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![Profile picture of Rian McGuinness]()
Rian McGuinness posted in the group 2.5 What are the top tips for teaching environment-themed lessons?
Hi everyone. Apologies for my lack of activity over the past week. I would say that relevance would be my big tip. Firstly relevance to the students’ lives and secondly relevance to the course objectives, language points, grades etc. Of course, this depends on the teaching and learning context, but if sustainability is still something of an exotic…Read More
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![Profile picture of Tugce Cankaya Simpson]()
City&Guilds ESOL Skills for Life starts to do that as well, which is great! We have an exam topic in Entry levels which is called “Our Environment” – one of which also contains writing a complaint letter to a Council about waste disposal and so on.
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![Profile picture of Ben Crompton]()
@eltsusta @rian-mcguinness Owain’s right – there’s been a considerable shift in recent years with Main Suite exams – to the extent where it’s rare if an exam *doesn’t* have some sustainable or environmentally-focused text or question.
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![Profile picture of Mila Pandzic]()
I like the word “exotic”. Some people in school feel like I am dong something exotic teaching kids sustainability and not a part of “my subject”.
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![Profile picture of Rian McGuinness]()
Rian McGuinness posted in the group 1.9 Our Students
What issues are likely to be of highest concern to your students?
1. Cars and how the transition from petrol to electric will affect them.
2. The desert and mangrove ecosystems and how polluted they are becoming.
3. Air-conditioning and rising summer temperatures.14 Comments-
![Profile picture of Ben Crompton]()
Thank you for sharing this, Rian. Lots to unpack here, and I think I’m going to start with your second point about the mangrove ecosystems. From what I understand, mangroves play an important ecological role – both in terms of wildlife populations, but also coastal protection. What effects of pollution are you and your learners experiencing with…Read More
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![Profile picture of Rian McGuinness]()
Hi Ben. honestly, I hadn’t thought of the coastal erosion/protection angle, so that could be useful. My students tend to be a bit ‘nuts and bolts’ and seem to want to see dramatic effects, rather than the odd plastic bottle lying around. This could certainly herald a fresh approach to explaining and exploring the myriad benefits mangroves provide.
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![Profile picture of Ben Crompton]()
@rian-mcguinness What would ‘nuts and bolts’ environmental/sustainable issues look like to your learners? Here in Southern Spain, mine would probably react to more common heatwaves in the summer or drastic water shortages, but like yours I suspect they wouldn’t be so concerned with litter or recycling. In fact, when one of the major supermarkets…Read More
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![Profile picture of Rian McGuinness]()
Hi Ben. Honestly, I think nuts and bolts would be something like the tropical storm, Shaheen, which hit Oman and the UAE last year. Perhaps if mangrove-protected areas faired better during one of these events, people might be able to relate a bit more.
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![Profile picture of Owain Llewellyn]()
Interesting, Rian. I’m curious about the cars angle. How do people feel about the transition to electric cars in the Gulf. Is it seen as something broadly positive or is it a threat to a lifestyle that has come from the export of oil? I must say I have mixed feelings about electric cars. On the one hand they are obviously much healthier to have in…Read More
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![Profile picture of Ben Crompton]()
@eltsusta It’s interesting that you say that. I simply can’t see electric cars being a viable solution in places without modern infrastructure. I’m sure for those living in built-up areas or with their own garages they might seem quite a feasible option, but for those of us living in rural communities they are simply unviable in the first place:…Read More
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![Profile picture of Owain Llewellyn]()
@ben-crompton a fair point, and I’m probably seeing this through the lens of being a reluctant urbanite. I would be glad to not breathe in exhaust fumes on my way to work, but also well aware that mining the rare earth minerals for batteries has massive issues. But what you’ve said has got me thinking, as I’m currently reading a fantastic book…Read More
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![Profile picture of Mila Pandzic]()
Electric car is a very popular topic in my class. You have probably heard of Rimac Nevera, fastest electric car, made by a Croatian manufacturer Mate Rimac. His factory is around 20 minutes of our school so let’s say he is our “neighbour” and he is building now a Rimac Campus close to us. Two weeks ago we have read some texts about Nevera and…Read More
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![Profile picture of Owain Llewellyn]()
It’s fascinating to have someone like that writing so close. It could make for an amazing field trip for the students of even a class visit from Mate Rimac. On another note what you’re saying reminds me of a book i’m about to start. Teach your Child how to Think by Edward de Bono. Apparently it’s full of activities for developing the skills and…Read More
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![Profile picture of Rian McGuinness]()
This is brilliant, Mila. I will certainly use this approach in future classes! I always find myself in a dilemma over what is ideal versus what is an incremental improvement. On the topic of electric cars, I’m still on the fence, but they seem to be slightly preferable to the 6-litre gas guzzlers my students usually aspire to drive. It’s just such…Read More
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![Profile picture of Rian McGuinness]()
@eltsusta Tesla cars are trendy here, but I’m not convinced it’s because they are environmentally friendly. Firstly, the main reason for all the Tesla love among my students is that they are cool and perceived as luxurious. The second reason is that the broader impact of Tesla and its sister companies is dubious at best (Space X). I think most…Read More
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![Profile picture of Owain Llewellyn]()
@rian-mcguinness I like the idea of students convincing you one way or another and I’d say that fits well with learner-driven language lessons. I think it’s a more effective approach than telling learners what to think. I’m wondering what task could be set up in which students can do this. I like @mila-pandzic‘s debate idea, and I’m also…Read More
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![Profile picture of Tugce Cankaya Simpson]()
I did an eco-bike lesson in class about that transportation subtopic recently, and students really enjoyed that. videos can be interesting supporting his as well.
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![Profile picture of Tugce Cankaya Simpson]()
@Rian, forgive my ignorance, can you expand on Tesla please? Thanks.
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I know that the exam providers like Cambridge are making sure moves to include more sustainability related language and topics. I’m optimistic that this could have a positive washback effect.