CLIL month dedicated to content and language integrated learning began
CLIL month to begin in Narva with a presentation “Child and bilingualism”
Opening event of CLIL week to discuss the possibilities of learning in another language
CLIL week will bring several events to Ida-Virumaa kindergartens
MISA delegation will go to Holland to attend an international CLIL conference
Competition “Events and materials about civil awareness and tolerance” began
E-course commissioned by MISA was awarded a quality mark
Events dedicated to film director Tarkovsky will be organised in the Russian Theatre
CLIL month dedicated to content and language integrated learning began
This is the third year that the Integration and Migration Foundation Our People (MISA) has organised the content and language integrated learning (CLIL) month in April during which time several events introducing learning in another language will be held throughout Estonia.
Under the auspices of the CLIL month, a CLIL week during 9−13 April featuring several major events at Tallinn Nordic Hotel Forum will take place:
• Training “Competence in several languages and cultures“ by the trainers from Roskilde University and Justus-Liebig University to discuss a multitude of knowledge, attitudes and skills that a pupil needs to obtain competence across languages and cultures will be held on 12−13 April. The teachers will be given ideas on how to use the learner’s earlier knowledge of other languages and cultures, how to encourage and motivate pupils and develop learning skills, prepare projects, etc.
• During the CLIL week, a research day on “Possibility of learning in a second language” during which new studies on learning in a second language will be introduced and a discussion will be held on 9 April. During the day, studies on how a child whose first language is not Estonian manages in an Estonian language school, the impact of late and early language immersion, and the school readiness and performance of children that have attended a language immersion kindergarten in the first stage of study will be introduced.
• On a CLIL day to be held on 10 April, the key presenter, Martin Ehala, will speak about content and first language integration when teaching in a mother tongue. In addition, the language immersion programme will be introduced and the preparation of teachers, attitudes and work of the network will be addressed during the day.
The CLIL month events may also be initiated by educational institutions, local governments, and other organisations and people involved in this subject. More than 100 events have already been registered. Information regarding the events planned to be held all over Estonia is available on the MISA home page in the events calendar of the CLIL month.
“We expect people that are interested in the subject such as teachers, students, heads of educational institutions and others to participate in the CLIL month events. Representatives of schools where the language of instruction is Estonian and Russian together with parents are most welcome because CLIL is not intended only to be used in Russian-language studies, as it helps to bring subject lessons as well as learning in a second language closer to life regardless of the language of instruction,” said Maire Kebbinau, Coordinator of the Language Immersion Programme at MISA.
For further information, please contact: Maire Kebbinau, MISA Language Immersion Programme, Coordinator, tel 659 9847, e-mail [email protected]
CLIL month to begin in Narva with a presentation “Child and bilingualism”
Marylin Vihman, Professor of the University of York, will make a presentation “Child and bilingualism”, followed by a forum on bilingualism, in Narva College of the University of Tartu as part of the content and language integrated learning (CLIL) month on 2 April.
In addition to the presentation and speeches the best of the CLIL network and the winners of the children’s drawing competition will be acknowledged on the day addressing bilingualism. The interested also have an opportunity to participate in the discussion forum.
On 2−13 April, the lecturers of Narva College of the University of Tartu will hold open classes at Narva, Sillamäe and Kohtla-Järve schools. At the same time, an exhibition “New teaching materials for the teachers of natural science and exact sciences in the Estonian language” will be displayed in the library of Narva College of the University of Tartu and the organiser has planned meetings with the authors of these materials.
In addition, led by Narva College of the University of Tartu, a training session “Options for creating a language environment during extracurricular activities” for class teachers and a seminar “Complex topics when teaching in a second language in upper secondary school” for history teachers will be organised.
The CLIL week in Narva will end with the introduction and trial of the “Sources” simulation game of the Integration and Migration Foundation Our People (MISA). The objective of the game is to initiate a discussion on the key aspects of cultural integration and see them from a new perspective.
All those interested in CLIL, including parents, representatives of educational institutions involved in CLIL, members of the CLIL network, teachers and heads of educational institutions, are welcome to participate in the events.
Narva College of the University of Tartu collaborates with the Integration and Migration Foundation Our People, the leader and initiator of the CLIL month, in organising the above activities. The Ministry of Culture and Research and the City Government of Narva also provide their support in organising these events.
For further information, please contact: Pille Lille, Head of Humanities Programme at Narva College of the University of Tartu, tel 356 0698, e-mail [email protected]
Opening event of CLIL week to discuss the possibilities of learning in another language
A research day “Possibilities of learning in a second language” will be held as an opening event of content and language integrated learning on 9 April in Tallinn Nordic Hotel Forum.
