Teacher and Mentor// 2 years

Tallinn Polytechnic is a state vocational education institution that prepares 4th and 5th level specialists. The school offers a wide range of study programs, including software engineering.

Introduction

Teaching and mentoring young students is an invaluable experience that offers insights into social communication, psychology, pedagogy, and the subject matter itself. This role allowed me to review, improve, and expand my knowledge in web technologies while guiding students through their learning journey.

The course I taught was Digital Media - Web Technologies, designed to provide students with the skills to create basic web pages and an understanding of design principles. The course emphasized practical, hands-on learning to develop the students' skills effectively.

The Course

Structure and Methodology

The course was structured to introduce students to the basics of web development using HTML, CSS, and JavaScript, as well as WordPress CMS customization. We began with foundational concepts, including the main building blocks and semantics of the web, styling techniques, and adding interactivity. The difficulty of tasks gradually increased, allowing students to create their own web pages by the end of the course.

Practical Tasks

The primary practical task was for students to create a personal web page. This project allowed them to apply all the knowledge gained throughout the course. Each lesson included both theoretical and practical components, with the practical work done in the classroom to facilitate immediate assistance and feedback.

The Class and The Students

Classes were held in a computer lab, with 10-15 students per session. The students came from diverse backgrounds with varying levels of knowledge. The challenge was to tailor my approach to meet each student's needs while keeping the entire class engaged and interested.

The Evaluation

At the end of the course, students were evaluated based on their final project: their personal web page. Evaluation involved a one-on-one interview where students presented their web pages, explained their design and technical choices, and answered questions about the technologies used. This approach ensured that the assessment was based on the quality of knowledge demonstrated by each student.