From June 8 to June 10, 2026, a partner meeting and workshops for the international Erasmus+ project “Teacher Academy for Plurilingual Preschools: A Path Towards Equal Opportunities” (TAPPEO) took place in Helsinki, Finland. Daugavpils University was represented at the event by Liene Briede, Sulamīte Tovija Rasnače and Darina Piskunova. The meeting brought together educators, researchers and education experts from several European countries. The participants gathered to share experiences and improve innovative approaches in the field of early language acquisition and multilingual education.

The workshops were based on the idea of languages acting as bridges rather than barriers, promoting the creation of an inclusive and multilingual educational environment from an early age. The goal of the project is to help teachers develop modern skills and knowledge by using contemporary methods to educate children from diverse language and cultural backgrounds in preschools and primary schools.

The central theme of the workshops was “Crafting Engaging Educational Activities for Young Learners of English”. Over the course of three days, participants explored effective and developmentally appropriate language learning methods where play, movement, self-expression, songs, and digital tools play a significant role. During the sessions, the attendees analyzed examples of best practices, discussed the core principles of early language acquisition and developed practical lesson scenarios for use in preschool educational institutions.

The first day of the program focused on analyzing the basic principles of early language acquisition, emphasizing the importance of simplicity, repetition, movement and visual support in the learning process.  Participants were introduced to the experience of Greek partners who utilized an educational board game that helps children develop an understanding of equality, inclusion and cooperation while simultaneously improving their English language skills. Subsequently, international working groups designed activity scenarios for various preschool age groups, defining specific learning objectives, sequences of actions, and assessment approaches. Participants also had the opportunity to visit a preschool educational institution in Helsinki, observe lessons and gain a deeper insight into the Finnish preschool education system through discussions with local teachers.

On the second day, special attention was dedicated to the use of artificial intelligence tools in preschool education. Participants explored opportunities to use digital technologies for vocabulary expansion, pronunciation improvement and interactive storytelling, while emphasizing the crucial role of the teacher in ensuring a high-quality learning process. Working groups further refined their previously developed scenarios, adapting them to a multilingual learning environment and the children’s needs. At the conclusion of the workshops, each group presented their developed activities and shared their own insights. The discussions analyzed opportunities to practically implement these developed approaches in educational institutions, fostering active engagement, language learning and a positive learning experience for children.

During the project coordinator meeting, the partners evaluated the work completed so far and discussed current tasks, which are related to the development of digital tools, needs analysis in the preschool education sector of partner countries, curriculum improvement, the creation of assessment tools and the preparation of video learning materials. Upcoming project events, experience exchange opportunities, and project result dissemination activities were also discussed. The meeting fostered closer cooperation among project partners and contributed to a shared vision for the future progress of the project.

Material prepared by:

Liene Briede and Sulamīte Tovija Rasnače

More about the project:

TAPPEO project

Additional information:
Dr. Mārīte Kravale-Pauliņa
TAPPEO Project Coordinator, leading researcher
marite.kravale@du.lv

Title: “Teacher Academy for Plurilingual preschools. A path towards equal opportunities” (TAPPEO) AGREEMENT NUMBER 101196622, TAPPEO – ERASMUS-EDU-2024-PEX-TEACH-ACA