In the future, it may no longer be common to see a math teacher physically present at the front of every classroom; there simply aren't enough teachers to go around.

To tackle the issue, Tallinn Education Department is launching a pilot project this upcoming spring in which classes for select 7th to 9th graders will be replaced by a virtual course simultaneously delivered to several schools across Estonia, ETV's "Aktuaalne kaamera" reported.

"The teacher will be alone, either in the classroom or in a studio, teaching a math lesson," explained  Tiiu Tommula, senior specialist at the Tallinn Education Department. The lesson, she added, will be broadcast live to around ten classrooms of students simultaneously.

Instruction will be organized so that students can respond and receive feedback during each online lesson. The amount of time allotted for this, however, will be at the teacher's discretion. An assistant will be physically present in the classroom to maintain order.

"There still needs to be an adult in the classroom, because we can't assume that 7th and 8th graders can simply manage the lesson independently," Tommula said. "They'll watch the screen and happily follow along, but there must still be an adult in the room. Whether it's a teaching assistant or some other subject teacher; they don't necessarily need to be qualified in math."

Ülle Matsin, director of the General Education Policy Department at the Ministry of Education and Research, says such an approach is welcome.

"Tallinn-like projects like this can gain significant momentum here," Matsin highlighted. "Once this pilot project is complete and all the areas that need improvement are mapped out, this minor adjustment to the Basic Schools and Upper Secondary Schools Act regarding compulsory education may be very much welcome."

School administrators and teachers, meanwhile, see more questions than answers in this teaching method.

"For me, the big question is how, as a teacher, can I know if they've truly understood everything?" asked Tallinn Secondary School of Science principal Ene Saar. "Has anyone fallen behind? Does anyone have questions, and how will those questions reach me? Maybe I'm moving at the wrong pace?"

According to Saar, it's unrealistic to expect that all students would have the chance to ask their questions in the span of 45 minutes – the typical length of a lesson in Estonian schools.

"Of course they can't," she emphasized. "It's simply not possible for 100 people to ask all their questions."

Tallinn is still in the process of seeking teachers to join the pilot project, who will draw up and implement the virtual math courses in teams of up to five members each. According to the Tallinn Education Department, there has been significant interest in the project.

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