New needs and opportunities in foreign language teaching

The diversification of societies, inclusion of different learners, and globalisation are some of the factors that are changing the platform for foreign language teaching (FLT) in the schools. In this session, we will bring up some of these factors in more detail and discuss the needs and opportunities for new didactical approaches in FLT. We will problematize these situations and discuss what challenges may lie ahead. The changing compositions of pupil groups demand new skills from teachers, including managing diverse learners and differentiating teaching. For example, early teaching of foreign languages has gained popularity in Europe in recent years and Finland will also start this country-wide in January 2020. However, this also brings about needs for teachers’ further education. This session welcomes active participation.

Kaisa Hahl, MA, PhD, is a University Lecturer in Foreign Language Education at the Faculty of Educational Sciences in the University of Helsinki in Finland. Her areas of interest and expertise include foreign language education (including early teaching of foreign languages), multicultural education, and (international) teacher education. You can find Hahl’s publications here:

https://researchportal.helsinki.fi/en/persons/kaisa-hahl/publications/