While picking up foreign languages teenagers all over the world are directly (or indirectly) confronted with environmental issues.
Ecological matters and problems are not only presented and discussed in non-fictional but also in fictional texts, a clear hint at their relevance. It is here where personal interests, experience and expectations often meet with a high emotional energy which supports language learning.
The use of environmental issues in teenage fiction can be regarded to be a positive by-¬product of reading in the sense of a further motivation or a challenge to reflect fixed and traditional attitudes.
One consequence from this is what some critics consider to be 'ethic thinking' or an 'option of kids' participation of their own opinions, attitudes or value systems' all of which are focused on something which is seen as environmental learning in the widest sense of the word (see movement Fridays For Future started by Greta Thunberg).
Books for early learners can be seen as starting points for this development and the confrontation with these problems in teenage fiction is one form of introduction into ecological learning.
Pupils between 12 and 13 years of age already dispose of an attitude in connection to environmental issues and to discover, discuss and present them in a literary Canadian context can be considered to be a further motivation for their future reading habits.
To choose a book set in the region of the Vancouver Islands is based against this background. The work will be done with the help of several projects which accompany the analysis of The Secret of Whispering Island simply because of the higher motivation for the students involved. The work will first be done in individual web quest work which is accompanied by group work and an exchange of selected material. The projects themselves are based on given questions (2 - 3) which should help students to focus on specific matters.
It is also important to leave it open to students what the output of their results will look like. The range here includes posters for presentations, power point presentations, essays, newspaper articles or the option of a website. In short students here should / could be creative.
Inhaltsverzeichnis (Table of Contents)
- The condition of teaching English
- Environmental learning as (a neglected) part of language learning? A short survey
- Chances and challenges of eco-didactics within foreign learning
- Eco-didactics - a future concept of teaching ecology?
- Intercultural learning as part of eco-didactics
- Canada and its ecological background for foreign students
- The Secret of Whispering Island (2008) - a first introduction into environmental learning. Structure of the course
- Outlook
Zielsetzung und Themenschwerpunkte (Objectives and Key Themes)
This project explores the potential of Canadian teenage fiction to promote environmental learning among German students. It examines the role of ecological matters in both non-fictional and fictional texts, highlighting the relevance of these issues in shaping personal opinions and attitudes. The study emphasizes the effectiveness of incorporating environmental themes in literature as a motivating factor for language learning and a tool for challenging established perspectives.
- The role of environmental issues in teenage fiction
- The potential of fiction to foster environmental learning
- The impact of environmental themes on language learning motivation
- The use of Canadian literature as a tool for intercultural learning
- The importance of engaging with environmental issues through a Canadian context
Zusammenfassung der Kapitel (Chapter Summaries)
- This chapter discusses the current state of English teaching and its potential for incorporating environmental themes. It explores the challenges and opportunities associated with integrating environmental learning into language education.
- This chapter examines the role of environmental learning in language acquisition, highlighting its significance as a neglected aspect of traditional language learning methodologies.
- This chapter delves into the potential and difficulties of integrating eco-didactics within foreign language instruction. It explores the challenges and possibilities of incorporating ecological concepts into language learning programs.
- This chapter explores the concept of eco-didactics as a potential future approach to teaching ecology. It examines the benefits and challenges of using eco-didactics as a pedagogical framework for environmental education.
- This chapter examines the relationship between intercultural learning and eco-didactics, emphasizing the interconnectedness of these concepts. It explores how intercultural learning can contribute to a deeper understanding of environmental issues.
- This chapter explores Canada's ecological background and its relevance for foreign students. It highlights the importance of engaging with Canadian environmental issues as a way to foster intercultural understanding and environmental awareness.
- This chapter provides a detailed analysis of Hamida Aziz's novel The Secret of Whispering Island as a potential tool for introducing environmental learning to German students. It outlines the structure of the course designed around this novel and explores its effectiveness in facilitating environmental learning.
Schlüsselwörter (Keywords)
This project focuses on the intersection of environmental learning, Canadian literature, and language education. Key concepts include eco-didactics, intercultural learning, teenage fiction, environmental issues, and the use of literature as a tool for promoting awareness and understanding. The study also highlights the importance of engaging with ecological matters within a Canadian context to foster environmental awareness and intercultural understanding.
- Citation du texte
- Dr. Matthias Dickert (Auteur), 2019, The Call of Ecology in Canadian Teenage Fiction. A Project for School, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/490160
