Speaker
Description
Addressing climate change is a global priority that requires integration into various educational disciplines, including English language teaching (ELT). This presentation explores practical strategies to incorporate environmental education into English classes at the upper secondary school level in Vietnam, especially in suburban schools with limited facilities. Through task-based and project-based learning, students participate in meaningful activities such as writing Haiku poems on environmental topics, designing posters on climate action, creating recycled products from eggshells and plastic bottles, producing videos, and engaging in group presentations about sustainable lifestyles. These activities not only enhance students’ language competencies but also raise their environmental awareness and creativity.
The presentation will showcase sample lesson plans, student products, and students’ verbal feedback and observable engagement during implementation, demonstrating how such activities can align with Vietnam’s national general education curriculum. Importantly, the strategies ensure that essential language goals are achieved within the 45-minute time frame of a standard lesson. Participants will leave with adaptable ideas to integrate environmental topics and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) into their own English classrooms effectively.
Biography
Dang Thi Thanh Nga is an English teacher at My Duc A High School in My Duc District, Hanoi, Vietnam. Working in a suburban public school with limited teaching facilities, she continually seeks creative approaches to make English lessons engaging and meaningful—particularly through integrating environmental and climate change education.
Despite challenges such as a lack of multimedia equipment, teaching aids, and internet access, Nga effectively implements task-based and project-based learning in her classroom. Her students take part in hands-on activities such as writing Haiku poems on environmental topics, designing posters, creating recycled art from eggshells and plastic bottles, and producing short videos using basic tools. These projects help build both language proficiency and environmental awareness, all within the 45-minute lesson framework.
Her teaching approach aligns with the General Education Program 2018, demonstrating that sustainability education can be embedded meaningfully into ELT. In 2024, she received the “Impressive Candidate” award in the “Spark Your Idea” competition organized by VietTESOL and the British Council for her Haiku-based lesson idea She also delivered a model lesson for English teachers in her district, demonstrating effective application of the 2018 national curriculum.
At VIC 2025, Nga hopes to share practical, adaptable strategies for integrating sustainability into ELT in public schools and to encourage fellow educators to nurture global citizenship through language learning.
