Topic outline
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Dear teachers,
Welcome to our course 'GSS for teachers' centered around our impactful project 'Green Standard Schools'. This engaging initiative aims to:
- Integrate crucial environmental topics into the language learning curriculum of three languages (English, Spanish, and French)
- Enhance the language competence of foreign language learners
- Boost the teaching competences of language teachers
- Foster responsible and sustainable environmental behavior in both language learners and teachers
- Inspire language schools to develop comprehensive environmental policies
This course features a comprehensive Environmental Handbook for Language School Managers and Teachers, designed as training material to empower language teachers and managers with tools to minimize environmental impact in their operations and enhance their proficiency as language course providers.
Also, you can explore our Video Collection, accessible on our YouTube channel Green Standard Schools, where you'll discover a series of short videos featuring discussions on environmental issues. This curated collection serves as a readily available database of teaching materials, seamlessly integrable into your lessons.
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In this lesson, we will delve into the importance of planning ahead when learning a new language, drawing parallels between language learning and our project's goal of integrating environmental issues into language classes at all levels. The rest of Chapter 8 'Planning ahead' delves into various aspects of planning ahead, including the structure of the syllabus, selecting the appropriate subjects and their timing, and methods of evaluation to measure progress and effectiveness in achieving our project's objectives.
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This lesson emphasizes the importance of integrating environmental topics into language course syllabi. We propose adding an "Environmental issues" column to syllabi alongside traditional components, enabling systematic inclusion of relevant environmental themes without overwhelming learners. This approach maintains a balance between global warming and climate change, pollution, and biodiversity and conservation topics, and its frequency should align with learners' local context and interests.
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In this lesson, we will explore the strategic inclusion of environmental subjects in language courses, considering when and how to introduce them at different proficiency levels. Complex environmental topics, such as the greenhouse gases' impact on global warming, require more advanced language skills and are best suited for learners at higher proficiency levels. By strategically incorporating environmental issues into language courses, academic managers and course planners can ensure meaningful coverage across various proficiency levels, avoiding unnecessary repetition and offering a cohesive progression of topics.
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In this lesson, we'll explore the inclusion of general knowledge in language course evaluations, particularly related to environmental issues. The question arises: to what extent should we test students' broader knowledge alongside their language skills? This remains a topic of ongoing discussion.
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