Estonia's Lae End teacher program adds drone testing to its curriculum
Estonia's annual Lae End program for mathematics and physics teachers has kicked off. Over five months, participants will explore drone testing, renewable energy and other engineering fields.
The latest edition of Estonia's Lae End teacher training program has started for mathematics and physics teachers. Over five months, selected teachers will learn about drone testing, solar and wind energy, cybersecurity, construction and other engineering-related areas. They will also create classroom materials to use in their own lessons.
On Friday, the teachers visited the Metrosert laboratory, where engineers work on testing drones, electronics and other technologies. The visit demonstrated how knowledge from school textbooks is applied in real-world jobs. Nadezhda Lesik, a physics teacher at Audentes Private School, said drone technology would be great to teach as a separate subject, but it can also fit into her classes. For instance, eighth-grade physics covers mechanics and motion, so a lesson could include information about the development of drone technology in Estonia, which she believes would interest students.
The program is now in its fifth year. This season, teachers will create learning materials for grades 7 to 9 in mathematics and physics, which can later be used in their schools. Getriin Kokk, a mathematics teacher from Lodijärve School, said her first thought was to cooperate with a science teacher. She also wished to bring her students to the lab so they can see that what they learn at school is actually used in practice.
Friday's visit was only one stage of the program. Training will last five months. In September, teachers are scheduled to visit Enefit to learn about solar and wind energy. In the following months, they will go to ABB, LHV and Nordecon to explore electronics, cybersecurity, construction and other engineering fields. The head of the Lae End program at Enefit explained that each training day is different. One day, teachers practiced how to be good speakers in front of a class, and on another day they got acquainted with drone and metrology laboratories.
This year, 72 teachers applied for the program, and the jury selected 12 mathematics teachers and 8 physics teachers.
