Geography Olympiads in Estonia

Geography Olympiads in Estonia Ülle Liiber and Jüri Roosaare University of Tartu, Tartu, Estonia doi: 0.67/irgeeD.0 Keywords: Geography Olympiad, geographical skills, research, prestige The Olympiads in Estonia The Olympiad movement has a long history in Estonia, and the national system developed several decades ago. The first Olympiad for gifted and talented students was held in mathematics in 90. Now there are more than 0 different fields of competition for basic school and gymnasium students. In 00/006, Estonian teams participated in 8 International Olympiads or competitions. The Gifted and Talented Development Centre at the University of Tartu (http://www.ttkool.ut.ee/english.html), which developed out from the Science School, coordinates all work involving the Olympiads. This Centre is becoming increasingly integrated with the Estonian e-university (http://www.e-uni.ee), using methods of e-learning and giving challenging opportunities for all interested pupils (Roosaare & Liiber, 00). All of the Olympiads in Estonia are financed by the Ministry of Education. The Olympiads are not only a challenge for the gifted and talented students but receive high evaluations from most students and teachers at the school level and even from other educational institutions. The winners of the National Olympiad and all the participants in the International Olympiads are entitled to enter Tartu University without further competition for student positions. This is a serious stimulus for gymnasium students. Several participants in the Geography Olympiads have become well-known geographers in Estonia. Geography teachers whose students compete in the final round are mostly famous and acknowledged specialists. Often their work with gifted students is rewarded in one way or another. Many tasks from the Olympiad are used in classroom work to diversify the teaching-learning process. Therefore, the Geography Olympiad is a development engine not only for students but also for school geography in general. Organisation, Structure and Content of Geography Olympiads In geography, there have been Olympiads in Estonia since the 96/966 academic year. The structure and subject matter of the competition have certainly changed over this time. Now the Geography Olympiad takes place every year in two rounds: one at the county level and then a final (national) round. Students compete in four age groups: seventh (up to age ), eighth (ages ), ninth grades (ages 6) and gymnasium (6 9-year olds). 08-06/07/0 9-06 $0.00/0 C 007 Ü. Liiber & J. Roosaare International Research in Geographical and Environmental Education Vol. 6, No., 007 9

9 International Research in Geographical and Environmental Educatio 00 90 80 70 60 0 0 0 0 0 0 966 969 97 97 98 987 99 996 999 00 00 Figure The number of participants in the final rounds of the Geography Olympiads, 966 006 The first so-called regional round is usually held in the second half of February in the towns and county centres. All students interested in geography can participate in this competition, and every year more than 000 students participate in it. The competition takes place for everyone at the same time, and for three hours all of the students answer the 6 written tasks. The questions and tasks are composed at the Institute of Geography of Tartu University every year. A panel of teachers from each county checks the tests and identifies the best students whose tests are then sent to the national jury which examines the results and compiles an overall ranking. On the basis of the overall ranking, a total of 00 students are invited to the final (national) round of the Olympiad, which is held over a weekend at the end of April or at the beginning of May (Figure ). The final competition consists of three parts: a written test, fieldwork and a quiz. The written test, which is composed of different tasks about natural and human geography, is mainly based on the school curricula. In Estonia, Geography is a separate subject in the curriculum. At present there are a total of five lessons of geography per week in the basic schools (Grades 7 9), and three lessons per week up to a total of 0 hours at the gymnasium level. At the basic school level, most attention is paid to natural phenomena and the subject matter is taught through the following topics: map work, climate, water, geology, landscapes, biomes and population. Estonian geography in the ninth form is a short survey of Europe. Two-thirds of the lessons at the gymnasium level pertain to human geography and one-third to physical geography. Regional geography is very weakly represented in the Estonian school syllabus. From year to year, the competition is becoming more serious and intensive. Whereas in the first years, the Olympiad mostly consisted of facts, place names and simple fieldwork assignments, now the tasks of the competition require greater skills of analysis, critical thinking and generalisation, and more attention must also be paid to mastering the reading and interpretation of maps, charts and photos. In 00, for the first time, computer-based exercises were included in the written tasks for the gymnasium level. Students have to find and interpret some geographical information from well-known Internet portals such as the CIA World Factbook, Theodora, Population Reference Bureau, FAO, etc. or from

