By implementing this project, we expected to achieve a more integrated and meaningful approach to foreign language learning in early childhood and primary education through the inclusion of environmental education. The project aimed to move beyond isolated activities and provide a coherent pedagogical framework in which language learning could be connected to real-life and relevant contexts for children. In particular, the project sought to strengthen teachers’ pedagogical confidence and competences in integrating environmental topics into foreign language teaching, offering guidance and a shared methodological approach adapted to early educational stages. Another expectation was to provide teachers with accessible and practical resources that could support their daily classroom practice. Regarding students, the project aimed to encourage the functional use of a second language while fostering basic environmental awareness and positive attitudes towards sustainability. Overall, the project expected to contribute to more engaging learning experiences, support professional development for teachers, and align classroom practice with current European educational priorities.
The project was requested in response to several needs identified in early childhood and primary education settings. On the one hand, environmental education, although recognised as a priority, was not always systematically or meaningfully integrated into daily classroom practice and was often limited to isolated activities. On the other hand, difficulties were identified in the teaching of foreign languages at early ages, particularly when learning took place without meaningful contexts that supported the functional use of the language. In addition, many teachers reported a lack of specific training and age-appropriate teaching resources to address environmental topics through a second language, especially in early educational stages where experiential and globalised approaches are essential. In this context, the project was designed as an opportunity to address these needs through an integrated approach, using environmental education as a meaningful context for foreign language learning and strengthening the role of teachers in fostering environmental awareness from an early age.