Download resource

Please enter your details to download this resource
Login
 

Enter your details to access this video

Or if you already have an account login to watch the video (if you don't you can register here).
Login
EAL parents sustainability workshop
Author: Martha Giannakaki, EAL Specialist
Download EAL children and parents sustainability workshop activity
Email share link LinkedIn share link Twitter share link Facebook share link
Approximate reading time: 2 minutes

As teachers, we recognise that meaningful home-school communication is essential for establishing school practices and instilling positive life values that will guide our learners throughout their lives. Environmental awareness is an area of particular significance when it comes to cultivating life values, and as educators we share the responsibility of educating all of our learners to respect the environment and adopt environmentally-friendly habits for life. This article explores how to successfully introduce the concepts of sustainability and recycling into your teaching and school values.

More about parental involvement

Diverse cultural backgrounds

Coming from diverse cultural backgrounds, multilingual families may not necessarily share the same perspective or level of environmental awareness. However, as environmentally-friendly initiatives require collective effort, inclusion of all families in school-based environmental practices becomes an absolute priority if we wish for these initiatives to be successful.

Ideas for parental engagement

Let's see how inclusion and EAL family engagement can be promoted and implemented creatively:

  1. Provide multilingual, translated recycling and sustainability family guides to ensure understanding and limit the possibility of a language barrier in communication. Supporting these guides with visuals or infographics is also important and can help bridge communication gaps.
  2. Organise practical sustainability workshops. During these sessions, teachers, parents, and children can participate in creative projects showcasing recycling practices, such as sorting waste, sharing ideas on how to reduce waste, and how to reuse old objects creatively. You can download an engaging sustainability activity idea for EAL children and their parents by clicking on the download button at the top and bottom of this page.
  3. Assign relevant homework and encourage parents to spend time with their children working on visual or bilingual posters (for example, create a poster about recyclable and non-recyclable items using your home language).
  4. Create opportunities to share environmental practices across different cultures, including visual prompts (for example, class discussions through visual aids, classroom displays, and inviting families to discuss / report on recycling practices in their country of origin).
  5. Encourage students to teach their parents about recycling and sustainable practices, to reinforce learning and promote family engagement.

Summary

By using inclusive approaches and creating multiple opportunities for family engagement, schools can successfully promote recycling and sustainability practices to EAL parents and ensure their participation in environmental initiatives and long-term impact for future generations. Make sure to check out the resource accompanying this article for a great child-parent sustainability activity idea, including preparation and a step-by-step guide, by clicking on the button at the top and bottom of this page.

Download EAL children and parents sustainability workshop activity
Email share link LinkedIn share link Twitter share link Facebook share link

More articles by this author

Computer and AI illustration

Four fun ways to improve your English using AI technology

Created: Fri 20th Dec 2024

AI technology can offer adult learners of English or multilingual families a supportive, fun and engaging environment in which to learn and practise their English. Schools can play an instrumental role in guiding those families through this process and therefore home-school collaboration is always encouraged. Let’s look at four different ideas for school staff to encourage their multilingual families to engage in an enjoyable language learning experience through AI. 

ESOL learners using their first language (L1) in class

Using students' first languages in the ESOL classroom

Created: Mon 3rd Feb 2025

Immersion in the new language and regular practice are fundamental aspects of fluency development in second language acquisition and instruction. However, there is much discussion on the benefits of using learners’ first language (L1) in language lessons (Cummings, 2007). This article explores some of the main benefits of incorporating students’ L1 in ESOL instruction as well as some practical ideas for activities that could be used for this purpose.

an exercise book, a pencil and some colourful letters

Supporting EAL learners in the classroom

Created: Tue 4th Jul 2023

Our EAL learners are by no means a homogeneous group of learners and their needs in our classroom will vary to a considerable extent. As teachers may find it challenging at times to successfully cater to different EAL needs in class, developing a deeper understanding of those needs can help us address them more effectively through a number of tips and strategies. 

Back to Blog