Communities of practice are generally known as places of engagement, learning and development. The current research aims to develop understanding of Estonian early-career university teachers' learning and developing possibilities as teachers in the community of practice (in the university). This paper is based on narrative interviews of 25 early-career university teachers. On the basis of the analysis we found that in the beginning of an academic career, a novice teacher finds support mostly through informal relationships. Opportunities to learn in the community depend heavily on the traditions and activity of a particular unit.Käesoleva uurimuse eesmärgiks oli uurida ja tõlgendada Eesti ülikoolide algajate õppejõudude õppimise ja arenguvõimalusi akadeemilises kogukonnas. Uurimus tugineb 25 õppejõuga läbi viidud intervjuul, mille analüüsi tulemusel leidsime, et akadeemilise karjääri algul leiavad õppejõud tuge peamiselt mitteformaalsetest suhetest kolleegidega. Kogukonnas õppimise võimalused sõltuvad konkreetse akadeemilise üksuse traditsioonidest, algaja õppejõu enda valmisolekust ning ülikoolis pakutavatest professionaalse arengu tegevustest.

This article draws on the ecological model of teacher agency and elaborates on how teacher agency is achieved, its components and how it could be strengthened. This model highlights professional competence, structural and cultural context, and professional purpose as the main elements of achieving agency. In this paper, we specify some elements of the ecological model and elaborate on how three types of reflection could be used to strengthen conditions for achieving teacher agency. These include, first, procedures aimed at articulating the theory of action, including effective strategies, rules and principles for practice; second, procedures of practical reflection, aimed at fostering the conceptualization of practice and the understanding of oneself as a teacher; and third, procedures of critical reflection, which help to address the inequalities and malpractices of education and society. The main importance of this paper is to extend the practical relevance of the ecological model for teacher learning settings.

The emergency caused by COVID-19 and the transition to distance learning has made teachers face novel decision-making situations. As the teachers’ pedagogical decisions have an impact on the students’ learning experience, the aim of this study was to describe and explain what influenced the teachers’ teaching-related decisions and how these decisions were reflected in the teaching process during distance learning. The study was based on semi-structured interviews with 16 Estonian basic school science teachers. The data were analyzed using qualitative thematic analysis. The results show that teachers’ teaching-related decisions were influenced by factors that were related to the existence of digital tools as well as to the ability to use them purposefully in the home settings of teachers and students. Teachers’ teaching decisions were mostly motivated by short-term goals, such as maintaining students’ social interaction and supporting student motivation. The desire of teachers to keep students’ and teachers’ own workload affordable was also considered as a factor influencing teachers’ teaching-related decisions. According to the interviews, the switch of focus to workload and well-being and valuing socialization and student motivation over subject matter competences seems to be unique for this new situation.

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Kaasava hariduse teemalise õpetajakoolituse arendamine on aktuaalne nii Eestis kui ka rahvusvaheliselt. Õpetajate oskuste ja teadmiste kujundamisel on otsustav roll spetsialistidel, kes õpetajaid koolitavad või nõustavad. Seejuures on tähtis, et spetsialistid omaksid ühist arusaama kaasava hariduse tähendusest ning tõhusatest rakendamise viisidest. Siinse uuringu eesmärk oli välja selgitada, kuidas mõistavad õpetajaid koolitavad või nõustavad spetsialistid kaasava hariduse tähendust ja milliseid tegureid nad peavad oluliseks, et tagada kaasava hariduse tõhus rakendumine. Andmeid koguti poolstruktureeritud intervjuudega 15 spetsialistilt. Kvalitatiivse induktiivse sisuanalüüsi tulemused näitasid, et kaasavat haridust mõisteti nii hariduslike erivajadustega laste eraldi õpetamisena eriklassides ja erikoolides kui ka kõigi laste koosõppena. Võtmekomponentidena kaasava hariduse paremal rakendumisel nähti õpetajate koolituse tõhustamist, vajalike ressursside olemasolu, õpetajate toetamist ja motiveerimist ning  poolte senisest suuremat koostööd.  Summary