In this presentation, I address the question of how education for sustainability can be implemented in the secondary EFL classroom. Current EFL pedagogy offers different methodological approaches in this regard: Task- (TBLL) and project-based language learning (PBLL) facilitate an action-oriented integration of real-world tasks into the foreign language classroom. Content-based instruction (CBI) and content-and-language-integrated learning (CLIL) allow for an integration of language- and subject-related knowledge and competences, but often force teachers to place curricular goals of the content subject over those of foreign language instruction. Yet, a decidedly transdisciplinary approach is called for in order to transform learner attitudes, beliefs, and behavior regarding sustainability. These approaches are discussed in connection to two blended learning projects for the advanced secondary EFL classroom:
“Going Green – Education for Sustainability” is a German-American blended learning project for the EFL and social studies classrooms that asks students to challenge commonly held stereotypes about how both cultures approach the question of sustainable development. Since 2014, over 2,500 secondary high school students have enrolled on the learning management system (LMS) Moodle. In the project, students collaboratively complete a series of task cycles online and in their face-to-face classes; they develop green action plans for their schools and communities, publish them online, and present them at a national student conference.
“Power to the People: Renewable energy in the community” seeks to bridge the divide between science and humanities by recognizing and connecting knowledge, methods, and competences of both STEM and EFL curricula in an interdisciplinary project week approach. The project was successfully piloted by learner groups in January 2018. Faced with the scenario of a fictional town’s pending transition towards renewable energy sources, investigate the scientific principles behind renewable energy sources, compare and evaluate local case studies and best practices, and explore sociopolitical conditions of a successful energy transition. They finally develop an action plan that they pitch to an expert commission on community sustainable energy planning in the form of a video.
This presentation will begin by introducing the educational approaches both projects, illustrated by sample task cycles and blended learning materials from the LMS platform. Then, an analysis of multimedia learner products will be presented, focusing on their potential for transformative learning and related concepts of learner agency and community-based learning.