Associate Professor of the English Philology Department Iryna Bilianska participated in a 6-day summer training course for English teachers titled “Teaching for a Changing World: Thinking Critically to Take on Climate Change,” held in Siófok, Hungary, from July 7 to 12, 2024. This international event was organized by TESOL-Hungary and the Regional English Language Office US State Department bringing together 60 educators from Hungary, Moldova, Romania, and Ukraine.
The main focus of the course was on teaching methods that can be integrated into the English language learning process to help students understand climate change and prepare them for the challenges associated with global environmental issues. The course included interactive sessions on eco-media and visual literacy, ecological identity, eco-anxiety, eco-writing, CLIL methodology, and relevant learning experience activities, as well as social-emotional learning, teacher wellbeing, emotional intelligence, and the use of serious games in education. The training was conducted by highly qualified instructors from the U.S. (Lori Edmonds, Jeff Share, Bill Robb) and Hungary (Nora Nemeth Tartsay).
During the training, participants worked in groups to create projects aimed at increasing environmental awareness among students. The Ukrainian educators developed a particularly interesting project titled “Stop Ecocide in Ukraine” to raise awareness among foreign colleagues about the serious environmental issues caused by the war and to encourage them to consider how ecocide in Ukraine affects global climate change. Iryna Bilianska’s participation in this professional development course will help her implement new teaching methods in her pedagogical practice at the English Philology Department, allowing students to gain a deeper understanding of global environmental challenges and actively engage in addressing them.