Dr Albert P’Rayan is an academic, English Language Teaching (ELT) professional, teacher trainer, media critic, and education columnist. With over 25 years of experience in tertiary education in India and abroad, he brings a wealth of knowledge to his work.  As an education columnist, he contributes to The New Indian Express, The Hindu, and several other publications. Dr Rayan served as the editor of the Journal of ELT, published by the English Language Teachers’ Association of India (ELTAI), for three years. Email: rayanal@yahoo.co.uk 

Alan Maley has been a regular contributor to HLT Mag for many years.  He is now retired after a 60+ year career in English Language Teaching, most of which was spent living and working outside UK - in Yugoslavia, Ghana, Italy, France, China, India, Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia and Vietnam.  He is a past President of IATEFL and has published over 60 books and numerous articles.  His main interests are in creative writing (he helps run an international creative writing group 'Worlds into Words') and in Eco-issues for language teachers. Email: yelamoo@yahoo.co.uk

 

Background

" This interview was set up by Albert P'Rayan, a journalist and educator based in Chennai (formerly Madras),  south India.  He has kindly given his permission for HLT Mag to use the entirety of the interview.  He published an edited version of the interview in The Hindu newspaper's Education Plus column on 3 June 2024, titled 'Be Climate Aware'.  "

In your recent email, you mentioned that Humanizing Language Teaching magazine (www.hltmag.co.uk) has introduced a new section called Eco Issues. What is the rationale behind including a section on eco issues in a language magazine for English teachers?

The introduction of a special section devoted to Eco-Issues is in response to the global catastrophe already unfolding.  There can no longer be any doubt that climate change and its consequences are the result of human agency.  And this is no remote future scenario – it is happening right now, and is worsening far more quickly than anyone ever imagined.  The reason for bringing it to the attention of teachers (in this case language teachers) is that teachers have immense influence on their students.  You have only to think back to your own educational experiences to recall teachers who had a profound influence on your thinking, your beliefs and your world view.  By encouraging teachers to integrate eco-issues into their teaching, there is a strong possibility they can change students’ mindsets – and eventually, their behaviours and lifestyles – towards more eco-friendly action.

Many perceive climate change as a complex issue primarily addressed by policymakers across nations.  Even teachers think that climate crisis is a question of politics.  How can ordinary individuals, particularly educators, contribute to addressing this issue?

Of course, climate change is complex.  Far too complex and urgent to leave it to our politicians, who have so far demonstrated their ineptitude, unwillingness and lack of courage to deal with an issue which calls into question the continuing existence of the human species on this planet.  And it is pointless to say that ordinary individuals, still less teachers, can do nothing.  As Edward Everett Hale wrote back in 1822:

“I am only one; but still I am one. I cannot do everything; but still I can do something; and because I cannot do everything, I will not refuse to do the something that I can do.”

‘No one is too small to make a difference.’ As Greta Thunberg reminds us.

Climate change education (CCE) entails teaching people about the science, causes, impacts, and solutions related to climate change. Do you believe language teachers can effectively engage in CCE? Shouldn't they possess expertise in this field?

My argument is that, in order to engage in effective action, language teachers (in fact, all teachers) need to become inspired and well-informed about the issues affecting our climate.  There is now abundant, highly-accessible material available in the form of popular songs, video games, films/ DVDs, TED talks, cartoons, plays, novels, biographies of eco-warriors, etc.  On the more serious side, there is a plethora of organisations in the field, such as Climate Justice, Extinction Rebellion, Greenpeace, Friends of the Earth, Global Justice Now, etc. all of which offer access to information.  And a whole library of books on the issues involved, such as Berners-Lee’s ‘There is no Planet B’ or Wallace-Webb’s ‘The Uninhabitable Earth’ – and many, many more.  And increasingly, there are teaching materials focussing on precisely these issues.  The British Council has brought out ‘Climate resources for school teachers’ (2022).  ELT Footprint is an invaluable resource.  And Green Standard Schools offers both a school accreditation scheme and teaching materials.  To mention just a few.

How can global organizations or associations of teachers of English, such as the International Association of Teachers of English as a Foreign Language (IATEFL) and Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) International Association proactively address climate change?  

One of the best examples of how this can be done is offered by the GILE special interest group of JALT (Japan Association of Language Teachers) which has been in operation for over 30 years now.  Its quarterly newsletter offers teachers copious information and advice.  Other teachers’ associations have set up special interest groups for Global Issues, including KoreaTESOL’s Environmental Justice Group, IATEFL’s Global Issues Special Interest Group, and TESOL’s Interest Section on Social Responsibility and the Professional Learning Network on Environmental Responsibility.  IATEFL has just announced it will be giving Eco-issues a more central place, and a working group is being set up.  So things are on the move.

What training is necessary for English language teachers to effectively discuss climate change in the classroom? In other words, how can teachers adequately prepare themselves?

As things stand, the responsibility for informing and equipping themselves lies mainly with the teachers themselves.  Perhaps in future, such matter will find its way into syllabuses.  What I would suggest to get started are the following: 

~ find a source of information : the articles in HLT Mag cited above are one place to start, as is ELT Footprint (https://eltfootprint.org/ )  Once you make a start, your search will lead you to more sources and resources. “The journey of 1000 li starts with the first step.”

