Press Release

Teacher Education Advisory Board started work in Tallinn University

At the end of September the Teacher Education Advisory Board started work in Tallinn University. The main purpose for the Board is to coordinate teacher education study programmes on a university-wide basis. They plan on using principles of the learning organisation, so that teacher education develops continuously.

Foto of Kristi Klaasmägi

There has been cooperation to organise teacher education university-wide, but now with the Advisory Board it gives clearer form and goals to do so. It’s one step in developing and managing teacher education which takes into account both learners and societies needs. 
 
Head of the Advisory Board, Tallinn Universities Vice-Rector for Educational Innovation Kristi Klaasmägi said that the Advisory Board met for the first time this September. Members looked through Tallinn University's development plan working group proposals and goals to develop teacher education. “We want to create better opportunities for already working teachers to successfully combine work and study. For that we share best practices from different stuy programmes and develop study regulations university-wide and in cooperation with external partners,” said Klaasmägi. 

Vice-Rector for Education Innovation also added, for example, expending the study  time in teacher education study programmes. In some masters programmes the study time has been extended to three years and administrators of other study programmes can learn from the experience. At the same time, Tallinn University is negotiating with the Estonian Ministry of Education and Research so that the current regulations support the extension of the study period. Sofar students' graduation in the nominal period of studies is part of universities performance indicators, but teacher education should be excluded. It means that having more flexible teacher education study programmes wouldn’t influence universities performance indicators negatively. 

Tallinn University Teacher Education Advisory Board brings together teacher education study programme administrators, the heads of studies of instituts and Tallinn University's Education Innovation Centre representatives.  

More information:
Kristi Klaasmägi
Tallinn University Vice-Rector for Education Innovation
kristi.klaasmagi@tlu.ee