-tion year for vocational teach-ers.

• The Professional Council of Education will develop the professional standards, revise the rules for professional cer-tifi cation and make proposals for the use of the professional standards.

• The Professional Council of Education, professional unions and the National Examina-tions and Qualifi cations Cen-tre will organise the transition of professional certifi cation to teachers’ professional organi-sations.

• The Ministry of Education and Research and local gov-ernments will give schools increased autonomy in em-ploying support staff and selecting their support staff to suit their needs concern-ing pupils with special needs, teachers’ qualifi cations, stu-dent numbers, etc., and devel-opment 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 mini-mum 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 re-sources to important fi elds of continuing education.

b) The state will regulate the market for continuing edu-cation for education staff through quality assurance. The continuing education feedback module will be added to the Estonian Edu-cation Information System where head teachers can give feedback on the quality and effectiveness of the con-tinuing education received by their employees.

c) Institutions that offer con-tinuing education will regis-ter their programmes in the Estonian Education Infor-mation System. The classi-fi cations will be taken from the professional standards for teachers.

Teachers have the key role in education. The development of the Estonian school and all learners depends on the qual-ity 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 sup-porting the development of learners.

The objectives of the strat-egy 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 en-joys a higher social status. The

state and the school owners must ensure the sustainable funding of schools, including greater opportunities for fl ex-ible working time and pay.

The Ministry of Education and Research must ensure the continuous development of teacher education, carry out systematic monitoring and ap-plied research in education, and amend regulations on teacher education in line with the strategy.

Institutions of higher edu-cation 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. Spe-cial attention must be paid to teachers’ self analysis, and to fostering professional devel-opment and teamwork skills. It is important that teacher

education courses are fl exible about who they accept, candi-dates’ previous study and work experience, the structure of degree programmes, and aca-demic recognition of qualifi ca-tions. Teacher education must be based on internationally recognised research and give students plenty of opportuni-ties 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 facili-tating peer-to-peer learning, mentoring and the participa-tion of teachers in professional organisations.

The role and importance of professional organisa-tions in supporting teaching as a profession and in building up its reputation must be in-creased. In order to strengthen the identity of the community of teachers, both regional net-working and national cross-organisational content devel-opment must be enhanced.

Teachers and student teachers must be fully aware of their responsibility to sup-port the development of their pupils, and must analyse their own education needs and plan their professional and personal development to fi t the profes-sional standards for teachers, national education reforms, the needs of their schools, and what they want to be as teachers.

SUMMARYTeachers have the key role in education

The Estonian Teacher Education Strategy for 2009-2013 full text: www.hm.ee

Unit of Eduko programmeKoidula 13A, 10125 TallinnPhone: 699 9396E-mail: eduko@archimedes.ee www.archimedes.ee/eduko