Estonian Teachers Research Articles

Implementing different teaching methods in geography during the remote learning period in 2020

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic the teachers were required to adjust their previous teaching methods, test both their pedagogical skills and their digital competence, as well as the digital competence of the students. The purpose of the research was to map out teaching methods by geography teachers in Estonia, the efficiency levels of those methods, while also receiving feedback about the teaching process as it applied to remote learning. Mixed methods research was conducted amongst 76 geography teachers, data collection method was a questionnaire. The results revealed: if the most efficient methods of learning were forms of discussion which called for active communication between the students themselves, as well as between students and teachers, then the least efficient method was teacher-centered lecture. Forms of discussion were used by teachers most often in synchronized video lessons, but they requested suitable short educational videos and a uniform repository of teaching materials. Half of teachers didn`t use map-related work, minority used work with maps in the e-testing environments or into worksheets. More than half of teachers adjusted the assessment system without making any compromises in terms of learning outcomes. Half of the teachers were so far satisfied with the teaching process and with their contact with the students, half of the teachers believed that their students failed to achieve the planned learning outcomes.

Teachers’ Metaphors and Beliefs about Teaching and their Relationship with Job Satisfaction

This research focuses on Estonian teachers’ beliefs about teaching, the metaphors of their knowledge base, and the emotions connected with being a teacher. The relationships between these aspects and teacher job satisfaction were explored. In total, 658 mathematics, English language, biology, and class teachers participated in the research. The research applied a mostly quantitative design involving a mixed methods approach. The results highlight the complexity of teachers’ understanding of their role. Statistically significant differences were found between the teacher groups participating in the study. The results showed that the affective connotations of metaphors teachers attach to their work are related to teachers’ job satisfaction. However, there were no significant differences between teacher groups based on the nature of their metaphor and their beliefs about teaching. However, the results indicate that teachers expressing student-centred beliefs were more satisfied with their job environment than those with teacher-centred beliefs. The study suggests the importance of considering beliefs, knowledge base, and emotions in understanding job satisfaction.

The Potential of Formal Education in the Non-Formal Education of Russian Language Teachers in Estonia

This article describes the method of educating Russian teachers in Tallinn University. The respective curriculum is presented, and its structure and components analysed. The authors review the aims of the subject-specific didactics courses, their content and the forms of the classes, as well as the role and place of teaching internships in the process of teaching training. Most of the attention is paid to the adaptation of the existing curricula to the needs of informal Russian teacher training within the campaign “Noored Kooli” (Young People to Schools), open learning and microgrades. Also, the handbook How to Prepare and Give a Lesson in Russian as a Foreign Language is looked at, as well as at some e-platforms and resources for videoconferences and lectures. This article reveals the potential of the resources referred to in classwork and in independent work by students within both formal and informal Russian teacher training. The authors elaborate on the idea that informal training can be more effective within some special terms, for example, if the training is based on general, cross-functional, but flexible, curricula, which have been evaluated during the long period of training specialists for schools.

Purposeful teachers and teaching in Finland and Estonia

ABSTRACT The purpose of this study was to investigate how Finnish and Estonian teachers perceive their purpose in life (nFIN = 238, nEST = 376) and purposeful teaching (nFIN = 11, nEST = 8). A mixed-method convergent design and sequential explanatory design were utilised. Quantitative data (nFIN = 238, nEST = 376) was first gathered and analysed; then, on the basis of this analysis, qualitative interviews were conducted to explore the quantitative findings in greater depth (nFIN = 11, nEST = 8). The quantitative data revealed three different purpose profiles (fully purposeful, moderately purposeful, and potentially purposeful), of which fully purposeful teachers represented over half of all teachers (56.5%). According to the fully purposeful teachers we interviewed, purposeful teaching was realised through professionally competent and ethically competent teaching. These fully purposeful teachers represent an ideal picture of purposeful teachers’ thinking and practices. Finnish teachers emphasised communication skills as a part of ethically competent teaching more than did their Estonian counterparts. The results of this study indicate the need for future research on purposeful teaching in real teaching situations to capture the realities of purposeful teachers and teaching.

