BOARD
Chairman: Signe Ilmjärv (Toila Secondary School)
Members: Piret Steinberg (Rakvere Science Secondary School)
Aimi Jõesalu (Põlva Secondary School)
Reet Jõgeva (Tallinn German Secondary School)
Sirle Jõgi (Tõrva Secondary School)
Evi Niilits (Võru Centre Secondary School)
Irina Chevtchenko (Kauksi Basic School)
MEMBERSThe Estonian Association of Teachers of German has 138 members: teachers and lecturers of German who are bearers of German language and culture.The association’s activities are managed by a board of seven, who cooperate closely with 21 regional contact persons who, in turn, pass on information and what they have learned at seminars to teachers in their region.
FOUNDING
- The Estonian Association of Teachers of German has been active since 1992.
- As of 1993, the association has been an active member of the International German Teacher’s Association (IDV).
- Former chairmen of the board are Paul Lääne, Elle Oruste and Krista Savitsch. From 2011 the chairman is Signe Ilmjärv.
- The association is a founding member of an umbrella organisation of foreign language teachers.
GOALS
The statutes of the Estonian Association of Teachers of German establish the following goals.
- Philanthropic promotion of the German language and the culture of German-speaking countries in the public interest.
- Universal support for teaching German and promoting German culture in Estonia.
- The association unites teachers of German, providing opportunities for training, exchanging experience and participating in joint activities.
ACTIVITY AND COOPERATION PARTNERS
The Estonian Association of Teachers of German publishes the journal Deutsch in Estland (DiE – biannually until 2009, now annually).
The association’s board organises seminars and meetings for contact persons who act as multipliers in their respective counties.
The association’s homepage www.edlv.ee is managed by an IT group of three members operating under the board and regularly organising e-contests for students and teachers.The IT group promotes interactive language learning methods and, since 2010, has held online courses for teachers of German twice a month.Also, teaching materials prepared by teachers are available on the homepage.The association’s blog is available at http://edlvblog.wordpress.com/.
The association’s annual conference is a traditional event at which active members are given such titles as Deed of the Year, Person of the Year, Deed of All Time and Person of All Time.
A teachers’ summer seminar is another long-standing tradition, taking place every year in a different county. In addition, a German-language camp for students from the 5th and 6th grades is organised.
Every two years, many members participate in the Conference of Baltic Teachers of German.Moreover, the association’s members are represented at the global conference of teachers of German held every four years.
The association’s representatives are active on various committees and working groups, such as scholarship committees, the assessment and evaluation committee of the National Examinations and Qualifications Centre, in the study programme working group and in the working group Netzwerk Deutsch.
The association’s primary cooperation partners and supporters are the Tallinn Institute of German Culture/Goethe Institute in Tallinn, the National Examinations and Qualifications Centre, the Tiger Leap Foundation, the embassies of the Federal Republic of Germany and of Austria in Tallinn, the embassy of Switzerland in Helsinki, the National Library of Estonia in Tallinn, the Association of Foreign Relations of Germany, the Austrian Ministry of Education, Art and Culture and associations of teachers of German in Latvia, Lithuania and Finland.Also, the association works closely with the German publishing houses Hueber and Klett and the Estonian publishing houses TEA, Allecto and Dialoog.