Green Trends in ELT : Climate Change and Communication in ESP Classrooms

This paper documents an action research conducted in an Indian classroom, using the Social Emotional Learning (SEL) framework, in which the teacher‐researcher incorporated aspects of climate action into the ESP course plan. The participants of this classroom research were 60 Engineering students of a private university in India. The study was based on two research questions: what are the possible ways in which an ESP syllabus may embed aspects of climate action? and what are the impacts of the “green lessons” the learners received? Tasks oriented towards developing language and communication skills also focused on environmental challenges and the learners worked in groups to identify issues and solutions at micro level. The findings of the study indicated that incorporating eco perspectives in language classrooms can result in learners being responsive towards climate change, focusing on sustainable practices along with enhancing their linguistic and communication skills. The study also found that similar teaching‐learning practices develop critical inquiry and other 21st century skills which further provide holistic development of the individuals.