Inside Estonian education

The main building of Pärnu Kuninga Tänava Põhikool at night. ADARA SOTO VIDAL

Happier students are more motivated

As soon as you set foot in a school like Kuninga, you can already see the differences with other countries like Spain. Here students are allowed to use their mobile phones because they are responsible enough not to misuse them. This is also because families are closely involved in school life, which allows the system to be much closer to the student and their home environments; something emphasized by Reene Tammearu, a 7th grade English teacher at this school: “The most important thing is the relationship we have between the students, and also with the parents. We work all together as a team. Because we involve the parents in all the process of the kids’ learning, It's not only just the student and the teacher; and that probably helps a lot”. 

This collaboration when they do tasks can be seen in activities like a presentation about their country, their town and their school that a group of thirteen students did to welcome their Spanish partners at the first meeting of an Erasmus+ mobility project they are developing this school year. One can see that they are quite used to doing this kind of activity, as they communicate very naturally. Furthermore, they work in pairs or groups of three to make it more dynamic, so teamwork stands out. After the Spanish students make their presentation, ice breaking activities take place after a short break for snacks, something unusual in other systems with more traditional ways of teaching and learning. The result is clear: these students are less stressed and very close to each other due to such collaborative tasks.

Another ingredient of the Estonian recipe is the use of ICT: they frequently use iPads and laptops and they have interactive games that favor dynamism in class activities. Pärnu´s Education Counselor, Jana Ruubel, underlines the intensive use of these resources: “We are really proud of our IT system. We use all kinds of laptops and technical devices as you have seen here in Kuninga Tänava School”.  According to her, the use of technology and very dynamic classes in and outside the school result in happier and more motivated students: “At Kuninga school children also go outside, and they do their lessons outside as well. During the school day they can visit museums, they can go to our Nature Center or they can enjoy their lessons in an art school”.

Always learning

But something that really surprises a foreigner is that Estonian students have a lot of freedom. School doors are always open. Sometimes during the school day, they even have to walk for 15 minutes to go to one of the 5 buildings used for their lessons, and they come and go to school alone from age 7. Every day, in the morning or at the end of their lessons you can see a lot of young kids going home from school. They talk to each other and walk, ride bikes or scooters. Parents are not to be seen anywhere. Because of this, most children have a mobile phone from a very young age. However, you can feel the environment is very safe. This way, young people in Estonia can not only learn at school, but also outside the classroom: “In Estonia we say  ´lifelong learning`, so we learn all the time, and I think this way we can motivate the students”, underlines Jana Rubel. They learn to cross the street on their own, to get from one place to another by themselves and to be punctual: “They learn how to be more autonomous. They improve their responsibility and they know you have to get everywhere on time. You can walk around the park but you always have to be on time when you go to a place”, states Tiina Kesküla, mother of three students at the Kuninga Street School and a member of its Family Council.

Two girls going home from school at Pärnu Kuninga Tänava Põhikool. A.S.V.

Learning everywhere

This is the reason why kids are so autonomous and they go everywhere alone from a very young age: “Children until the age of seven have a very good quality and a high education level already prior to their school years”, explains Kristina Kallas, the Estonian Minister of Education and Research, who also thinks that that's one of the reasons why the “Estonian school system is different from most of the world”. 

Three girls walking back home from Pärnu Kuninga Tänava Põhikool. A.S.V.

One of the places where kids walk to from all the 17 schools in Pärnu is Pernova Nature House. This is a very attractive building with a giant spider on the roof. There are many types of stuffed animals from the Estonian forests like bears, rabbits, squirrels or eagles, but also different types of live fish and a planetarium: “We don't only learn at school”, emphasizes Jana Ruubel, “you can visit museums, you can visit every kind of nature center and go to the forest. Actually, we are mixing them all together”. Inside Pernova there are also rooms with all sorts of plants from different environments; some of them tropical. There students can also play with kinetic sand and make mountains and volcanoes with their own hands and the help of technology. Finally, teachers can use Pernova´s labs to develop practical chemistry classes or all sorts of different activities that clearly motivate students.

Pernova Nature House, where students learn by direct practical experience. A.S.V.

