Integrating the Sustainable Development Goals in an EFL course for pre-service teachers

 

Juan Carlos Casañ-Núñez

Assoc. Prof. Dr., TALIS research group, Department of Language and Literature Education, University of Valencia, SPAIN, juan.casan@uv.es

 

Abstract

Pre-service teachers must become familiar with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UNSDGs), as they will be responsible for educating ensuing generations in the culture of sustainability. Foreign language for teachers: English is a compulsory four-month subject (6 ECTS) taught in the first academic year of the Degrees in Primary School Education and Preschool Education at the University of Valencia (Spain). This presentation describes the implementation and the outcomes of a pedagogical unit with a focus on the SDGs. The participants were 91 pre-service teachers enrolled on the course Foreign language for teachers: English (two groups) in the academic year 2021/2022. The main aims of the pedagogical unit were to become familiar with the SDGs, to reflect on the role of teachers in achieving the SDGs, to design pedagogical sequences for preschool or primary school education students incorporating one or several SDGs and one interactive multimedia activity (H5P), and to improve students’ level of communicative competence in English. Overall, the learning situation was a success because pre-service teachers became involved in the activities, passed the tasks associated with a grade, and were able to design or adapt materials with the perspective of sustainability. In a survey at the end of the course, the majority indicated that they think it is essential to carry out activities related to the SDGs in the course.

Keywords: teacher education, Sustainable Development Goals, English as a foreign language, H5P

Acknowledgements: This work is part of the R+D+i project (CIGE/2021/131) funded by the Conselleria d’Innovació, Universitats, Ciència i Societat Digital (https://ci5ods.blogs.uv.es/).