Geography Olympiads in Estonia 9 Figure The locations of the final rounds of the Geography Olympiads, 966 006 the Estonian Websites. All of the information about the Geography Olympiads, including written tasks, can be found on the Estonian School Geography Website (Kooligeograafia) http://www.geo.ut.ee/kooligeo/. The tasks and questions for the first round of the Olympiad have become a serious problem for the organisers. Some students and teachers complain that the tasks are too difficult, which reduces motivation to participate in the competition. At the same time, the general ranking indicates that the top students results are quite good. The question is how to achieve a balance between the broad popularity of the competition and narrower specialisation (to challenge gifted and talented students). Unlike the other Olympiads, the final competition in geography takes place at different places in Estonia, mostly in small towns, so as to be closer to the rural landscape (Figure ). This offers diverse possibilities for organising fieldwork, orienteering and excursions. During the fieldwork, students must undertake simple practical work in the local natural environment such as orienteering with a map (finding checkpoints), moving along the azimuth, measuring distances, drawing a simple map or compiling the profile of a landscape, gauging the height or angle of a slope (Figure ). In the near future, we plan to practice some urban geography tasks like those at the International Geography Olympiad in Brisbane. There is always a brief excursion around the venue, during which students are introduced to significant natural and cultural objects. After that, a quiz is organised to test the knowledge acquired during the excursion. On the last day of the Olympiad, an orienteering competition is organised. This is compulsory for everyone, but its results are calculated separately and not counted towards the Olympiad s ranking list. Orienteering is traditionally very popular in Estonia and is the professional sport of geographers.

96 International Research in Geographical and Environmental Educatio Figure Students compiling the profile of a landscape during a fieldwork exercise Portrait of Students Taking Part in the Geography Olympiads In recent years, surveys have been undertaken to discover the reasons why students take part in the Geography Olympiads and what kind of tasks are more interesting or too difficult for them and why. In 00, 9 students of the final round and in 006, 0 students of the first round (ninth grade and gymnasium students) answered the questionnaire. One can read an overview of the first questionnaire in Changing Horizons in Geography Education (Roosaare & Liiber, 00). The Geography Olympiad has always been more popular among boys. In 006, there were 60% males and 0% females among the 0 respondents. The percentage of girls in the final round has been 0 % in different years, with fewer in the older and more in the younger age-groups. Nevertheless, the percentage of females is increasing every year. Nearly half of the gymnasium and ninth-grade students have taken part in two or more previous Geography Olympiads, and only one-third were newcomers. Two-thirds of respondents participated in the other Olympiads. In 00, almost half (7%) of the finalists also took part (in addition to geography) in local rounds of other Olympiads, and % have been in other finals. On average, each finalist in geography participated (during the last two years) in. local rounds and. finals. The predominant subjects were biology and mathematics (Roosaare & Liiber, 00). The reasons to take part in the Geography Olympiad are quite similar for gymnasium and ninth-grade students. Altogether, 0% of them mentioned an interest in geography, nearly 0% want to test their knowledge and skills and compare themselves with others, and 0% noted the possibility of preparing for exams and nearly the same percentage said that the Olympiad offered motivation to study issues in greater depth and gave them new knowledge. Younger students more frequently answer that their geography teacher suggested that