Conceptualisation of learning to learn competence and the challenges of implementation: The Estonian experience

AbstractThe importance of students' learning to learn competence for academic achievement, as well as their well‐being at school and in life, is increasingly emphasised by educators and policy makers in national curricula and educational strategies. In an uncertain and complex world, learners need to become autonomous, be able to analyse challenges and apply knowledge in different contexts, address complex tasks, and create new knowledge. This article explores concepts and approaches to the development of students' learning to learn competence in the context of education in Estonia. First, the conceptualisation, model and dimensions of learning to learn competence are described and related challenges for teachers are analysed. Second, an overview of Estonian teachers' current practices, beliefs, knowledge, skills and occupational standards relevant to students' learning to learn competence is provided. We discuss how Estonian teacher education policy may enhance or inhibit the work of teachers when supporting students to develop learning to learn competence. Future directions for teacher educators and how to prepare teachers to support the development of students' learning to learn competence are suggested.

What motivates and demotivates Estonian mathematics teachers to continue teaching? The roles of self-efficacy, work satisfaction, and work experience

AbstractEstonian students achieved high scores in the latest Programme for International Student Assessment surveys. At the same time, there needs to be more knowledge about the teachers guiding these students, as this could provide insights into effective teaching methods that can be replicated in other educational contexts. According to the Teaching and Learning International Survey, Estonian teachers' average age is among the highest in the world, and the shortage of young, qualified mathematics teachers is well-documented. The present study aimed to map the motivating and demotivating factors for mathematics teachers to continue working in this profession. The effective sample comprised 164 Estonian mathematics teachers who responded to items regarding self-efficacy and job satisfaction and open-ended questions about motivating and demotivating factors regarding their work. The results showed that students, salary and vacation, and job environment are both motivating and demotivating for mathematics teachers. On the one hand, helping the students to succeed (and witnessing the progress), satisfying salaries and a good job climate motivate the teachers. And at the same time, students' low motivation, poor salary, and straining work conditions (e.g., very high workload) serve as demotivating factors. We showed that mathematics teachers' work experience is an essential factor to be considered when thinking about motivating and demotivating factors for teachers, as well as their self-efficacy and job satisfaction. The reasons, possible impact, and potential interventions on an educational policy level are discussed.

Antropoloogiline vaade tööle: mõtisklusi kaevuritest ja diginomaadidest

This article gives an overview of how to research work and labour from an anthropological perspective. Based on the examples of my ethnographic research with miners, teachers and digital nomads, I show how the anthropology of work is based both on the dark anthropology of suffering and the dispossessed as well as the anthropology of the good. Anthropology of work, like anthropology in general, is characterised by a holistic approach, cultural relativism and the ethnographic method. I present five points that I have developed in my own research. First, based on the political economy approach, I argue that at the core of the anthropology of work are global inequalities and their everyday expressions at the workplace. I bring examples of my work in an underground mine in Estonia where miners try to regulate and control the tempo of everyday work while the managers try to make them work faster and more, and how such micro-tempo of the everyday is an expression of larger class structures. I also bring an example of the overlap of class and ethnicity among working-class Russian speakers in Estonia. I then discuss how anthropologists also consider the wider political-economic dimension as the industrial accidents in a Kazakhstani coal mine are affected by the global economic situation as well as global inequalities. Secondly, following David Graeber, I argue that work should be studied as producing both material value and immaterial values. I discuss how miners find salary and respect for their job both important and how Estonian teachers produce value in the future labour force and values as the moral base of society simultaneously and feel that they should be given both a decent salary and an immaterial value expressed in their autonomy and professionalism for their work. In neoliberal Estonia, where different values dominate and other professions are more appreciated, they claim to be lacking both. Thirdly, I argue that anthropological research looks at work from a wider perspective than just paid employment and considers also reproductive work. I bring an example of the transformation of women’s work in a Kazakhstani coal processing plant where the specialist work of regulating the production process has gradually been taken over by cleaning work akin to domestic reproductive tasks, invisible and unappreciated. Fourthly, I emphasise the embodied nature of work and how it creates intersubjective relations between bodies and inanimate objects such as machines or computer programmes. Finally, anthropology as a discipline that does not take the status quo for granted, is a good tool for questioning the centrality of work and dominance of the Protestant work ethic in the contemporary capitalist world. Based on the example of my work with digital nomads, I discuss how these young professionals knowingly decrease their work hours and are trying to spend their time on other pleasant non-commodified activities. Despite this, it is hard to completely denounce the dominant Protestant work ethic. I conclude by calling for both dark and utopian anthropology of work and more interdisciplinary collaborations.

