Language immersion conference to focus on the learning environment
The Integration and Migration Foundation Our People (MISA) will organise the 11th language immersion programme conference entitled “Learning Environment” on 13−14 October at Rocca al Mare School in Tallinn.
The topics of this year’s conference range from the physical environment, learning aids and methods to enhance teacher-student relations. The representatives of 200 educational institutions that have joined the language immersion programme, partners and other organisations involved in the area of education are welcome to attend the conference.
The leader of the creative team of this year’s conference is Anu Parts (English College) and the foreign guest speaker is Tatyana Aleksandrovna Danilina from Moscow who will make a presentation entitled “Contemporary approaches for modelling and designing a multi-cultural learning environment in a pre-school educational establishment”.
The workshops to be conducted during the conference will focus on fostering pupils’ independent thinking and desire to learn, different views on subject teaching, conversation control techniques, barriers to and levels of communication and interaction between the content of teaching and physical space.
In addition, the workshops will examine how to learn through direct experience and what role emotions play in the learning process. Furthermore, the possibilities to use the environment outside the classroom in the integrated subject and language learning will be reviewed.
Interested parties may register for the annual language immersion programme conference and read the detailed conference agenda on the MISA webpage.
For further information, please contact Karin Piirsalu, Language Immersion Unit, Coordinator, tel 6 599 854, e-mail karin.piirsalu@meis.ee
Estonian language learning materials will be compiled for both visually and hearing impaired persons
The objective of the competition is to improve the employability of visually and hearing impaired people whose mother tongue is other than Estonian. To that end, the Estonian language learning materials for visually and hearing impaired adults will be created and piloted in compliance with the requirements of the European framework for language learning and based on the requirements that consider special needs.
“There are no specific aids for learning Estonian as a second language that have so far been designed for visually and hearing impaired adults whose mother tongue is other than Estonian, which is why there is a great demand for such materials. Presently, the learning materials designed for regular learners are used,” explained Eduard Odinets, the Head of the Lifelong Learning Unit of the MISA.
According to Odinets, the developer of the learning kits and the organiser of the refresher course for the language learning teachers will be determined during a competitive dialogue and the materials will be completed by the end of 2012.
This activity is implemented within the framework of the “Language Learning Development 2011−2013” programme measure “Language Learning Development” of the priority axis “Lifelong Learning” of “Human Resources Development Operational Plan” funded by the European Social Fund.
For further information, please contact Tea Kotkas, Lifelong Learning Unit, Coordinator, tel 659 9061, e-mail tea.kotkas@meis.ee
Training for the practical learning of civic education for youth workers awaits participants
The Integration and Migration Foundation Our People (MISA) invites youth workers to a practical training of the methods included in the Citizen’s manual and Involvement collection from the series of “Meetodid meelitavad” (“Methods magnetise”) to be held on 11−12 October at Maidla Mansion in Ida-Virumaa.
The trainers are Külli Vollmer, a practitioner and expert of civic education, and Diana Tamm, an expert of youth involvement and inclusion.
Although the working language of the training is Estonian, the participants are allowed to help each other out with interpreting during the training. Each participant will receive a full text of publications, work sheets and aids to implement the methods in their respective work. Every participant who has undergone the training will receive a MISA certificate. Ten Estonian speaking and ten Russian speaking youth workers are expected to attend the training.
The contracted transport, training materials, accommodation and meals are free for the participants but the organisation will be billed up to 400 euro for participation if the person who has registered for the training fails to attend the training or to notify about not attending the training.
For further information, please contact Lianne Ristikivi, Culture and Youth Work Unit, Coordinator, tel 6599 028, lianne.ristikivi@meis.ee
Additional training of Estonian as a second language for students commences
Additional courses for 164 students whose mother tongue is Russian studying at eight institutions of higher education in Estonia will start in October the aim of which is to improve specialised Estonian language skills and develop supportive learning materials necessary for academic learning with the support provided by the Integration and Migration Foundation Our People (MISA).
