The project was implemented in 2018-2021 by the Faculty of Education, University of Helsinki together with the University of Helsinki Centre for Continuing Education HY+. The leader of the project was Dr. Kaisa Hahl.
The project developed pedagogical models for early language teaching in cooperation with subject teacher education, university teacher training schools, and schools and municipalities providing basic education, as well as other project stakeholders. The aim of the project was to enable language teachers and student teachers to create new models for early language teaching in research-based, student-centred and cooperative ways. The project organised two implementations of in-service teacher training for subject teachers and class teachers and trained them to become tutors for local teachers. The project worked to increase the utilisation of recent research findings in teacher education and further training, and make use of best practices and models at the national and international levels. Additionally, the project produced regional and national models for the systematic development of language teachers’ and educators’ professional know-how.
For more information about the project, see the Varpunen project site.