Triin Leesmann

I graduated from the University of Tartu in 1993 with a Master’s degree in Estonian philology and a teaching profession, and in 2025 with a Master’s degree in theology from the Faculty of Theology. For almost thirty years I have been involved in adult education and since 2023 I have been teaching Estonian in language courses (B1 and B2 level), but I have also helped individual students to prepare for exams.

I consider patience, dedication and the ability and desire to understand each student individually to be important qualities of a good teacher. Alongside this, I also consider a supportive atmosphere in a group to be crucial. In the learning process, the teacher should be a guide and a support. At the same time, the goal should be to help the student to find self-confidence and continued motivation through an understanding of their own progress. So – a healthy mix of challenge and support. 

While the primary aim is to make language a comfortable means of communication, I believe that grammar is an important foundation for understanding the connections in a language and only this makes deeper understanding possible. I love the sparkle in students’ eyes when they begin to love and perceive the language as a whole, and to ask the interesting questions they have about it in their everyday lives.

I am also a member of the Estonian Language as a Second Language Teachers’ Association and the Estonian Bible Translators’ Group.

As an adult educator, I: 

• prepare and adapt learning materials based on the curriculum/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; 

• continuously gather feedback from the learners about the learning process; analyse the learning process and 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 search for information online using a critical evaluation of sources. 

I am a member of the Estonian Association of Teachers as a Second Language (EKTKÕL) and participate in seminars and training courses. I continuously develop my professional skills through Multilingua’s in-house training sessions.