Last June the Finno-Ugric Society of Canada held its regular conference in Vancouver . One evening the participants were invited to a reception organised by the Vancouver Estonian Society, where after dinner there was a concert by the mixed and ladies’ choirs and the Vancouver folkdancing group performed.
However, the last item was the highlight of the evening: a lesson of Estonian via the internet telephone Skype. A computer screen was rolled onto the stage, 4 young people were accommodated in the first row. On the screen there appeared the image of a presentable young lady, who said in a clear voice: “Good evening!”, to which the students opposite replied with the same greeting. This was followed by teacher-student dialogue, with the students using worksheets sent by E-mail and replying to the questions set by the teacher. The teacher saw on her screen the students and heard their voices via the loudspeakers. The public, all linguists, was very impressed by the demonstration of this new teaching method. The students expressed their willingness to attend the lessons once a week at the church hall, and said that they had already learnt a lot and intend to continue.
The class was organized by pastor Walter Johanson of the Vancouver Estonian congregation, after several young people had turned to him wishing to start learning Estonian.
From time-to-time people from various corners of Australia contact me expressing a wish to learn Estonian. Using the internet-telephone would provide a possibility to fulfill this wish, should they have access to a computer, on which Skype can be installed. Learning could take place at the home of the student as well as a group at a suitable venue.
Now a competent teacher has been found, who has already experience in this method.
The next step would be for prospective students to register thier interest at salasoo@ihug.com.au , to obtain some idea about their needs and circumstances, after which more specific planning can commence.
Looking forward to responses,
Tiiu Salasoo,
the coordinator of Estonian Studies for AESL
