The Reciprocal Relationship between Climate Change Education and the TESOL Classroom

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As our global carbon footprint increases, knowledge and awareness about the dangers climate change poses to us and our posterity have become more urgent than ever. Yet despite this, even in Japan where people are aware of the issue, attitudes toward climate change as an individual problem rather than a global one are limited, and portions of individuals' consumption habits are trending toward increased energy expenditure, especially through increased meat consumption. At the same time, Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) is experiencing a shift toward incorporating more content-based instruction through global issues coursework and content and language integrated learning. As such, education about climate change is an ideal match for these courses, as students learn a combination of language, academic skills such as research, discussions, and presentations, key climate knowledge, and methods for making individual sustainable lifestyle changes toward realizing their roles as global citizens. This paper makes the case for increased climate change education in TESOL courses borne out of the urgency of the issue and observes coursework at the author’s and global colleagues’ institutions for how they promote linguistic and academic skill building in addition to critical knowledge and action toward future climate sustainability.

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