Case Studies

The aim was to inspire the pupils of preprimary and primary education to learn languages and to strengthen their self-esteem and knowledge for foreign languages. Another objective of the project was to increase the choice for languages at the primary school.
The languages that are presented in Kielireppu-project are Swedish, French, English, German, Russian, Japanese, Estonian, Kurdish, Albanian, Persian and sign language. Swedish, French, English, Russian and German that are taught as A-languages ( the first language that the pupil learns at the age of nine years / on the third school class) in the primary schools in Turku are more widely presented in the project. There are also samples of the languages that are taught for migrants (as a mother tongue) in Turku, which are a significant part of the national language reservoir in Finland.

The aims of the project were mainly to arouse pupils’ interest and motivation for learning foreign languages and also to encourage them to use different languages. The aim is also to make it easier to choose the foreign languages to learn at school. By using the aims of functional language teaching also boys are encouraged to learn foreign languages.

The approach supported the objective to create such material that could help all teachers or club instructors to introduce foreign languages. The material is created in a way that the children do not necessarily have to be able to read or write. The project’s results ( Kielireppu) has been delivered to the primary schools in Turku region. The teachers have received a feedback questionnaire in spring 2011. The aim of the questionnaire was to investigate the usefulness of the project outcomes (Kielireppu) in different teaching situations at school.

The Kielireppu-project has inspired teachers to organize language clubs and ”Kielireppu”-lessons.
The teachers have been shown how to utilize the Kielireppu website, which is ready in the autumn, 2012. There is also a video clip for giving instructions of how to use the materials. Kielireppu project has aroused a lot of interest in Finland and it has been presented in many places all over the country.

The Kielireppu-project has received a lot of national attention and interest, because the material created in the project inspires for functional language learning. The material has been created by having in mind also boys who should get interested in language learning,

We have planned to disseminate the project results to other European countries and to find ways of cooperation in this field.

1. Comprehensive approach. Every element of the language initiative should ensure that the needs of the students are identified and met.
2. Motivation enhancement. Initiatives should motivate the students and teachers to improve their language skills.
5. European emphasis. Initiatives should be adapted to Europe's linguistic diversity and make use of this advantage

An innovative approach that encourages children to study languages even from the early primary school on.