JUNE 2010

 

Estonia is set to become one of the pilot countries in the European Union’s 7th framework programme project ‘Participatory Immigration Policy Making and Harmonisation based on Collaborative Web2.0 Technologies’ alongside Germany, Italy and Greece. The project will be coordinated by Spain. In Estonia the project will be led by the Integration and Migration Foundation.

 

The three-year pilot project is designed to give European Union (EU) citizens the chance to participate in shaping migration policy and related decision-making processes through Web2.0 solutions. Web2.0 is a second-generation web design that enables exchange of information and cooperation via social networks, wikis, blogs, RSS feeds, shared bookmarks and software, web programme interfaces, online services and more.

 

The project is aimed at improving results in policy-shaping and decision-making and boosting people’s involvement in the determination of migration policy and related matters both at the local and EU levels through broad-ranging cooperation within the union.

As part of the pilot project Estonia will primarily be focussing on the development of participatory policy at the local level, but also on the harmonisation of migration policy at the EU level. To this end, at least 120 citizens and 15 officials and politicians will be drafted into the project in Estonia. Those contributing to and the technical platform employed for the project will be used to shape and harmonise European migration policies. The first joint meeting of the project, at which a more detailed working plan will be put in place, is due to be held in Madrid in June.

 

For further information please contact: Martin Eber, Coordinator, Civic Education and Migration Unit / Telephone: +372 659 9067 / E-mail: martin.eber@meis.ee

 

A public project competition entitled “Adaptation training for new immigrants” has been launched for which applications may be submitted until 4:00 pm on 16 June 2010.

The objective of the competition is to provide third country nationals who have recently arrived in Estonia with special training so that they can acquire the skills and knowledge they need to adapt to life in the country and so as to help them integrate into Estonian society and become active members of it.

 

‘Adaptation training’ will be organised as part of the competition for citizens of third countries who have recently migrated to Estonia. The training will make use of the adaptation programme developed in 2009, which includes language training, civic studies and social and economic integration (www.kohanemisprogramm.com).

 

Applications for the competition can be submitted by private and public legal entities registered in Estonia (local governments, training companies, universities and non-profit organisations).

 

The competition is being financed from the budgetary resources of the Ministry of Culture (25%) and the European Fund for the Integration of Third-Country Nationals (75%) on the basis of the implementation plan of the Estonian Integration Programme 2008–2013.

 

For further information please contact: Ruslan Prohhorenko, Coordinator, Civic Education and Migration Unit / Telephone: +372 659 9035 / E-mail: ruslan.prohhorenko@meis.ee

 

 

The next language forum for teachers taking part in the individual language learning programme being carried out with the support of mentors is scheduled to take place on 12 June. It will be the third forum of its kind: the first two were held in November 2009 and March 2010.

 

Language forums are the joint events of mentors and mentees and promote Estonian practice and cultural navigation. They discuss issues related to mastering the language, teaching in Estonian and education more broadly, share their experiences and exchange information about their achievements.

 

Teachers from schools with Estonian or Russian as the language of instruction who have been involved in the programme through mentoring and who have taken part in discussions organised by mentors and mentees on topics related to overcoming barriers and positive experiences with language are invited to the forums. The 3^rd forum will also happily welcome teachers involved in implementing the individual language learning programmes for mentees and anyone from the community of mentees who has been involved in activities to develop and implement their language skills in some way.

 

Mentor-supported individual studies of Estonian were launched during the 2009-2010 academic year for 50 teachers from schools with Russian as the language of instruction. Over the 13-month cycle, the aim of the mentors is to support the development of the Estonian skills of those taking part, while the goal of the mentees is to boost their skills in a more in-depth way based on the subjects they teach at school. This format is being used for the first time in teaching Estonian as a second language.

 

The mentor-based language-learning project is being implemented by the Integration and Migration Foundation in association with the Open Estonia Foundation and the British Council. It is being financed through the Language Studies Development 2007-2010 programme of the European Social Fund.

 

 

For further information please contact:Natalia Reppo, Coordinator, Multicultural Education Unit / Telephone: +372 659 9855 / E-mail: natalia.reppo@meis.ee  

 

 

 

The winner of the “Estonian and Russian in-service training courses for youth workers” procurement has been announced. The offer submitted by the Narva College of the University of Tartu was accepted as the most suitable according to the evaluation criteria set out in the procurement documents.

 

The aim of the procurement is to provide youth workers whose native language is a language other than Estonian with the chance to improve the Estonian skills they need for youth work, and youth workers whose native language is a language other than Russian with the chance to improve the Russian skills they need for youth work.

 

A total of 10 Estonian-speaking and 10 Russian-speaking youth workers will take part in the in-service training courses. Procurement activities will last until 28 February 2011.

 

For further information please contact: Kaie Kullik, Coordinator, Culture and Youth Work Unit / Telephone: +372 659 9025 / E-mail: kaie.kullik@meis.ee

 

 

 

The now tradition summer school for nursery school teachers taking part in the language immersion programme will be held at Nelijärve from 10–12 June. This year’s event is going by the title “Quality or quantity?”.

 

60 teachers will be meeting at the event to share their experiences, take part in workshops and training events and experience the role of mentee. The trainers at this year’s summer school will be Urve Rannaääre, Eve Noormets, Kadri Toomeste, Agnes Liiv, Tiina Kull and Piret Päär. Representing Piccolingo at the event will be Maria Saarela, the Estonian coordinator of the campaign, who resides in Barcelona.

 

For further information please contact: Svetlana Belova, Coordinator, Multicultural Education Unit / Telephone: +372 659 9848 / E-mail: svetlana.belova@meis.ee 

 

 

 

The initial activities of the projects which received funding as part of the “Understanding and tolerance of cultural differences in youth work” competition will begin on 1 June.

