Study Guide

Learning outcomes

The student is able to
- apply pedagogical documentation in early childhood education and communicate with parents in most frequent situations in Finnish
- retrieve and utilize relevant knowledge and material to support professional planning, implementation and assessment.

Teaching methods

The course is implemented in contact lessons at Tikkurila campus and as independent studies in Canvas.

Learning materials and recommended literature

The course material is provided in Canvas and it is mainly comprised of authentic documents of early education. Recommended additional reading for widening the scope of everyday Finnish and grammar: Kuparinen & Tapaninen: Oma suomi 2. Suomea aikuisille. Otava. For professional situations: Kela, Korpela & Lehtinen: Ihan lähellä. Työelämän suomea lähihoitajille. Edita. Pages 56 - 126.

Forms of internationality

The course is aimed at students who use Finnish as their second language.

Students workload

5 credit points equals 135 of student’s work. Contact lessons will cover around 40 hours. In addition, there will be pre-reading and other individual assignments to complete.

Content and scheduling

The course contents is divided in four themes. Each theme covers two to three weeks. The themes are:
1) Lähdetään metsään retkelle! Let’s explore nature! This theme makes you familiar with communication skills and vocabulary needed when guiding a group of children.
2) Jokainen lapsi on yksilö. Getting to know the chilld as an individual. This theme makes you familiar with basics languae skills needed for pedagogical documentation.
3) Hyvä päivä ja huono päivä. A good and a bad day. In this theme, you get to practice talking about emotions and interact with the parents.
4) Lasten hyvät kysymykset. Good questions posed by children. This theme makes you familiar with communication skills needed when teaching a group of children.
Lisätietoja: To ensure full support for your language learning, 80% of attendance in contact lessons is mandatory.

Grading scale

H-5

Evaluation methods and criteria

The course evaluation is based on two graded assignments (50%) and a test of vocabulary, reading comprehension and listening comprehension (50%). The assessment criteria is linked to CEFR level B1.1 (Independent user) recognizing specific features of professional functions in early education.

Evaluation criteria, fail (0)

The course cannot be passed if you fail to attend at least 80% of the contact lessons and/or you do not return your assignments, your assignments or the assessment do not meet the criteria.

Evaluation criteria, satisfactory (1-2)

The student is able to interact, join discussions and express opinions in everyday encounters (e.g. guiding groups of children and talking with the parents) when one is familiar with the situation. The student is able to able to find optional ways of expressing oneself in case one does not know the exact word. The student is able to act politely. The student understands the main topic and some details of speech as well as written text, such as announcements to the parents, professional documents and media aimed at children. The student can explain the main points and some details of real or fictional topics. The students uses quite a versatile vocabulary, basic grammatical structures and some more complex ones. The student’s pronunciation is quite effortless and understandable.

Evaluation criteria, good (3-4)

The student is able to interact, join discussions and express opinions in everyday communication situations (e.g. guiding groups of children and talking with the parents) quite effortlessly. The student is able to take initiative in communication to some extent and is able to find optional ways of expressing oneself in case one does not know the exact word. The student is able to act politely. The student understands the main topic and some details of speech as well as written text, such as announcements to the parents, professional documents and media aimed at children. The student is able to find the theme, key words and prominent details even without a chance to get prepared. The student can explain the main points and some details of real or fictional topics. The students uses quite a versatile vocabulary, diverse grammatical structures and some common phrases and idioms. The student’s pronunciation is quite effortless and understandable.

Evaluation criteria, excellent (5)

The student is able to quite effortlessly interact, join discussions and express opinions in everyday communication situations (e.g. guiding groups of children and talking with the parents). The student is able to take initiative in communication and is able to find optional ways of expressing oneself in case of one does not know the exact word. The student is able to act politely and pay attention to cultural policies, such as using different expressions with people of different ages. The student understands the main topic and prominent details of speech as well as written text, such as announcements to the parents, professional documents and media aimed at children. The student is able to find the theme, key words and prominent details even without a chance to get prepared. The student can explain the main points and relevant details of real or fictional topics. The students uses versatile vocabulary, diverse grammatical structures and some common phrases and idioms. The student’s pronunciation is effortless and understandable.