EPALE - Electronic Platform for Adult Learning in Europe

The Integration Foundation’s project ESF “Shaping the independent studies of the Estonian language by the less integrated” is one part of a bigger picture - of how language is learnt, what are the potential ways of learning Estonian and what kind of help does INSA’s center of consulting provide.

“At the Integration Foundation, an active advisory centre, where one subject is Estonian language learning, has been active since 2015. We are often contacted with concerns such as I want to register for language courses, where to find language courses and what do I have to do for it,” said senior counselor Kätlin Kõverik. “Over the years we have realized that there is something else concealed behind this question. That is unawareness of how to learn.” Meaning a language course is considered to be a tool which solves all problems, or the course is known (and trusted) as the only way to learn anything. At the same time the aforementioned project offers completely different support for learning languages: language and self-development cafes operating in 45 groups all across Estonia.

The language cafe encourages speaking in Estonian

Through Estonian cafeterias and self-development cafes the Integration Foundation wishes to improve the residents’ Estonian language skills and to change learning attitudes. In addition to providing the participants with concrete practical skills (Estonian language, learning skills, social skills) they are motivated to fully participate in lifelong learning and helped to find an appropriate project, training, or other suitable opportunity for the particular participant. A language cafe is rather a counseling session during which the Estonian language, or at least the courage to speak Estonian, is unnoticeably learned.

The language cafes operate in 12 counties, but they’ve found the most use in Harjumaa and Ida-Virumaa.  It is also a mapping of the current situation, which allows additional activities to be planned in the framework of other projects, whether it is preparation of language learning information materials, trade fairs, etc.

The language environment is around us every day

“About 4,300 people have come to us for individual counseling or on information day. When recurring counseling is included, we are talking about more than 10,000 counseling sessions about how to learn at all and how to specifically learn Estonian,” said Kätlin Kõverik. “This year we tested the Ku-Ky exhibition of Estonian, where language companies were present, workshops and the like were held, etc. The exhibitions were held in Tallinn and Narva in March. In Tallinn 1,000 people attended the exhibition, 400 people in Narva, and a total of 350 people attended the workshops held in the two cities. The numbers indicate that the need for information is high. It’s still very common to panic while looking for where to learn Estonian and signing up to the first course available. And there’s another problem – learning to learn. As a part of our counseling, we also teach to learn, it is the format of the language cafes as well. We teach how to learn a language independently. Today, students don’t have to go to courses in order to learn languages, we can learn using e-tools and the language environment is around us every day. These are all the nuances we introduce.”

Independent learning depends on learning attitudes

Meanwhile, we talk about what kind of people need counseling. In general, a Russian-speaking middle-aged person, who graduated school twenty years ago, does not speak Estonian, but has been living in Estonia for many years. “Their learning skills are from a different time, new immigrants have a more modern understanding of learning. The Russian-speaking middle-aged population is locked up in the old days, breaking the old notions down will take time. During the counseling process, people discover that everything starts with them. We've also seen tears,” Kätlin Kõverik clarified. “We crack the myths step-by-step. We can’t say that we’ll do one project and in two years’ time we’ll change the situation. We have close cooperation with the Unemployment Insurance Fund because they are faced with the same problem of how to break the myth that learning takes place in school and starts at a certain point in time. No, learning lasts a lifetime, you learn every day!” She added that the Integration Foundation has information materials supporting independent learning to hand out but a workbook for the independent learner will soon be completed. It will help people to monitor their own learning process. “There’s no need to take courses to deal with self-disciplining. The basis of independent learning is self-discipline, it is in the habit of learning,” Kätlin Kõverik said.

A reason for language learning – grandchildren!

One part still gives up on learning Estonian, but at the same time, the advisers can offer positive examples in which a person of retirement age is prepared to straight up learn the Estonian language. Could work be the reason? “No, it’s grandchildren,” Kätlin Kõverik responds unexpectedly. “Children have learned Estonian in schools, at work, and grandchildren are already studying in schools where the language of instruction is Estonian, they speak in Estonian. Grandparents do not want to stay away from their lives. They will see the need for language proficiency. We can’t teach by force, but we see this mass of people who haven’t been dealt with. They’ve been told to go find a course. Today we are also working on teaching people how to select a course.” True, free Estonian courses are massively enrolled for, without considering if it’s what I really need. If there is a queue, then we’ll queue! „We teach what is the purpose of learning. The pensioner may need only about twenty sentences in Estonian to communicate with grandchildren, they do not need to go to Estonian grammar courses! They need different support. There is no classical language course, there are specific needs and before a person starts studying they should acknowledge those needs for themselves,” Kätlin Kõverik emphasized.

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Madli Leikop is a freelance journalist who mainly writes on education. She has worked as a teacher, television and radio journalist, has produced and edited web texts. Her bigger point of contact with adult education is through general education’s in-service training for teachers. Lifelong learning is not an unknown phenomenon for her.

Text is originally published in Estonian.