When cultural reproduction overshadows personal transformation: the case of Russian schools teachers in Estonia

ABSTRACT The success with which minority teachers cope with socio-cultural integration indicates their transformative agency. However, teachers’ ideational projects, which are converted into a set of established practices, are tightly connected with their ideologies. In this case what they transform is not a matter of integration for them but is irrevocably intertwined with protecting their own culture. Applying a symbolic interactionist methodological lens and Archer’s ’social morphogenesis’ explanatory framework, in this qualitative research I aim to examine the unique educational context of Estonia. Schools with Russian as the language of instruction co-exist with schools where instruction is in the national language. The paper explores the mechanisms that stand behind the social agency of minority teachers and why their practices are considered ‘morphostatic’ for the whole education system. The paper concludes that these teachers’ agency is culturally mediated and their strategies are reflexive and morphogenetic in nature, even though they don’t lead to integration.

The impact of school culture, school climate, and teachers’ job satisfaction on the teacher-student relationship: a case study in four Estonian schools

ABSTRACT Teachers in Estonia are working in a tense environment of conflicting expectations which, on the one hand, involves a neoliberal approach to standards and, on the other, the humanistic values of education and well-being of students. The purpose of the study was to identify the factors of school climate which ensure both the job satisfaction of teachers and the satisfaction of students, and to analyse the impact of these factors on the teacher-student relationship. The findings are based on the results of interviews with teachers (n=40) and students (n=39) and the results of student questionnaires (n=139) conducted in four schools. The teachers and students who were satisfied with the school and their job perceived the teacher-student relationship through the following aspects: the potential of students, openness to knowledge, the recognition of personal qualities, equal treatment and taking students into account. Despite the external turbulence in the Estonian school system, all schools still have the autonomy to transform their school into an oasis where all parties feel satisfied.

Estonian Teachers’ Day – October 5. From 1960s to Nowadays

Teachers’ Day is celebrated globally on various days of the year. The official celebration began either in 1965 or earlier. UNESCO established the World Teachers’ Day in 1994 to focus on work and achievements of teachers. Teachers’ Day has been celebrated at schools in Estonia since the 1960s. At that time, the best students became teachers, and lessons were given primarily to younger classes and at basic school. The newer rules in the 1990s became much more exciting, according to which teachers really changed roles with students (embodied as students), disguised themselves, and chose a certain style. Behavioural patterns and norms also become free: teachers live out by teasing: scattering paper planes, disturbing lessons, talking and being naughty, do not bother to answer. But students may also be shown what their teachers are like outside school: talented musicians, performers, experimenters, and so on. At the end of the day, they can return to the original rules: a coffee table made by students and flowers for teachers, a visit from the rural municipality, city government or education department, and congratulations. In addition, and above all, this is a day where teachers are excited because they are just great. We see many rapid role changes, changes in norms, parody and ridicule, black humour along with the implementation of various scripts.

Finnish and Estonian teachers’ views on the nature of intelligence

The purpose of this study was to investigate Finnish (n= 226) and Estonian (n= 347) teachers’ views on the nature of intelligence. The study utilized a survey that included a qualitative, open-ended question about teachers’ definition of intelligence and the quantitative inventory Implicit Theories of Intelligence (ITI). We then employed a convergent mixed-method design to understand teachers’ views on the nature of intelligence. These views were divided into four main categories: the multidimensional nature of intelligence, manifestational nature of intelligence, developmental nature of intelligence, and creative nature of intelligence. Teachers from both countries highlighted cognitive features, such as memory, information processing, and problem-solving skills, as a part of the multidimensional nature of intelligence. In addition, teachers viewed intelligence as developmental when measured with the ITI inventory, indicating that intelligence is considered incremental. Lastly, when triangulating the qualitative and quantitative data of teachers’ views on the nature of intelligence, only one statistically significant difference was found. Teachers with an entity view of intelligence also mentioned entity features in their own descriptions. The results showed that teachers views’ on the nature of intelligence are rather broad; however, in future studies, teacher interviews and classroom observation might provide even more profound understanding of teachers’ views on this topic.