The target group of the additional language training are students who have obtained their secondary education in Estonia, are studying at Estonian institutions of higher education and who desire to develop their Estonian language necessary for academic learning at the higher education level and their specialised Estonian language skills.
In October, the specialised Estonian language courses for the students whose first language is Russian and the development of e-courses will commence at Tallinn University of Technology (Tallinna Tehnikaülikool) and Virumaa College of Tallinn University of Technology. A specialised language course for the students of business and international relations will be compiled at Tallinn University of Technology and the Estonian language e-course for the students of fuels technology will be prepared at Virumaa College of Tallinn University of Technology.
The Estonian University of Life Sciences (Eesti Maaülikool) has begun developing learning materials for the specialised Estonian language in the area of the production of field crops and horticultural produce (in the Moodle environment and as a printed version on CD) and creating a joint course for veterinary medicine and the production and processing of healthy animal products, engineering, production of field crops and horticultural produce in the Moodle environment.
Language learning courses with the concurrent language learning at B2 and C1 levels will be conducted at Narva College of the University of Tartu, Tallinn Health Care College, Computer Science College of the Informatics and Computer Engineering Institute and Estonian Entrepreneurship University of Applied Sciences Mainor.
Five nursing and midwifery students from the Kohtla-Järve department of Tallinn Health Care College will have a language practice in the Estonian language environment in Tallinn where they attend speciality-related classes and participate in the additional language learning programme with the assistance of a support person.
The activities are implemented based on the proposals made by the institutions of higher education and the additional language training is organised within the “Language Learning Development 2011−2013” programme funded by the European Social Fund.
For further information please contact Jana Tondi, Lifelong Learning Unit, Coordinator, tel 659 9069, e-mail jana.tondi@meis.ee
A public competition opened for organising a training course on the cooperation of schools and multi-cultural context
The Integration and Migration Foundation Our People (MISA) announced a public competition for organising a training course for the heads of schools where the language of instruction is Estonian or Russian.
This is a joint training course for the heads of schools with different language of instruction where the focus will be on the cooperation of schools, cultural diversification due to the varied body of pupils at schools and challenges related to this topic.
During the training, different school management practices will be introduced and the cooperation opportunities and management issues of the changing school will be discussed. The training will be held in 2012 and the deadline for the submission of competition documents is 3rd November.
For further information, please contact Ave Härsing, Language Immersion Unit, Coordinator, tel 6 599 037, e-mail ave.harsing@meis.ee
Work-related Estonian language courses for the public sector employees commence
With the support of the Integration and Migration Foundation Our People (MISA), work-related Estonian language courses with the aim of improving the Estonian language skills and managing at work will be held for 660 people whose mother tongue is other than Estonian in 28 public sector organisations.
In the first week of October, the employees of Ida-Virumaa public sector organisations who come from Narva City Office, Narva Central Library, Narva City Development and Finance Authority, Narva Social Assistance Authority and the client service of the Narva branch of the Pension Office will start fine-tuning their language skills. In addition, the heads of Narva kindergartens and the employees of Narva Pre-School Children Care Institution Kirsikene, Narva-Jõesuu Care Home, Kohtla-Järve Youth Creative Studio, Kohtla-Järve Järve Russian Gymnasium, Kohtla-Järve School of Arts, East-Estonia Rescue Centre and East Police Prefecture will also attend the training courses.
“The language learning courses have been put together based on the proposals and needs of the organisations in question and the courses are designed to last 60−120 academic contact hours, which also includes work-related language practice as a study trip to the language environment or in-service training,” explained Eduard Odinets, the head of Lifelong Learning Unit of MISA.
“The key words of the language learning courses conducted at the organisations are targeted and diversified language learning, achieving the expected results and motivated learners,” added Odinets.
The activities are supported within the framework of the activity “Language learning of public sector employees” of the “Language Learning Development 2011−2013” programme funded by the European Social Fund.
For further information, please contact Jana Tondi, Lifelong Learning Unit, Coordinator, tel 659 9069, e-mail jana.tondi@meis.ee |
