1. Education in Estonia: PISA & digital turn
Mart Laanpere, PhD
Head of the Centre for Educational Technology
Tallinn University

2. Estonia: facts & figures
Population: 1,3 million
Tallinn:
Area: larger than the Netherlans
Estonian is the mother tongue: 65%
In NATO: since 2003
In EU: since 2004
In Schengen: since 2007
EURO currency: since 2011
520 K-12 schools, teachers, pupils

4. Teacher’s salary

5. PISA results 2006 World / Europe 2009 2012 Maths 14 6 17 7 11 3-6
Reading 13 8 5
Science 2 9
1-2

6. PISA results
Results in Russian-speaking schools have improved, but still lagging behind
Gender differences: boys are much worse in reading, but slightly better in maths
Equal opportunities: socio-economic status does not affect the results, school compensates
The share of low-performing students is the smallest in Europe

7. In addition
Estonian pupils are the most active users of e-school and school web site
Only 66% of Estonian pupils feel happy at school
Only 14% on the level 5-6 in maths (55% in Shanghai)
Students have generally positive attitude towards school
Qualified, but ageing teachers (avg 47 y), radical gender imbalance among teachers

8. Reflecttion
What could be the explanation of our PISA success?

9. Internet arrives Estonia New national curriculum
IT in schools:
Estonian Juku computers
projects, PCs for schools
Tiger Leap Foundation,
1st strategy
1986
1989
1993
1997
Graduated teachers’ college
Became school principal
In TLF regional committee

10. Miksike, Teachers portal TigerLeap + Intel TTF, Digital content
New nat-l curriculum,
Moodle
WebCT
arrives Estonia
E-uni, IT Foundation
Miksike, Teachers portal
TigerLeap +
Intel TTF,
Digital content
CNC, anima, variety of trainings
1998
2001
2002
2004
IT in teacher ed, VIKO, MA Educ. multimedia
Tiger in Focus, IVA, DigiDidaktika
TiF 2, study on IT & school culture

11. New nat-l curriculum, iPads
Havike
E-VET
New nat-l curriculum, iPads
3rd strategy: Learning Tiger
TLF strategy, indicators, SITES, iTEC
Nat-l strategy of lifelong learning 2020
2006
2008
2010
2013
Calibrate, LeMill, TATS, PETS, Deer Leap
Koolielu portal, MA EdTech, OER, EduFeedr
Dippler, DigiComp

12. IEA SITES

13. Vocabulary shifts in national ICT strategies for education
1986: programming is the second literacy for each citizen of the Soviet Union!
1997: school computerisation, use of IT
2001: ICT integration in schools & curricula
2006: e-learning environments, methods
2012: learning and teaching in the digital age
2014: digital turn towards 1:1 computing, educational cloud, e-textbooks, e-schoolbag

14. Tiger Leap: ups & downs Success factors: Failures:
Flexibility, support for innovators, agility
IT managers in schools, infrastructure upgrades
Well designed and managed teacher training
TLF: small team (no IT experts), NGO, funding, PR
Failures:
Collaboration with different partners
Little research, no evidence-based policies
Moore’s chasm not crossed
Loss of vision, replacing with indicators

15. No clear paradigm Programming as the second literacy?
Key skills for today’s jobs?
Improving access to learning resources?
Modernizing the learning environment?
Catalyst for wider educational change?
Looking for “silver bullet”, that can provide measurable success, understandable by laymen (politicians), within 4 years

16. How to measure the impact?
Conference in Astana: scientific proof needed!
Tiger in Focus, SITES and other studies: no impact on grades, school budget, minor impact on paradigm shift
Tiger Leap commissioned a whole-class 1:1 laptop study, teachers: no need to change, students: take them away!
OLPC & Inter-America Bank: 2.5million laptops later, no or marginal effect on learning outcomes (math test scores)
Systemic approach is needed: infrastructure, services, educational technology support, staff training, leadership, curriculum reform, research-based decisions, room for experimentation and failures

17. 3 generations of TEL systems
Dimension
1.generation
2.generation
3.generation
Software architecture
Educational software
Course management systems
Digital Learning Ecosystems
Pedagogical foundation
Bihaviorism
Cognitivism
Knowledge building, connectivism
Content management
Integrated with code
Learning Objects, content packages
Mash-up, remixed, user-generated
Dominant affordances
E-textbook, drill & practice, tests
Sharing LO’s, forum discussions, quiz
Reflections, collab. production, design
Access
Computer lab in school
Home computer
Everywhere – thanks to mobile devices

18. National Lifelong Learning Strategy 2014 – 2020: rationale
“Use of ICT” model, based on computer labs, has reached its limits
PPT/IWB is not enough, does not change learning
E-learning (Moodle) model did not take off, does not suit primary and secondary schools
No good ideas for e-textbook model in current settings (1 computer lab per school)
Ergo: learning in the digital age, 1:1 and BYOD model, digital learning ecosystem

19. LLS2020: Action Plan
Digital turn in formal education system: digital culture into curricula, bottom-up innovation, sharing good practice, educational technologists in schools
Digital learning resources: digital textbooks, OER, quality management, recommender systems
Digital infrastructure for learning : 1:1 computing, BYOD, interoperable ecosystem of services, mobile clients, school-wide digital turn (first in 20 pilot schools, then in others)
Digital competences of teachers and students: competence models, self-assessment tools, mapping with course offerings and accreditation procedures, updating initial teacher education curricula

20. MA Programme: Ed. Technology
Intake: 15 experienced teachers enroll every year, based on competence-based e-portfolio
Envisaged jobs: educational technologist, technology integration specialist, instructional designer, HRD
Blended learning: blog-based Personal Learning Environment + contact hours: every second weekend
Duration: 2 years, 120 ECTS
Structure: general courses 8 ECTS, specialisation courses 66 ECTS, free electives 16, thesis 30 ECTS
Instructional design; Learning environments; Digital learning resources; Knowledge management; Innovation management; Learning analytics …

21. Thank you!
Questions?

22. Teacher education in Estonia
Initial teacher education: on the Masters’ level, 120 ECTS (incl. thesis)
Tallinn University and University of Tartu are the largest providers, others are teacher colleges in Narva, Rakvere, Haapsalu, also music and arts academies as well as Tallinn University of Technology
Successful “Teach First” programme
In-service teacher education: teachers are expected to attend 160 hrs within 5 years, funded by MoER
A dedicated 80 hrs programme “Teacher of the Future” based on ISTE NETS-T standard

23. Teacher education: innovation
Centres of Educational Innovation in Tallinn & Tartu
Curricula renewed to meet the new teachers’ professional qualification standard, more and earlier practice in schools
Experimental curriculum for science teachers
New portal eDidaktikum.ee, created by the consortium of teacher education institutions
Educational technology: DigiTurn programme for school teams in TLU, sponsored by Samsung

24. Thank you!
Questions?