One of the goals of Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) is encouraging people to recognize their role in addressing social problems, and “empowering and mobilizing youth” was identified as a priority action area within the implementation plan for ESD in Japan (MEXT, 2021). In the field of language education, the emergence of global education aims to help students “acquire a foreign language while empowering them with the knowledge, skills, and commitment required by world citizens to solve global problems” (Cates, 2022). Within this educational context, a six-week project introducing the theme of activism to 31 Japanese university students was undertaken. The project began by offering a working definition of activism before introducing different forms of activism. Examples of activists working to address social problems including climate change, food waste, and the legal recognition of same-sex marriage were then presented. Finally, students conducted their own research and gave short presentations on activism within their area of interest. A short survey consisting of open-ended questions exploring students’ existing knowledge of and thoughts about activism and activists was administered before and after the project. The survey results indicated that students previously knew very little about activism, wanted to learn more about this topic and adopted a more positive view towards activism after the project. This presentation will outline the lesson content, the survey results and the critical reflection undertaken throughout the project. Student feedback and teacher reflection on this project will be used to identify future improvements.

Authors:
Amy Toms, Fukuoka Women's University, Japan

About the Presenter(s)
Amy's research interests include gender awareness in language education, reflective practice, and psychological factors influencing language learning.

See this presentation on the full schedule – Monday Schedule

Bookmark