~ find some existing teaching materials, such as those put out by the British Council’s Teaching English department, or those from Green Standard Schools.  Try some of the activities with your classes.

~ join forces with other teachers who share your concerns, either informally or as part of a teacher’s association.  And make your concerns felt so that the association undertakes eco -initiatives.

Is merely including eco-focused content in textbooks and teaching it to students sufficient? Or should teachers go beyond the textbook? If so, how?

The eco-related material in textbooks tends to be sketchy and superficial, and is often relegated to the end of the book, which students rarely get to!  Publishers have many reasons to be careful with what they publish, though there are some signs that change is on the way.  So I would certainly recommend going beyond what the textbook contains (if anything).  I have suggested some of the existing resources above.

Alan, as an English language teaching (ELT) professional with a focus on creativity in ELT, you've given talks and authored works on using creative activities in language learning. How can English teachers incorporate climate change education creatively?

It can be done in many ways.  For example, by setting up simple projects which students can carry out in their own environment – such as surveys of consumption of various kinds: energy, water, waste disposal, etc.  Or, as in my own case, by incorporating it into creative writing work, leading to graphic displays, small publications and even performances of student work.

Can you explain straightforwardly how climate change education can be integrated into educational institutions?

The short answer is that I cannot.  Institutions vary widely in their stance regarding eco-issues.  I know of some where many independent initiatives have been undertaken, such as organising workshops and webinars for teachers, producing their own eco-related materials, etc.  And others where change of any kind is resisted.  Institutions in general are reluctant to introduce any kind of change which rocks the boat.  But individual teachers do have a degree of autonomy, which they can use judiciously, depending on their particular context.

Language teachers are expected to possess proficiency in their target language and demonstrate effective teaching methodologies when being recruited. Do you believe it's also crucial to consider a teacher's awareness of and interest in climate issues, as well as their ability to engage with complex real-world problems? Would prioritizing these factors lead educational institutions astray?

One of the great advantages of teaching a language is that there is no fixed content required.  If you teach mathematics, then your content is circumscribed.  Likewise if you teach history or physics – or any of the content-heavy subjects.  But this does not apply to teaching languages: any and all topics are up for grabs.  So eco-issues can easily replace other more anodyne content in language courses.  And such content does not require any new methodological re-orientation: the methodology can remain the same even if the content changes.  So, if anything, the introduction of this kind of content – partly because it is such an urgent matter of our survival as a species, especially for younger generations – is more engaging than the sometimes trivial matter they usually encounter in their textbooks.  Far from leading institutions astray, I believe it would put them on the right track!

Teachers who discuss global issues are sometimes labelled as 'activists,' which carries negative connotations in certain countries. What is your perspective on this labelling?

Different countries and cultures differ greatly in the degree of respect accorded to ‘authority’.  So in some places there is a degree of risk attached to becoming perceived as an ‘activist’.  Teachers clearly have to be judicious and sensitive to local sensibilities in the degree to which they engage with these issues.  However, there is no need to become an activist in the sense of the Greta Thunberg ‘Extinction rebellion’ direct public action.  There are quieter ways to make a difference.  And increasingly, I predict that even the most resistant institutional forces will realise that action has to be taken if we are not to suffer the most unthinkable disasters – and possible annihilation.

As a creative writer and poet, what steps have you taken to raise awareness among English language teachers about climate issues?

Well, I was the founder of the IATEFL Global Issues Special Interest group (GISIG) and have successfully lobbied IATEFL to make public its support for greater eco-related teacher activities.  I have also engaged with HLT Mag and persuaded them (they needed no persuasion in fact) to set up the new Eco-Issues section of the webzine.  I take every opportunity to extend awareness of the urgency of our predicament through webinars, conference presentations and articles.  For example, in May I will be presenting on these issues at a web event for Pavilion publishers, and in June at the MATSDA (Materials Development Association) conference in Lisbon, followed by a chapter in a book.  In terms of creative writing, I oversaw the publication of a collection of poems on eco-issues in 2022, titled “What Have We Done”.  And I help coordinate an international writing group called “Worlds into Words”, with members from 26 countries, which has as part of its mission statement a commitment to social and environmental justice.  We will be publishing a new collection on eco-justice later this year.  So, even though I am only one – I am one!  And fortunately there are increasing numbers of teachers who share my concerns.

Do you believe that language teachers will play a constructive role in humanity's fight against climate change?  

It would be both a tragedy and a source of enduring shame if teachers failed to use their enormous power of influence to change the mind-sets and life-styles of those most vulnerable to the impending implosion of the eco-sphere.  But I am an optimist.  “Nothing is inevitable until it happens.”  AJP Taylor.

We can all do something, however small, to make a difference.  We can act as individuals to change our mind-set and our habits of consumption.  But we can also act in cooperation with others – in families, local communities, schools, teacher associations and even through local, national and international bodies.  It is surely better to try and fail than not to try at all.

“I have a tendency to prefer failure to avoidance.”   Christophe Andre

but remember,

“If you want to walk on water, you’ve got to get out of the boat.” John Ortberg

 

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