 

The applicants, who were from Harju, Tartu and the Viru Counties, submitted projects for the organisation of training activities, the conducting of joint activities involving young people and the publication of the informational materials of organisations.

The planned activities include a youth forum, concert discussions, the launch of a Russian-language youth radio station, events showcasing youth street culture and a range of smaller events forming series.

 

Around 20 to 30 young people will be involved in each training-related project, with a total of between 80 and 160 taking part in joint activities. 20% will be young people with citizenship of third countries as defined by the European Union. The projects will begin on 1 June 2010 and last until 31 August 2011.

 

Those receiving funding are listed on the Integration and Migration Foundation website at www.meis.ee/tulemused .

 

For further information please contact: Kaie Kullik, Coordinator, Culture and Youth Work Unit / Telephone: +372 659 9025 / E-mail: kaie.kullik@meis.ee

 

 

 

An information day will be held in Pärnu on 2 June for nursery school directors and deputy directors from Lääne County. The day will look at the subject of teaching work. The information day is designed to provide attendees with information on integration-related activities, in particular support for teaching Estonian as a second language in preschool educational institutions.

 

As such, all nursery schools in Lääne County with pupils who speak languages other than Estonian are being invited to attend the event.  

 

Other subjects covered on the day will be the updated basic education programme and its implementation; counselling as an excellent way of obtaining support and assistance from specialists; and the options open to the foundation in supporting teaching Estonian as a second language. A range of methodology-related materials and interactive resources will also be promoted.

 

To register for the information day please e-mail marje.sarapuu@meis.ee.

 

For further information please contact: Marje Sarapuu, Coordinator, Multicultural Education Unit / Telephone: +372 659 9852 / E-mail: marje.sarapuu@meis.ee

 

 

 

2008 saw AS Kuma complete a series of methodology resource folders ordered by the Integration and Migration Foundation. The folders were distributed in order to support teachers at schools with Russian as the main language of instruction in more effectively teaching certain subjects in Estonian.

 

The folders were distributed to all schools with Russian as the language of instruction in 2008 and received feedback that they more or less met the schools’ needs for such materials. As such, anyone who is interested now has the opportunity to obtain the folders for themselves free of charge. For example, the social studies teaching materials can easily be used in adult studies of Estonian.

 

To obtain the materials, please contact Integration and Migration Foundation assistant Maie Jürgens by calling +372 659 9845 or e-mailing maie.jyrgens@meis.ee.

The materials are also available on the AS Kuma website (www.ristsona.ee/meis/) in a format which enablesthe information to be copied and, if required, updated, comined and so on. The music materials can also be found in the LeMill interactive learning environment at www.emill.net (http://lemill.net/content/tags?tag=muusikaajalugu).

 

 

The authors of the music folder materials are Tartu Secondary School of Commerce teacher Sille Tiks and Tartu Annelinna Secondary School teacher Julia Trubatšova. The folder contains resources on the following topics:

 

 

The folder contains 17 sample lesson plans, including some for double lessons, and 66 worksheets, amongst which you will find songs and creative tasks.

 

Three Estonian textbooks currently in use formed the basis for the development of the resources: Toomas Siitan’s Õhtumaade muusikalugu I, Igor Garšnek’s Õhtumaade muusikalugu III. 20 sajand and Aime Kaarlep’s Eesti Muusikalugu. Kunstmuusika. The tasks included on the worksheets also make use of other sources, including articles published online and in the media. The materials were improved and updated by Tallinn University music teaching Doctoral candidate Maia Muldma.

The authors of the geography folder materials are Tartu Annelinna Secondary School teacher Jelena Bitova, Tartu Kivilinna Secondary School teacher Katrin Ennok and Hugo Treffner Secondary School teacher Ülle Seevri. The Estonian textbook currently in use formed the basis for the development of the resources: Maailma ühiskonnageograafia gümnaasiumile by M. Ainsaar et al. The folder includes 25 lesson plans with worksheets. The lesson plans and worksheets cover the first four subjects of the textbook:

 

 

The lessons plans and worksheets are based largely on the textbook, but also include other material and references to a variety of sources. Of great support to the authors in producing the folder was Ülle Liiber, a lecturer in geography teaching from the Science Education Centre of the Faculty of Science and Technology at the University of Tartu.

The authors of the social studies folder materials are Tartu Mart Reinik Secondary School teacher Sirje Allik and Tartu Annelinna Secondary School teacher Veronika Kim. The Estonian textbook currently in use formed the basis for the development of the resources: Ühiskonnaõpetus. Gümnaasiumiõpik by K. Olenko & A. Toots. The folder includes 15 lesson plans with worksheets.

 

The subjects covered are:

 

These lessons plans guide students towards independent work with their textbook, but also include additional materials and references to different links. The content of the folder was reviewed and approved by Hugo Treffner Secondary School teacher Aare Ristikivi.

 

All of the lessons plans in all of the folders include parts focussing on setting up the topics, the students actually studying them and finally ensuring that they have grasped what they have studied. At the end of each plan there is a glossary of terms with translations in Russian. The worksheets designed for students often use grouping and gap-fill exercises so as to avoid grammar mistakes and their repetition. There are also, of course, other types of exercises. Although the lesson plans and worksheets are connected, they can also be used separately or in part – whatever best suits the teacher. The lesson plans and worksheets contained in the folder were trialled at Tartu Annelinna Secondary School.

 

 

For further information about the folders please contact: Maie Jürgens, Assistant / Telephone: 659 9845 / E-mail: maie.jyrgens@meis.ee