Varhennetun kieltenopetuksen käytäntöjä: opettajien kokemuksia onnistumisista ja haasteista

In this article we present what kind of practical experiences teachers and early childhood education personnel have had in projects related to early teaching of foreign languages (ETFL), what preparedness they have had for ETFL and what tips they have to give for its meaningful implementation. The research data was gathered as the initial survey in three implementations of in-service education for ETFL that we have analysed with content analysis. The results show that the participants (N=78) had positive experiences of their EFTL projects but they had also encountered challenges in their implementation. Practical challenges consisted of a lack of teaching materials, large group sizes and a lack of common
planning time. Pedagogical challenges included a lack of clear guidelines and uncertainty of teaching methods. Respondents suggested as practical tips the use of multifaceted and activating working methods, teacher cooperation, making language as part of the everyday and creating classroom routines. Based on the results and to improve practices, we recommend that time is allocated for the development of cooperation skills between different teachers, the strengthening of digital skills, and the planning of interdisciplinary learning modules together.