The Climate Connection

Sep 14 2021 40

The Climate Connection Podcast artwork

The Climate Connection (#TheClimateConnection) is a new podcast series from the British Council which explores the relationship between the climate crisis and language education. Across the ten episodes, we’ll hear from a wide range of leading practitioners working in the sector – teachers, trainers, researchers, publishers and authors. We’ll travel from Colombia to China, Moldova to Mali, and Palestine to Poland in our quest to share what’s happening at the cutting edge of climate action in language education. In partnership with the Oxford English Dictionary, we’ll also learn more about the origins of climate-related language, in both English and other languages. Visit https://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/professional-development/podcast for more information and additional content.

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Future perfect

Sep 14 2021 40 mins

In our final episode, we draw together some of the main themes of this series and explore how language learning and the climate crisis should not be looked at in isolation, but rather how they are related to wider social justice issues. Renowned language expert Suzanne Romaine discusses some of her recent research into language and sustainable development, and the links between the

Environmental writes

Aug 31 2021 48 mins

In episode 9 we explore how the global climate crisis is represented in English language textbooks. From the practitioner side, the teacher, researcher and textbook writer George Jacobs explores how the climate crisis can successfully be integrated into language learning, so as to engage and inspire learners. From the publisher side, Andrew Robinson from National Geographic Learnin

Present tense

Aug 17 2021 47 mins

Anxiety about the climate is a serious and growing problem, in particular amongst young people. In Episode 8, Caroline Hickman from the Climate Psychology Alliance explores this phenomenon. She discusses how eco anxiety emerges, how it can affect learning, how it can be managed, and how language can act as a ‘safe space’ where these anxieties can be addressed. In From the Field

Natural language

Aug 03 2021 50 mins

Episode 7 is all about how language shapes our environment and how the environment shapes our language. In exploring this topic, we talk to two renowned academics working in this field. Firstly, we talk to Arran Stibbe, who guides us through the world of ecolinguistics, looking at how language choices really do matter with regards to the environment and how they can be a powerful w

Global Schooling

Jul 20 2021 51 mins

The focus of episode 6 is on educational institutions themselves, and what they can do to promote climate literacy. Our first guest is Asha Alexander, the dynamic principal of a large kindergarten in Dubai and UN climate champion who is a pioneer in climate literacy. in From the Field, we hear from Malaika, an incredible school in the Democratic Republic of Congo, which is doing al

Greenhouse classes

Jul 06 2021 48 mins

In episode 5, our attention shifts away from the ‘macro’ to focus more on the ‘micro’. In a double-length interview with Stephen Heppell, a world expert in online education and learning spaces, we explore how classrooms themselves can become more environmentally-positive spaces. He shows how small environmental changes can have a big impact on the learning experience and le

Where there’s a CLIL, there’s a way

Jun 22 2021 43 mins

Teaching materials are the focus of episode 4, specifically how we can maintain the right balance between content and language. To begin with, Aleksandra Zaparucha guides us through the world of CLIL (Content and Language Integrated Learning), a pedagogical approach which successfully combines these two components. Linda Ruas and Owain Alexander continue this conversation by talkin

Language recycling

Jun 08 2021 48 mins

Our attention in Episode 3 turns to the classroom, exploring what teaching and learning methods can effectively address the climate crisis. Scott Thornbury charts the history of ‘green pedagogy’, discussing what kind of teaching approaches are not only effective for language teaching, but are also climate positive.The importance of the outside world inside the classroom is also

Speaking youth – to power

May 25 2021 45 mins

Young people are heavily affected by the climate crisis. It is they who will have the job of cleaning up the mess left by previous generations. Episode 2 talks to two young climate activists who have already made a significant impact in this area: Jouja Maamri and Sophia Kianni. Jouja is the UK’s delegate to the G7 Youth Summit, where she covers climate policy. She talks about th

Taking the temperature

May 11 2021 45 mins

The opening episode of The Climate Connection considers what the ELT Community is already doing – and what it should be doing – about the climate crisis. The first interview is with Harry Kuchah Kuchah, President of the International Association of Teachers of English as a Foreign Language, who provides some general guidance on this issue whilst also talking specifically about