Gunnel Koba

I graduated from the University of Tartu in 2007 with a degree in Estonian (as a foreign language) and have been working in the field in various ways ever since. 

I have taught Estonian at all levels to all kinds of target groups, from illiterate to doctoral students. I am fascinated by non-formal approaches to language learning, and have organised and facilitated language clubs and mentored teachers in Russian-medium schools. I also introduce playfulness into my lessons and encourage students to improvise, move and use body language. I am convinced that sitting at a desk for hours on end is not good for students or teachers. Perhaps it also has something to do with the fact that I graduated with a minor in theatre studies and am a great theatre lover, among other things a frequent visitor to improvisation theatre. I believe that the language learning process itself should be enjoyable and stress-free, and that we should be able to use what we have learned in variety of ways.

I have a special interest in non-mediated language learning, i.e. teaching a language in one language. I experienced this myself as a secondary school student in England, and as a teacher I have studied and observed it in Finland, Spain, Italy, and Germany as part of in-service training. As a co-author at Tartu Folk High School, I have also created textbooks without an intermediary language for new immigrants from third countries.

As an adult educator, I: 

• develop and/or adapt curricula; and create or modify learning materials based on the curriculum or training programme; 

• create a physical, mental, and social environment conducive to language learning; support the learners, notice and recognise changes in the learners’ development, and respond to situations in the learning process in a supportive manner; 

• regularly collect feedback from the learners on the learning process; analyse the learning process, assess learners’ learning outcomes; 

• analyse and evaluate my own activities in the learning process; recognise my strengths and development needs; engage in continuous professional development; update training content and teaching methods, revising and modernizing them as needed; 

• use relevant information and communication technology (ICT) tools (e.g., interactive smartboards, online platforms such as Zoom and/or Teams, ML information system, cloud services such as Google Drive and/or OneDrive, e-learning platforms, etc.) in the preparation, delivery, and evaluation of the teaching and learning process, as well as for supporting my own professional development; am able to create, use, and share web-based learning materials. 

I am a member of the Estonian Association of Teachers as a Second Language (EKTKÕL). 

I have participated in professional training courses and conferences, also as a trainer. For example, I facilitated workshops at the integration conference “Integration Window 2024”.  

I have participated in Erasmus+ learning mobility programmes, including a learning mobility with teachers from Tartu Folk High School to the Spandau Adult Education Centre in Berlin (19-24 May 2024) as well as a learning mobility programme organised by the Estonian Association of Folk High Schools in Girona, Spain.  

I have created game-based learning materials on the LearningApps and Wordwall platforms and have also developed numerous context-based vocabulary sets in Quizlet.