Kaliampos, Joannis; Kohl, Martina (2020):
"“I Think They Are Irresponsible”: Teaching Sustainability with (Counter)Narratives in the EFL Classroom." Digital Pedagogy in American Studies. Eds. Gessner, Ingrid; Küchler, Uwe. Special issue of American Studies Journal .706.
Journal Article
Abstract

This article outlines the conceptual perspective of Going Green that includes the aspects of (a) teaching ‘publics,’ (b) countering expectations and misconceptions, (c) raising awareness of counter-narratives, and (d) expanding the knowledge base of the target culture (sustainable policies in the US). These components together facilitate learning objectives beyond interactional and communicative competencies by promoting learner agency and community-based actions. Attitudinal data drawn from the last two project cycles (2016–17, 2017–18) reflect a heterogeneous view of learners’ expectations and understandings regarding sustainable policies in the US and Germany. Finally, we investigate how narratives and counter-narratives of sustainable development on both sides of the Atlantic can be exploited in the technology-enhanced foreign language classroom in order to facilitate the aforementioned goals.