Four ways to integrate the SDGs into English language classes

As language teachers, we have the potential to profoundly impact students’ worldviews, values and behaviours. Our teaching can foster critical thinking and improve language proficiency through meaningful engagement with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the ambitious objectives that seek to secure a brighter future. In weaving them into course design, we can also inspire students to develop a sense of responsibility, nurture global awareness and empower them to become active global citizens capable of addressing challenges and taking concerted action. 

The SDGs encompass engaging subject matters that can be seamlessly integrated into language instruction, offering students the opportunity to interact with topics of global significance on intellectual, academic and emotional levels. Additionally, the SDGs cover a wide range of disciplines and perspectives, allowing for an interdisciplinary approach to language teaching and learning. Students may explore and study various topics, such as environmental protection, social justice and economic development, thus experiencing a holistic learning experience that goes beyond language. 

Finally, integrating the SDGs in English language classrooms offers students the chance to develop the essential “4C” skills: communication, collaboration, creativity and critical thinking. During classes encompassing these thematic issues, they can enhance their understanding of the significance of global cooperation and cultural diversity, encouraging them to propose creative solutions to corresponding challenges.

Below are four practical activities to enable language teachers to incorporate the SDGs into their language instruction:

Group presentation

This activity facilitates students’ ability to use the target language to gather, synthesise and present topical information in a coherent manner. It also deepens their understanding of the interconnectedness of the SDGs and how each goal impacts global sustainability.

Organise the class into small groups and ask each to study a specific SDG goal. Students should conduct research on their chosen topic, understand its significance and prepare a five-minute presentation in English to demonstrate this. Monitor the groups’ progress to ensure students develop interesting openings and use the language effectively. 

• Resource collection: English as a second language in higher education
• Managing cognitive load for EAL – and all – students
• How to support multilingual international students in the classroom

Brainstorming

This activity stimulates discussion, critical thinking and idea generation while building rapport with teachers and peers. Encourage students to brainstorm ideas related to any SDG goal in pairs or small groups, emphasising their potential contributions to achieving the SDGs in their daily lives. Offer students a mind map template to record and structure their ideas and inspire creative associations. 

Poster design

Ask students to design posters that illustrate an SDG in an engaging way. Students may narrow their focus to a sub-theme (for example the gender pay gap instead of covering the broader “gender inequality theme”), using images, graphics and text to convey their understanding of the goal and devise solutions to tackle the challenge. The resulting posters can be displayed in the classroom among other students.

Curation and reflection

In this exercise, assign students a specific SDG topic and provide an array of multimodal resources including reading materials, infographics, audio resources or videos that correlate with the chosen topic. Then, ask students to seek out additional sources and perspectives, including content that piques their interest, and ask them to write reflections on their findings and thoughts, focusing on what they have learned about the SDG, how it relates to their personal or local context, and how they might help to achieve it. Students can post these on an online platform, such as Padlet, where they can share their ideas and connect with their classmates. Then, you can encourage them to read and comment on each other’s reflections, creating a forum where students can exchange ideas, ask questions and build upon one another’s insights. 

This can serve as a follow-up to in-class activities or as a stand-alone assignment for students to complete afterwards. Given the limited time in class, it functions as a bridge between the classroom and the outside world, inspiring students to continue their exploration of the SDGs in their own time.

The SDGs offer valuable learning opportunities and real-world contexts that can engage students in meaningful and impactful ways when learning English. Incorporating these activities into language classrooms not only enriches learning but also equips students with the knowledge and skills to support the attainment of the SDGs. By encouraging active participation and commitment, these activities cultivate a sense of responsibility towards global sustainability, enabling students to become advocates for change and preparing them to become informed and reliable global citizens. 

Chaonan Xu is an associate language lecturer at the English Language centre of the School of Languages at Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University.

If you would like advice and insight from academics and university staff delivered direct to your inbox each week, sign up for the Campus newsletter.