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1.7. About your Course Tutor

  • 8 months, 4 weeks ago
  • 6

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  • My second question: Do you teach environmental subjects to teenagers?

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    • A good question. I used to teach a lot of teenagers and many of the lessons on ELTsustainable were originally used with teenage learners. I enjoyed it, and as long as I didn’t lecture them, I found teenagers responeded really well.
      In this area, however, I shall defer to Ben. @bencrompton is really into teaching teenagers, and has a lot of…Read More

      • Yes, I do – teenagers/yound adults. My students are currently between 1516-18. I have another adult group as well. It is sometimes good to make shifts between them although the nature of what I am teaching differ significantly.

    • As @owain-llewellyn said, I do specialise in teaching teens (and have a soft spot for those more troublesome groups), and yes I do try to integrate sustainability and environmental topics as much as possible. But, as you’ve probably seen through the second unit, I think there’s a knack for doing it well – something which the majority of course…Read More

      • Oops! Forgot that the enter button sends the comment, again! What stands out for me is that this goes against some of the core advice I’ve been giving to teachers who need confidence to integrate sustainability issues into their teaching: that you don’t need to be an expert. Actually, to some extent at least, I think that’s what our learners need.

      • That’s an interesting research, Ben. I have found that for some of my teenage learners , it just backfires. You know playing the cool boy/girl kind of thing – as if nothing can create concern for them. But at the same time, I’ve discovered they are the most creative, solution-oriented, activist ones – with a big heart to create room for a huge…Read More

        • You have to find the right knack, for sure. When I did this course a couple of years ago, Dan Barber was the guest tutor. He proposed a set of critical thinking evaluation questions to use with any text, and I must say I`ve found this a neat way of bringing sustainability into virtually any lesson without actually making it a topic of the lesson -…Read More

  • Hi Ben. Do you make soaps from olive oil (reuse?)

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    • Hi Tugce! Great to see you here, and thanks for your question. Actually, this isn’t about making soap, but rather about my family here in Spain. My partner’s family are all heavily involved in olive oil production, either as landowners or farmers, something that many of my learners and I have in common. This raises a raft of environmental issues…Read More

      • Thanks for your answer, Ben! That’s interesting. In Turkey as well, olive oil is vastly used – well we usually cook with olive oil. But it is also widely used for handmade soaps which we still use in Turkish baths. very natural! I know what you mean… 🙁 That reminds me of the disappearing olive trees – due to forest firest (overheating climate).…Read More

  • Hi, Ben! I have two questions. Do you produce your own olive oil? Do you teach teenagers?

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    • Hi Mila, a good question. Is it because @ben-crompton lives in Spain? I’m also curious to know if he makes his own olive oil!

      • Hi both! Mila, those are great questions. To answer the first: not quite! My partner’s family own a sizeable olive grove, so they’re heavily involved in oil production. Over the past couple of years I’ve made it a personal project to get to know the production process inside out, trying to find ways to make it as sustainable as possible.…Read More

        • This is really interesting, Ben, as I also teach troublesome teens. I have struck up a good rapport with almost all of them, but have yet to make a breakthrough when it comes to environmental issues. Any tips?

          • I try to keep it very local and relevant to them. Invariably, our ‘throwaway’ coursebook unit on the environment has no relation to my learners. Tigers are marvellous creatures, but irrelevant to teens in a backwater in Southern Spain. When I’m collecting info about their hobbies and interests, I’ll make note of environmental angles I can bring in…Read More

  • Hi again, Ben. I saw the city name Accra as one of your 6 facts and had to look it up. Does this mean you’ve taught in Ghana?

    3 Comments
    • Spot on! I started my teaching career with a placement (initially voluntary) in a secondary school in Ghana, teaching English and Social Studies.

      • Hi Ben, how long did you spend in Accra? @ben-crompton

        • Hi @eltsusta, I was there for six months. Initially on a voluntary project, but managed to get offered a cover position at the school I was working at after just two weeks there. Absolutely fascinating experience, my only regret looking back is that I’d done it when I was mature enough to really appreciate it.

  • Hi Ben! Do you like olive oil on your bread?

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    • Hello Rian! Great to ‘see’ you, and welcome to the course 🙂 This is a very good guess – and you’re right, I do like oil with bread – but that’s not why I chose either of the words, I’m afraid!

      • Hi you all! This is Marcela from Argentina. Ben, are you interested in conservation of species ?

        • Hi Marcela! Great to see you here! Of course I am interested in this, but that’s not the reason I chose this word. It’s actually related to how I first became involved in sustainability. When I was a young teenager, I started volunteering for a local wildlife conservation project. Our community was a housing estate built in the 1980s in quite a…Read More

        • Hi Marcela and welcome. Good question, and @ben-crompton I also want to make another guess about olive oil. Do you want to become a professional producer of olive oil?

          • How wonderful ! Yes @ben-crompton for sure there are groups like that! Fortunately, more and more people are getting interested in sustainable issues and ESD ( Education for Sustainable Development) is becoming a big point as well, I´m hopeful that if this continues along the same line, the future will be better. New generations will make the big change !

            • At least, I´m working hard for that as a teacher! It`s not that my generation is not doing anything ( I´m 52 already) but i feel that younger generations are more involved, so we will be facing a promising future