Students, teachers, lecturers, heads of educational institutions, education officials, partners of the language immersion programme, members of the CLIL network, parents, etc., regardless of the language of instruction of the school, are welcome to participate in the research day.
Aaro Toomela, Professor of Tallinn University, introduces the development and ability to cope of non-Estonian children studying at a school where the language of instruction is Estonian. Kristina Sau-Ek from Tallinn University will speak about a study on late language immersion and how the language immersion programme has been actually implemented in schools. She will also introduce a study that compares the results of the final examination of the early language immersion programme and the attitudes of pupils, teachers and parents regarding the programme and their assessment thereof.
During the day, a discussion on how the children whose native language is not Estonian manage in a school where the language of instruction is Estonian will be held. Kristina Sau-Ek will speak about research conducted on the impact of late language immersion and introduce the early language immersion study of 2011.
Airi Kukk, Leida Talts and Maie Muldma will introduce a study about school readiness and the performance of children at the first stage of study, followed by a questions and discussion round.
A questions and discussion round will be held after each study introduction. The topics of how the study results could influence the implementation of the language immersion programme and how to use the input better in practice will be discussed during the day.
For further information, please contact: Natalja Mjalitsina, MISA Head of Language Immersion Programme, tel 659 9854, e-mail [email protected]
CLIL week will bring several events to Ida-Virumaa kindergartens
The content and language integrated learning (CLIL) week directs the attention of Ida-Virumaa to kindergartens where several events for the teachers and parents that are involved or interested in bilingual studying will be held during the CLIL week.
As a preliminary event of the CLIL week, a seminar-workshop on “The Easter traditions in the Estonian and Russian culture” for the teachers of Ida-Virumaa language immersion kindergartens will be held in Tuhkatriinu kindergarten in Kohtla-Järve on 4 April at 9:30. On the same day, at 16:30, the options of the language immersion programme will be introduced to the parents in Rukkilill kindergarten in Sillamäe.
On 12 April in Pillerkaar kindergarten in Jõhvi, the network of Ida-Virumaa language immersion teachers will organise a seminar “Let’s learn together” in the Estonian and Russian languages to discuss modern language teaching methods, share experiences and promote collaboration among kindergartens, basic schools and upper secondary schools.
At the seminar, the parents will be given an opportunity to examine different language teaching methods that are used in kindergarten and continued at school level.
1st session of the ABC training for kindergarten teachers that begin working as the teachers of language immersion groups in September 2012 will be held on 12−13 April.
For further information, please contact: Svetlana Belova, MISA Language Immersion Programme, Coordinator, tel 659 9848, e-mail [email protected]
MISA delegation will go to Holland to attend an international CLIL conference
A delegation from the Integration and Migration Foundation Our People (MISA) will go to Utrecht in Holland to attend an international CLIL conference “CLIL 2012: From Practice to Visions” on 19−21 April.
The keynote presentations will address the importance of a discussion to develop language skills when studying natural science and social subjects and compare the similarities of CLIL and language immersion and discuss the opportunities for mutual enrichment.
In the first two days, the focus will be on practical activities and workshops that deal with learning, teaching skills, teacher training and management will be held. During the conference, the delegation will visit several schools in Holland.
The coordinators of the Multicultural Education Unit and Language Immersion Programme and the representatives of Tallinn, Kohtla-Järve and Narva schools will go to the conference as the members of the MISA delegation. The participation of the delegation in the conference is being funded by the Ministry of Education and Research.
For further information, please contact: Natalja Mjalitsina, MISA Head of Language Immersion Programme, tel 659 9854, e-mail [email protected]
Competition “Events and materials about civil awareness and tolerance” began
The Integration and Migration Foundation Our People has announced a public project competition “Events and materials about civil awareness and tolerance”.
The goal of the competition is to expand pupils’ knowledge about Estonian society, value Estonian citizenship and being a citizen, strengthen the tradition of the Citizen’s Day, promote tolerance in a multi-cultural collective and offer the young people of different national ethnicity opportunities to create contacts and participate in developing activities.
Within the framework of the competition, the events and materials about civic awareness and tolerance produced by non-profit organisations registered in the Republic of Estonia, state or local government authorities, including organisation of multi-cultural events, cooperation between the young of different national ethnicity, creation of thematic learning materials and tools etc., will be supported.
The target group of this project are the pupils of general education institutions where the language of instruction is Estonian and Russian as well as vocational schools. All the activities of the project must be carried out in Estonia.
Hikes introducing the topic of citizenship and meetings with interesting people from Estonia are some examples of what has been organised in previous years with the project aid.
The budget of this competition is 33,500 euro and it is supported by the Ministry of Education and Research within the framework of “Estonian Integration Strategy 2008−2013”.
The deadline for the submission of applications is by 16:00 on 12 April. The requirements and documents of the competition are available here!
