Credits 12.1

Credits 12.1

Teaching Rivers. Environmental Learning mit dem Gedicht Dart von Alice Oswald im Fremdsprachlichen Englischunterricht

Seit einigen Jahren wandelt sich der Umgang mit den sog. Umweltthemen im fremdsprachlichen Englischunterricht, und zwar seitdem sie als gesamtgesellschaftlich relevant begriffen werden. Jedoch werden Umweltthemen häufig nur auf sprachlicher Ebene betrachtet, was häufig zu Frust bei Schüler*innen führt. Zudem sind sie meist verbunden mit moralischem Vorwurf und sozialer Erwünschtheit bzw. knüpfen sie kaum an die eigenen Erfahrungen an. Es zeigt sich jedoch, dass zunehmend das Potenzial für einen inter-/transkulturellen Fremdsprachenunterricht erkannt wird. Aber auch diese Entwicklungen zeigen, dass Umwelt nach wie vor als Objekt und Untersuchungsgegenstand betrachtet wird. Dabei wird ein traditioneller Zugang zu Natur und Umwelt sichtbar, der sich (mindestens) seit der Aufklärung zurückverfolgen lässt: Umwelt wird nicht als etwas begriffen, dessen Teil wir sind, sondern als Objekt, von dem wir getrennt sind und das man (objektiv) untersuchen, schützen (oder ausbeuten) kann. Als Ergänzung zu Nachhaltigkeitsthemen und (de)konstruktivistischen Untersuchungsformen von Natur im interkulturellen Kontext, sollten Schüler*innen die Möglichkeiten bekommen, einen Zugang zu dieser „Welt da draußen“ zu erfahren. In dem vorliegenden Artikel wird eine partizipatorische Ebene für das Arbeiten mit Umweltthemen im Englischunterricht entwickelt. Zentral dabei ist der Gedanke eines reading with the world. Ansätze aus dem Forschungsbereich Material Ecocriticism, aus der Phänomenologie und der Anthropologie geben Impulse für eine ecocritical practice, da sie, wenn auch aus völlig unterschiedlicher Perspektive, eine Subjekt-Objekt-Trennung aufbrechen. Zentraler Bestandteil einer partizipatorischen Ebene ist die Arbeit mit Poesie, die alternative Sprechweisen und Bildneuheiten eröffnen kann. Denn durch Poesie können Grenzen und Kategorien neu verhandelt werden. Im Mittelpunkt steht dabei die Arbeit mit dem Langgedicht Dart von Alice Oswald. Hier fokussiert sich Oswald auf die wechselseitige Beziehung zwischen Mensch und Fluss. Das Gedicht ermöglicht einen alternativen Blick auf einen Fluss. Um diesen Zugang zu ermöglichen, wird eine rationale Textanalyse nicht ausreichen. Die partizipatorische Ebene strebt ein ganzheitliches Arbeiten auf kognitiver, emotionaler und sensomotorischer Ebene an

Going Green in the EFL Classroom: An Introduction

Introduction.

Editorial 12.1

Editorial Issue 12.1

Ecology, Cultural Awareness, Anti-Racism and Critical Thinking

This paper aims at presenting a critical approach to teaching ecological, postcolonial and ethnic minority topics in the (foreign language) classroom, describing the need to interrelate these three issues in both research and teaching. It illustrates how Western utilitarian perspectives on both humans and nature must be counterbalanced with alternative stances, such as those provided by indigenous views of reciprocity. With regard to teaching scenarios, it suggests the use of multi-text selections in line with the principle of presenting multiple perspectives on global issues. It suggests that two seemingly contradictory teaching/learning objectives can be combined: bolstering up students’ empathetic skills in understanding ecological and interculturally relevant issues on the one hand and becoming critically aware of textual strategies employed to manipulate readers. We use the hitherto less frequently observed example of the demands of the Chilean indigenous minority of the Mapuche to illustrate how different positions published in the English language on the Internet can be used in the foreign language classroom to discuss the issues at stake here: the inextricable interrelatedness of ecological exploitation of natural resources with processes of sociocultural and economic marginalisation and oppression of ethnic minority groups and their worldviews across the globe.

Teaching in the Garden: School Gardens as a Space for Environmental and English Learning

School gardens as settings for learning outside the classroom are becoming increasingly popular. They allow students to learn in an authentic way as they engage in a variety of activities and materials. More importantly, they also represent a powerful place and tool for environmental education as students are not only exposed to nature but also gain positive environmental experiences. This paper examines school gardens as a place for both enhancing students’ English language competences and fostering critical environmental literacy. The first section of the paper focuses on garden-based education as a type of learning outside the classroom. The ensuing section then provides a brief discussion of school gardens as learning spaces across the curriculum, arguing that school gardens are far more than places for learning about nutrition and healthy living. Following this, the next section then argues for using school gardens also for learning English as a foreign language. Here Gardner’s multiple intelligences model serves to illustrate the potential of school gardens for differentiated instruction regarding content, processes, and products in today’s increasingly diverse learning groups. The main part of the paper then concentrates on garden-based education in the context of EFL teacher training. At the University of Education Karlsruhe (Germany) students have the opportunity to attend a school garden-based seminar which allows them to experience first hand the benefits of learning English as a foreign language in the school garden. The paper concludes by taking a glimpse into the future of school garden learning by reporting on the authors’ experiences with using technology in the context of garden-based education.