From EFL teacher to CLIL teacher in Estonia

AbstractContent and language integrated learning (CLIL) has been adopted in many countries as an attractive methodology to enhance both subject and language teaching. Successful implementation of CLIL is preconditioned by the availability of qualified CLIL teachers, which can be ensured through both pre-service and in-service teacher training. The article introduces a case of designing and implementing an in-service training course of CLIL methodology for English as a foreign language (EFL) teachers in Estonia. The results of a one year-long longitudinal study of EFL teachers’ professional development in CLIL methodology (2018–2019) have been used to develop and implement a needs-analysis-based CLIL in-service training course for a wider community of teachers of English in Estonia (2019–2020). The approach to designing such a tailored in-service training course of CLIL methodology can be applied by teacher educators in other educational contexts and countries.

How accurate are teachers and support specialists when judging students' literacy skills? Special educational service as an external factor influencing judgements.

The aim of the study was to examine the accuracy of Estonian teachers' and support specialists' judgements of students' spelling skills and reading fluency and to investigate the provision of special education services to students as a factor influencing teachers' judgements. The sample included 11 classroom teachers, 8 support specialists, and 187 third-grade students. The judgements were collected using scales, and students' literacy skills were assessed using group and individual tests. The results indicated that judgements of reading fluency were less accurate than those of spelling skills. In addition, the provision of special education services influenced teachers' judgements, directing them to identify students in need of help, even if the teacher did not initially assign the student to the low-skilled group. Unexpectedly, teachers' judgements of the skills of students receiving special education services were slightly more accurate than support specialists' judgements.

Does Public Service Motivation Affect Teacher Satisfaction From the Perspective of Urban and Rural Dual Structure? Empirical Analysis Based on Estonia TALIS 2018 Data.

In recent years, basic education in Estonia has achieved balanced development despite the imbalance of structure and regional factors, and this phenomenon has made the Estonian educational system a general interest of international scholars. Based on the data from the 2018 Teacher Teaching International Survey (TALIS) database, this research divides 3,004 respondents in Estonia into rural teachers and urban teachers and explores the impact of public service motivation on teacher satisfaction from the perspective of urban-rural dual structure through the grouping and comparison of ordered regression models. The study finds that the three dimensions of public service motivations in Estonia will positively affect teacher satisfaction and that the influence coefficient of contribute to the society and the tendency to participate in education policies on teacher satisfaction is higher in rural areas than in urban areas. In addition, the satisfaction of rural teachers in Estonia will decrease with the age of teachers, and the satisfaction of male teachers will be significantly lower than the satisfaction of female teachers, while the satisfaction of urban teachers will decrease with the improvement of academic qualifications. In terms of the implications, on the one hand, Estonia's education policy attempts to solve the imbalance between the regional and teacher structure through subsidies and incentives; on the other hand, Estonia's education policy uses measures such as multidimensional evaluation, multichannel feedback, and local democratization to increase the teacher's participation as well as their satisfaction.

Extremism in a classroom: topics discussed and Estonian teachers' experiences and self-reflective choices

Violent acts motivated by extreme interpretations of ideologies (right-wing, left-wing, religions, etc.) catch a lot of attention and cause serious deep emotions such as fear, hate, uncertainty, support polarization of society, and stigmatization of certain people, things, and societal groups. However, little attention has been given to how educators have addressed issues of violent radicalisation, extremism and terrorism with their students. According to Vallinkoski et al., 2021 as schools are one of the primary settings where most children spend their time, educators are needed to help children foster these (critical media reading and interpreting skills) skills to support students in understanding the reasons behind and aftermath of extremist events.
 This article gives overview of the results of a pilot study focusing on Estonian educators' experiences with discussing and tackling extremism in a classroom. The study examines educators' experiences in discussing topics related to extremism with students and colleagues and an overview of topics that students have raised. It also answers whether educators self-censorship themselves in discussing topics related to extremism and if so, what are the reasons for doing that. The study's questionnaire is created based on a similar study conducted in Finland by Vallinkoski, Koirikivi and Malkki (2021) with the permission of the authors and with adaptions for the Estonian context. The study results show that Estonian teachers discuss the extremism-related context in classroom by their and students' initiative. While doing it, they face difficulties in defining 'extremism', understanding how to interpret the students reactions and ideas, and when to contact further counterparts.

