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As environmental protection becomes a global issue, a new term —"Green EFL" is working its way into our vocabulary.
What does it mean The Project in the English Country School in southern England gives you some idea and shows how environment protection and language teaching can be combined together.
In this school, there are projects on the classification of trees and their leaves, on insects and other invertebrates, pond and river life, flowers and hedgerows. There are air pollution surveys, litter surveys, recycling projects, acid rain surveys, farm visits, countryside walks, sculptures and collages created from natural materials.
It is all backed up in the classroom with EFL materials about the environment-the rain forests, biological diversity, global warming —and with materials which concentrate on the students’ immediate environment under the general heading of "Health": smoking, alcohol and drug abuse, diet and exercise.
For example, the topic of pollution will involve the students searching the local environment to find out what has been thrown away. This is then classified according to the type of material found and whether it is recyclable or not.
The students follow instructions to set up simple experiments to detect air and water pollution, They investigate mosses and lichens, looking up their findings in field guides, to determine the number and quality of species. They compare and collate their findings, producing diagrams, writing up their results and drawing conclusions. They then practise language work on topics such as the Greenhouse Effect and Global Warming.
How do the students benefit from this In common with all project work, learner autonomy, co-operation and motivation is fostered. The language practice takes place in a natural and enjoyable setting. As a result the students develop an appreciation of and an alertness and sensitivity toward their surroundings.
Another advantage of Green EFL is that the environment is a global issue: What happens in one country affects what happens in another. The environment thus spans borders and cultures. We can teach the language, English, through the environment, without teaching "Englishness", or "Americanness," or whatever other cultural values we might accidentally or deliberately put across to our students.
Finally, through an understanding of the global environment, and the issues which affect it, students will be better able to meet challenges in the future.
For the teacher interested in teaching English through environmental studies, there is a surprising amount of material available. The Cambridge Advanced English exam, with its emphasis on scientific/authentic English, has encouraged authors to include texts on various environmental issues.
Sue O’connell’s "Focus on Advanced English", for example, includes a chapter called "Paradise Lost" about the rain forests; "Passport to Cambridge Advanced English" discusses the Greenhouse Effect and Global Warming; "Cambridge Advanced English" by Leo Jones, has a chapter about Greenpeace and the Antarctic; and so on. Environmental topics in Children’s EFL textbooks are also catching on. Book 3 of Collins’ "Mode" series is particularly useful.
How do students find out about water pollution