For further information, please contact: Toivo Sikk, Multicultural Education Unit, Coordinator, tel 659 9850, e-mail [email protected]
E-course commissioned by MISA was awarded a quality mark
The e-course “Specialised Estonian for the Speciality of Fuel Technology” commissioned by the Integration and Migration Foundation Our People (MISA) and prepared by Virumaa College of Tallinn University of Technology received a quality mark in March.
The fuel technology specialised Estonian language e-course of Virumaa College of Tallinn University of Technology, the creator of which is the teacher Kaire Viil, received an e-course quality mark for 2012 from the network of universities and vocational schools involved in e-learning. Altogether 43 courses applied for the quality mark of which 27 courses were granted the mark.
“The students whose mother tongue is not Estonian need additional learning materials to better manage their daily, academic and professional communication and be more competitive on the labour market,” commented Eduard Odinets, Head of the Lifelong Learning Unit of MISA.
Specialised language e-courses for both vocational schools and higher education institutions are commissioned by MISA with the aid of the European Social Fund. E-courses have been prepared since 2006. In addition to the course that received the quality mark, learning materials are being developed for the Estonian University of Life Sciences and Tallinn Health Care College in the 2011/2012 academic year. Already completed learning materials as well as those being prepared are accessible on the specialised language webpage kutsekeel.ee.
“For example, this summer the Estonian language learning materials on the production of field crops and horticultural products for the students whose mother tongue is not Estonian will be completed in the Estonian University of Life Sciences. In addition, a joint course will be prepared in the Moodle environment with the help of which the students of veterinary medicine and the production and processing of healthy animal products, engineering and production of field crops and horticultural products can improve their specialised language skills in future,” explained Odinets.
The award of the quality mark is part of an e-learning quality system the main goal of which is to harmonise e-learning processes and levels in the education institutions that belong to the e-University and e-Vocational School network. The quality mark indicates a very good level of an e-course and acknowledges the creator of the particular e-course who has received excellent results in the teaching process when using e-learning.
Implementation of specialised language courses is financed within the programme “Language Learning Development 2011−2013” of the priority axis “Lifelong Learning” of the European Social Fund’s “Human Resource Development Operational Programme”.
For further information, please contact: Jana Tondi, Lifelong Learning Unit, Coordinator, tel 659 9069, e-mail [email protected].
Events dedicated to film director Tarkovsky will be organised in the Russian Theatre
To commemorate the 80th anniversary of the birth of the outstanding Russian film director Andrei Tarkovsky, a project named “Rendezvous with Tarkovsky“ will be organised in the Russian Theatre in collaboration with the creativity association N-VIDEOPRESS in April.
The days dedicated to Tarkovsky will be opened on 18 April at 18:00 with the presentation of a photo exhibition in the Gallery of the Russian Theatre “Andrei Tarkovsky: The Last Film” by Layla Aleksander-Garrett (England), film historian and interpreter-assistant to the film director when the film “The Sacrifice” was shot in Sweden.
A collection of short films “Karikakramäng” (1977) by Estonian film directors P. Urbla, T. Tahvel, P. Simm and cameraman A. Iho, graduates of the All-Union State Institute of Cinematography in Moscow, whose instructor of diploma works was Andrei Tarkovsky, will be presented on the same day at 19:00 in the Great Hall of the Russian Theatre.
The premier of a new documentary “Tarkovsky. Crossings” by Ella Agranovskaya and Nikolai Scharubin will be shown on 19 April at 19:00. A creative event “The Return of Andrei Tarkovsky” with Tarkovsky’s relatives, colleagues and students will be organised and Tarkovsky’s film “The Mirror” (1976) will be shown.
The opening night of the production “One summer night in Sweden” by the Estonian film director Ilmar Taska based on the play of the Swedish actor and playwright Erland Josephson will be on 20 April at 19:00.
“The producer Ilmar Taska was intrigued by the clash and synthesis of two worlds, Sweden and Russia. The world of filmmaking, the scene behind the camera and the encounter of two cultures that does not necessarily go smoothly have always fascinated audiences,” commented Ksenia Kuzmina, the manager of the sales and promotion department of the Russian Theatre.
According to Kuzmina, the Russian Theatre also welcomes people that speak Estonian and do not understand Russian to participate in the events dedicated to Tarkovsky because the production “One summer night in Sweden” and other productions of the theatre are translated into the Estonian language.
The organisation of Tarkovsky’s Days are supported by the Integration and Migration Foundation Our People via the Ministry of Culture through the state budget within the framework of “Estonian Integration Strategy 2008−2013” and “Russkij mir”.
For further information, please contact: Ksenia Kuzmina, Manager of the Sales and Promotion Department of the Russian Theatre, tel 6114963, e-mail [email protected]