Besides the Nature House, Pärnu has a plan to integrate all its educational resources in the daily life of its schools. That's why students also have art classes at a different building not so far away from Kuninga, Pärnu Kunstide Kool, a hobby school that includes music, drama, visual arts, crafts and dancing. It is also located in a very modern building with colorful doors and students go there during either class periods or after school.

Students drawing at Pärnu Kunstide Kool. A.S.V.

Student freedom and active learning

Students in Estonia have plenty of freedom. In the words of Vice Principal Liina Õmblus, “we are more open, and also we discuss all things with students”. They can leave their school on their multiple breaks, because, according to Tiina Kesküla, “they have to go to different school buildings”. According to her, this makes them more independent and autonomous, as the control of time they need in order to arrive to class on time boosts their responsibility and punctuality. If they arrive late or leave between classes, the teachers do not do or say anything, as they consider that it’s the student’s problem if they miss the class, as they will not learn and they will have to catch up. In addition to this, they can also also use their cell phones at school and they often do. It's their option to do it responsibly.

To make this work, according to Kirke Roosme, an 8th year student, "the teachers try to make learning fun and try to talk more and use less of the workbook and stuff like that so that students don’t get bored and talk”. This is because they “try to focus on motivation” in order to make the learning process much easier and lighter, something also stressed by Vice Principal Liina Õmblus, who believes that one of the most effective methods is “non formal teaching”. Project work is very common and every time “more schools and more teachers do it, like playing games to learn”. She also underlines that they try to stay away from theoretical explanations, because “if you do more practical stuff, you are more motivated to learn”.

Chemistry practice at the Science Museum. PEDRO MÉNDEZ MATO

Nobody is left behind

Aside from the usual subjects like Math, English and History, some afternoons they have special activities that, according to Counselor Jana Ruubel, “mix all together school education and hobby education”. She considers this one of their greatest progress in the past few years. Some of them are “visiting museums, every kind of nature center and going to the forest”. This has developed equality a lot, as some decades ago, only boys were able to take the wood-working classes and girls the cooking ones, but now they take them every week together since they are in first grade, so gender roles disappear at school.

Some activities that the students do in the afternoons, such as cooking, going to the nature museum and wood-working are integrated in the curriculum. DANIELA GONZÁLEZ FERNÁNDEZ

Another great achievement of the system is giving every student the opportunity to thrive, regardless of their limitations. As Tiina Kesküla emphasizes, a school like Kuninga really tries to help kids and their families when there is a special need: “One of my three children is autistic, which is difficult for a parent, but this school really helps”. This is something very important and central to the whole system, according to the Education Minister: “The educational system of Estonia is focused on students. It is driven by the students”. 

And this is very clear in the daily life of a school like Kuninga and you can see it first thing in the morning in English class, where students participate much more actively than in traditional systems. Teachers use many visual resources and innovative methods to engage all students in the activities. This way classes are more interesting and, in this case, the teacher uses a Just Dance video so students can relax after more intense work. At the end, the class, which was about beach huts, uses images and text to settle down the knowledge about this topic through a diagram that the students have to draw while they are invited to some candy by the teacher who is celebrating her birthday. Every occasion is good to learn and everybody is included.

The English teacher uses her computer to show images of beach huts. D.G.

When classes end, kids have 10 minutes until the next class starts, and this is a time where older students can exit the school as long as they are back on time for the next period. As Tiina Kesküla says, “this is their responsibility. You can walk around the park but you have to be back on time. I think this is good for them”. 

At around noon students have a break for lunch, which, according to a survey among Kuninga students of all ages, is not the best thing they like about school. On the other hand, they love their school playground. There they can relax under the trees, in the orchard or playing games in the football field, in the basketball and volleyball courts or using one of the outside ping-pong tables.

Dynamism and technology

Estonian classes are very dynamic because students can participate actively and stay more focused on their tasks, with the freedom to move around and collaborate with each other. But this does not only happen in English class, but also in cooking lessons, carpentry or the chemistry lab at Pernova Nature House. You can even learn math or any other subject in a different way, with Lü, a projector with a big board with a sensor where students play in teams with foam balls. In short, different ways of teaching and learning that make Estonian children go to school not only for obligation but also to learn and have a good time, as Jana Ruubel underlines: “When there is less stress at school and students are happier, this is my dream”.

Students learning while playing in teams with a Lü activity.    A. S.