BOARD
Chairman: Ülle Rumm (Kiviõli Russian Secondary School)
Members: Leili Sägi (Pärnu Russian Secondary School)
Diana Joassoone (Tartu Annelinna Secondary School)
Anneli Kustova (Kiviõli Russian Secondary School)
Inguna Joandi (Narva Pähklimäe Secondary School)
Natalia Prigorovskaya (Tallinn Jewish School)
Larissa Aksinovitch (Tartu Vocational Education Centre)
FOUNDING
The Association of Teachers of Estonian as a Second Language was founded on 8 December 2001.There were 39 founding members.
MEMBERS AND REGIONAL CENTRES
As of 10 June 2011, the Estonian Association of Foreign Language Teachers has 151 members from all counties of Estonia.Among them are teachers from general education schools, vocational educational institutions, nursery schools and companies providing language courses as well as lecturers from universities.The Estonian Association of Foreign Language Teachers has three regional centres: Tallinn and Harju County centre at Tallinn University (head of the centre: Elle Sõrmus); Viru county centre at the Virumaa College of the Tallinn University of Technology in Kohtla-Järve (head of the centre Ene Peterson); and Tartu and South Estonia centre at the Tartu Annelinna Secondary School (head of the centre: Diana Joassoone).In addition, there is a centre for nursery school teachers of Estonian as a second language at the Täheke nursery school in Tallinn (Lea Maiberg).
ACTIVITY AND COOPERATION PARTNERS
The association functions daily through its centres.The centres’ tasks include communicating and corresponding with its members, cooperation partners and publishing houses; organising training courses; forwarding information on training courses etc. to its members; introducing the association’s activities through its homepage, via the media and at various events; recruiting new members; organising the operation of its centres’ libraries and lending publications; and, if necessary, counselling teachers.The association’s centres help teachers of Estonian as a second language and teachers teaching in Estonian to make professional progress as well as cooperate with each other and with various subject associations and organisations.It is a characteristic feature of the Association of Teachers of Estonian as a Second Language that trainers who have emerged from the association are involved in additional training courses.In addition, the association has published a number of methodological materials whose authors also originate from the association.
The association is represented on various committees and working groups.The Association of Teachers of Estonian as a Second Language has many cooperation partners, such as the Estonian Ministry of Education and Research, the National Examinations and Qualifications Centre, the Integration and Migration Foundation, the Estonian Qualifications Authority, local government institutions, regional subject divisions, the Estonian Native Language Teachers Association, Tallinn University, the publishing houses TEA, Allecto ja Atlex, and OÜ Iduleht.
In 2010, a statute for recognising those who have supported the association or its members and a procedure for selecting nominees and prize winners were established (in categories such as Deed of the Year, Deed of All Time, Person of the Year, Person of All Time, Friend of the Year, Friend of All Time, Regional Deed and Regional Achiever).At the 2010 general meeting the first letters of recognition were given and two honorary members were selected (Uuve Ensling and Õie Vahar).In 2011, regional achievers were awarded.
It has become a tradition that every summer informative trips of an historical-cultural nature are organised, and in recent years teachers teaching in Estonian in Russian-language schools have also been involved in these activities.One option for increasing the number of the association’s members is to establish closer ties with teachers teaching in Estonian.
The association provides its members with versatile opportunities for personal development as well as for sharpening their mental powers.Additional information is available on the association’s homepage at www. eestikeelteisekeelena.ee.