Geography Olympiads in Estonia 97 9th grade 6 78 0th grade 6 7 8 th grade 6 7 8 th grade 67 8 0% 0% 0% 60% 80% 00% Figure The reasons mentioned by students for participating in the Geography Olympiads. I am good in geography and want to test my knowledge and compare myself with others, I am interested in geography, through the Olympiad I will learn new things and have new experiences, to help prepare for the Geography Exam or study later geography, I was good in the first round, 6 my geography teacher suggested it, 7 the possibility to get a free day or other bonuses, 8 other reasons. they should participate and some said that they are always happy to get a free day or other bonuses (Figure ). Students interest in geography stems mainly from their school experience, and the school and teacher were said to be quite important or extremely important by 8% of students while students who indicated the importance of their home (0%) generally considered school to be equally important. In the Olympiads of all subjects, the more gifted students tend to be concentrated in a limited number of élite schools located in the capital city and some larger towns. Many students consider success in different competitions to be one of the most important indicators of academic advancement and school quality (Roosaare & Liiber, 00). The Baltic Geography Olympiad and IGO The Baltic Geography Olympiad for gymnasium students started in 996 and the competition has taken place in a different country each year in Latvia, Lithuania or Estonia. Seven students from every country participate in this Olympiad that lasts three days and consists of a written part and practical tasks; there is also always an excursion in the programme. The written part is prepared on the basis of the tasks compiled by every country and the fieldwork tasks are composed by the organising country. The tasks are translated into students mother-tongues to make it easier for students to answer them. In the future we plan to organise the Baltic Olympiad every other year. All of the participants agreed that the competition should be in English. It would be rational if the regional competition was quite similar to the International Geography Olympiad as far as the structure of the Olympiad and the tasks are concerned. It would be possible to increase the number of participants and include the other countries around Baltic Sea (Finland, Sweden, etc). Estonia has only taken part in the International Geography Olympiad twice: Poland 00 and Australia 006. On both occasions, our team was successful,

98 International Research in Geographical and Environmental Educatio and won a second place just behind Poland. One reason for the success of our students was the similarity of the International Geography Olympiad to our National Olympiads. We emphasise the same kind of knowledge and skills as were verified by the written test and fieldwork at the International Geography Olympiad. For the first time, the candidates of our team were selected from among the high-scoring students in the national final round and there was also a special competition to filter out the best ones. In the second year, we counted the results of the candidates of the last two years competitions in order to preclude success in only one Olympiad. Before the Baltic or International Geography Olympiad, special training is organized for the candidates in the competition. During two days at the University of Tartu, the students are introduced to the tasks and organisation of the previous competitions and some practical tasks and lectures are also performed. The International Geography Olympiad has found a sure place through different kinds of international competitions and activities for gifted and talented students. We hope that in the near future the International Geography Olympiad will be held every year like the Olympiads in other subjects. On the basis of our long experience in the area of the Olympiads movement, we can claim that the Olympiads have an indirect influence on both curriculum development and teaching methods. This kind of competition is a great stimulus for students and increases the prestige of school geography in general. We support the opinion that the International Geography Olympiad must be in English in order to simplify the organisation of the competition and to guarantee equal conditions in checking the answers. The structure of the competition is optimal and the additional components such as introductions to the various countries through posters or self-activities enrich the event. It would be best if the tasks of the written part and quiz were compiled by a special commission whose members are familiar with trends in modern school geography to ensure a higher quality in the teaching of our subject worldwide. The development of an International Geography Olympiad Website with links to the National Geography Olympiads Websites enables quicker communication and more wide-ranging contacts. Correspondence Any correspondence should be directed to Ülle Liiber, University of Tartu, Tartu, Estonia (ulle.liiber@ut.ee). References Roosaare, J. and Liiber, Ü. (00) E-Learning and Europeanization as promoters of changes in geographical education. Estonia: Geographical Studies (Tallinn) 9,. Roosaare, J. and Liiber, Ü. (00) Geography competitions as stimuli for advanced students In K. Donert and P. Charzynski (eds) Changing Horizons in Geography Education (Vol., pp. 79 8). Torun, Poland: Geography in Higher Education.