“There is no such thing as ‘away’”: An Inquiry-Based Approach to Developing Learners’ Sustainability Literacy in the EFL Classroom

The explosion of electric and electronic waste (e-waste) is one of the major environmental challenges of our time. Only a small amount of e-waste is properly disposed of or recycled, with most e-waste ending up in landfills or incinerators, or being exported to developing countries where it represents an even greater hazard to both the environment and human health and life. This article tackles this issue in the context of English as a foreign language teaching, arguing that exploring the global streams of e-waste and its environmental impacts at a time when there is an unprecedented demand for electric and electronic devices in all areas of life, including education, can help develop learners’ sustainability literacy. The first part of the paper looks at the concept of e-waste, its economic implications, and the social impacts arising from e-waste (disposal). The ensuing part then looks at e-waste in the context of global sustainability initiatives which, for example, aim at encouraging individuals to become more committed to sustainable lifestyles and thus help to mitigate climate change. The following sections are of a more practical nature, exploring the potential of the topic for the English as a foreign language (EFL) classroom, arguing that English language teaching no longer solely focuses on developing learners’ language skills but also a plethora of other competences that allow learners to participate in global (environmental) discourses. The practical classroom example takes an inquiry-based approach, which not only allows learners to pursue their own interests but also develops their critical thinking and problem-solving skills. In this example, Nigeria serves to illustrate the devastating effects of (illegal) e-waste (disposal) and the complex socio-economic aspects of e-waste (mis-)management.

Del “calentamiento global” al “cambio climático”: Encubrimientos y desencubrimientos ético-políticos

Este trabajo se posiciona en el paradigma interdisciplinario de las humanidades ambientales desde el que problematiza críticamente el concepto de “cambio climático” con que el discurso social designa a los fenómenos ambientales extremos experimentados en las últimas décadas por el “calentamiento global” de la Tierra. A partir del método crítico-hermenéutico se pone al descubierto los núcleos conceptuales de la construcción argumentativa de los ideologemas enmascarados tras ciertas expresiones lingüísticas, con la intención de neutralizar, minimizar o eliminar la responsabilidad ética y política sobre los desequilibrios ambientales. El texto se posiciona en la crítica humanista ambientalista, que recupera el valor de las emociones y afectos en la génesis de nuestras ideas y conocimiento, así como ciertas tesis del neomaterialismo sobre la agencia de la materia y su capacidad de autorregulación. A partir de tomar como eje el concepto de “antropoceno”, el artículo cuestiona los binarismos humano/no-humano, materia/espíritu, naturaleza/cultura, y postula lo natural dentro de la historia humana o geohistoria. El texto profundiza la función crítica y creativa, asumida por la literatura de clima ficción, que a través de la narrativa presenta los riesgos ambientales causados por la acción humana con el fin de sacudir el aletargamiento de la conciencia frente a la crisis climática. Los relatos climáticos ficcionales son cercanos al propio presente, provocando identificaciones afectivas con las situaciones narradas y reacciones emocionales. Promueven una conciencia crítica sobre los modos antrópicos destructivos sobre el ambiente, al mismo tiempo que impulsan la toma de decisiones éticas y políticas para cambiarlos.

Applying Ecomusicology to Foreign Language Education

This paper examines ecomusicology from the perspective of foreign language education. As a relatively new field of research, ecomusicology can generally be described as an interdisciplinary field of study focusing on topics related to the environment, music, and culture. Due to its interdisciplinary nature, it offers new research directions for foreign language education, mostly within the fields of eco-pedagogy and global education. To identify points of application, the variety of thematic foci examined by scholars investigating ecomusicology are identified and subsequently applied to foreign language education. The focus thereby is on four major ecomusicological publications. The outcome of the analysis of these publications is a conceptual model of ecomusicology applied to foreign language education on four domains: 1) musicians, 2) music artefacts, 3) music in action, and 4) the environment. Given the current lack of research into the potential of ecomusicology for foreign language education, this paper therefore aims to fill a research gap. Reasons for integrating theoretical considerations in ecomusicology are discussed from the perspective of foreign language teaching and learning and thus conceptualised for a practical application. An example that focuses on the analysis of eco-songs through a categorised list of questions based on the four ecomusicological domains illustrates how the conceptual model can be applied in practice and serve as a pool of ideas for teaching activities.