LOOKING THROUGH TEACHERS’ EYES – INVESTIGATING TEACHER AGENCY

ABSTRACT Societal, structural, value-based or economic changes and changes related to technological developments necessitate a continuous development process in the field of education. In responding to the changes, teacher agency becomes a key factor. This study explores when the context of reform provides the basis for the growth of agency and when it disables the potential for teacher agency. The analysis is based on empirical data gathered as part of a large-scale mixed-methods study of the professionalism of Estonian teachers. This study identified the strong presence of professional knowledge and skills among teachers related mainly to classroom work and we argue that this is a result of focusing on short-term professional aims. But a prerequisite for the growth of teacher agency is support so that teachers can develop their professional vocabulary and theoretical knowledge base.

Ethical sensitivity of Finnish and Estonian teachers

ABSTRACT The purpose of this study was to investigate teachers’ ethical sensitivity in Finland (N = 255) and Estonia (N = 412). The survey included the quantitative Ethical Sensitivity Scale Questionnaire and a qualitative open-ended question about successful teaching. In order to capture its essential characteristics, ethical sensitivity was examined using a four-factor structure. Triangulated data indicated that Caring by connecting to others was the most essential dimension of ethical sensitivity among both Finnish and Estonian teachers. By contrast, Reading ethical issues was the lowest rated and least mentioned dimension of ethical sensitivity. Approximately 30% of teachers from both countries did not perceive ethical sensitivity to be part of successful teaching. The results indicate the need for moral education to help teachers gain a more holistic understanding of the moral nature of teaching and recognize and visualize solutions for moral dilemmas in school communities.

Lesson recordings and analysis as part of teacher professional development programmes: what are the student teachers’ opinions?

ABSTRACT One way to support student teachers learning is by offering them different opportunities to reflect on their own and others’ practice. The use of videos is seen as an effective opportunity to support the professional development of teacher education students. This study aimed to find out what are the students’ hesitations related to video recording their own teaching and watching the videos of peers, and what do students learn from watching videos of their own and peers teaching. The data was collected from 33 Estonian student teachers, with a written open-ended questionnaire. and was analysed by using qualitative inductive content analysis method. Results indicate that student teachers’ hesitations were related to their personal matters, and to pedagogical and content knowledge. Student teachers learned how to cope during the lessons, and new instructional strategies. Their fears about being recorded decreased with the experience. The results are further discussed in the paper.

Exploring the Perceptions of Estonian Teachers’ Data Use in School Development

Educational data use practices have a positive impact on evidence-driven school development. Although schools have an abundance of data available to make evidence-driven decisions, it might not be used to its full potential. This paper aimed to explore Estonian teachers’ perceptions of data use that support evidence-driven school development. In this qualitative research, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 21 teachers from six different schools. Data were analyzed deductively using a qualitative content analysis. The findings led to two themes, school level and teacher-level factors, that affected the perceptions and practices of data use for evidence. Collaboration was emphasized by both these factors. The results revealed that teachers did not see much interplay between the data they collected and used in their own classrooms for improving teaching and the data used at school-level developments. They evaluated their own data literacy skills as low. Researched schools did not have a systematic approach to data use, and teachers were left without support regarding how to use data and create meaning concerning data school development processes.

Students Development Conference Genre Knowledge among Estonian Teachers

Among the variety of communication possibilities between home and school, face-to-face conferences. The present study focuses on a sub-genre that can be defined as a “students developmental conference”: a meeting involving the students, family representatives, and where the main goal is to support students’ development and self-analysis. We propose a genre matrix and analyze the genre knowledge of such conferences among Estonian teachers and parents by using focus group interviews.