International Conference: language education for sustainable development

Glomeron, F., Bois, E., Hugon, M. & Maguin, F. (2017). Citoyenneté et développement durable : pratiques familiales et scolaires chez les adolescents. Revue internationale de l'éducation familiale, 41, 69-94. https://doi.org/10.3917/rief.041.0069
Lemarchand-Chauvin, M.-C. (2023). “EFL novice teachers’ emotions and professional development”. Language Learning Journal 51(5):621-635. DOI: 10.1080/09571736.2023.2249908
Lütge, C. (2015): "Introduction: Global Eduaction and English Language Teaching". In: Lütge, Christiane (ed.): Global Education. Perspectives for English Language Teaching. Münster: LIT, 7-16.
Rémon, J. et Privas-Bréauté V. (2023). « Identité de locuteur, identité d'enseignant : le dessin de blason comme outil de conscientisation de soi”. Recherche et pratiques pédagogiques en langues [En ligne], Vol. 42 N°1 | 2023, mis en ligne le 04 avril 2023, consulté le 09 juillet 2024. URL : http://journals.openedition.org.bibelec.univ-lyon2.fr/apliut/10564
Römhild, R. (2023). Learning languages of hope and advocacy – human rights perspectives in language education for sustainable development. Human Rights Education Review 6(1), 9-29. http://doi.org/10.7577/hrer.5192

Citizenship and climate awareness are part of the French curriculum for secondary and high schools, and for some scholars there is a pedagogical urgency to tackle the fundamental principles that allow us to live together on our planet. If we have some insight into practices of adolescents at home and at school in France (Glomeron, 2017), and how teachers are drawn to global issues worldwide (Lütge 2015), we lack insight about how EFL pre and in-service teachers in France understand sustainable development, and which resources, if any, they use. Building upon previous surveys among high school pupils showing the stereotypical nature of items coined in relation to the English-speaking world, Rémon and Privas (2023) explored what topics pre-service teachers put forward on their professional “coat of arms”, showing the absence of activism or advocacy, when it is crucial in education in general and for the language class (Römhild, 2023).
Thus we analyse how teachers understand sustainable development issues, how they declare integrating them in their practices, what their understanding of their own emotions is (Lemarchand-Chauvin, 2023) regarding these issues, and any traces of drawing on empathy with the pupils to engage them in their learning.
Our data comprises a teacher questionnaire exploring sustainability implementation, in relation to emotions and empathy ; national teacher exam topics, textbooks, and the curriculum. We argue, through thematic and discourse analysis, that if there is an awareness of sustainable development, the teachers do not appeal to an actual environmental relatedness, i.e. an empathetic consideration of the social, economic and environmental dimensions of the needs of present and future generations.
Our study is thus linked to the conference subthemes of the perception and representation of a culture of sustainability and global citizenship in the curriculum and teaching.

Marie-Claire Lemarchand-Chauvin is a lecturer in teacher education at Université de Lorraine, and member of ATILF (UL/CNRS), UMR 7118. Her research deals with novice teachers’ training, emotions and plurilingualism.
Joséphine Rémon is a lecturer in teacher education at Université Lumière Lyon2, and member of the ICAR research lab (UMR5193). Her research focuses on best moments in the classroom in relation with what triggers students' interest. She is also interested in the visualisation of research results, and digital open science.