Teaching in Challenging Circumstances

18 Using the local environment

Using the local environment enables children to develop a sense of belonging to the local community.
It helps them to develop a sense of place which in turn will develop their feelings of security.
The British Association for Early Childhood Education

The short version

1 In our busy, day-to-day lives, we often don’t see the language opportunities which are right in
front of us.
2 When using the local environment, learning can be deepened as students not only see and hear, but
touch, taste and smell.
3 Learning walks are one type of activity which enables students to engage with where they live,
and to learn.
4 Community mapping is another activity, through which students can learn more about where they
live (and each other).
5 Any activities you do should be adapted to the specific characteristics of the local area.

Introduction
1 How can the local environment be used for language learning? (If you haven’t looked at
Chapter 17 already, you might benefit from reading it before moving on to this chapter.)
2 Look at the photos below. How might you use these environments to teach language?

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 Teaching language without textbooks

Learning and the local environment

In Teaching Without Textbooks, Edward John Wade describes how, as a volunteer teacher in
1963 he was recruited to start up, alone, an Australian government primary school deep in the
rainforests of New Guinea. Having lost the few materials he had in an accident, he describes
how, impelled by the children’s needs and interests, he covered the primary school curriculum by
working from what was immediately available. ‘I asked the children to show me what they wanted
to know about, and gradually introduced English through their responses. …We did our math and
science in the bush by estimating how many kernels we could get from an ear of corn. We checked
with the villagers where and how far apart we should plant them, and how big an area we would
need to clear …’ and so on.
When he finally saw a copy of the primary school syllabus, he was gratified to find that he had
‘covered’ just about every item listed. ‘So I put the syllabus away and continued as I had been
doing.’ Out of this experience, Wade evolved a textbook-free pedagogy that, he maintains, ‘not only
empowers your learners, it also makes the teacher’s job in the classroom a lot more fun and much
easier’. In a sense, Wade had replaced teaching material with learning material.
The importance of using the local environment for language learning has already been outlined in
Chapter 17. This chapter looks specifically at four activity ideas which use the local environment to
promote language learning.
Clearly, your location plays a significant role in how you use the local environment in your
teaching. As such, some of the activities may be inappropriate, or else you may need to adapt them for
your circumstances.

Note
If and when you go outside of the classroom, make sure students are safe. Take all necessary
precautions. You may need to get the permission of parents, and you should tell colleagues at your
school what you are doing, so they know where you are, and when you should return.

18.1 Learning walk (general)

When we know an area very well, often we don’t see what is really there. Everything is so
familiar that we don’t notice the small things. Taking students on a learning walk, therefore, is a
way of connecting them with their local environment. It also provides many language learning
opportunities. Walking has been described as ‘the most fundamental pedagogy known to humans’
(Jickling et al., 2018).
When going on learning walks, look for ‘objects of interest’ which could be used for language
learning. Depending on where you live, these ‘objects of interest’ will be very different. You should be
responsive to the situation, reacting to whatever the students show an interest in.
An example condensed transcript of a learning walk is given below, between a teacher (T) and
her students (S1, S2, S3, etc.). Wherever possible, you should use the target language – but move
into L1 as and when necessary. Interesting and relevant pedagogical choices by the teacher are
labelled and explored after the transcript.

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 Teaching in Challenging Circumstances

T: What is this called in English?

S1: A tree.

T: Good. Everyone say ‘tree’.

T drills the word ‘tree’. 1

T: (pointing at a tree) What’s this?

SS: Tree.

T: (holding up three fingers) What’s this?

SS: Three.

The teacher points at the tree then her three fingers a few times.

T: Ok, you have one minute to touch as many trees as you can. 2 Every time you touch one, shout ‘tree’.
The students do this activity.

T: How many did you touch? 3

The students shout out various numbers.

T: Ok, what words can we use to describe a tree? 4

S2: Brown.

S3: Green.

S4: (says words for ‘hard’ in L1 )

T: Does anyone know this word in English? (waits) ‘Hard’.

SS: Hard.

S5: Tall.

S3: No, not tall. 5

T: Why not?

S3: Some trees are tall.

T: That’s right, they can be tall, but when they are young they might be quite short. Okay, now draw a tree in
your book and label it. 6 If you don’t know some of the words, ask a friend. If they don’t know, ask me.

The students complete the activity.

T: Ok, so why are trees useful? What do we use them for? 7

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 Teaching language without textbooks

1  Pronunciation skills development: After teaching tree, she contrasts its pronunciation with its
minimal pair three.

2  Physical activity: She gets the students to touch the trees and say the word – an example of
Total Physical Response (see Chapter 12). This will deepen the students’ ability to remember
the word, and also energizes them.

3  Student feedback on activity: She asks the students how many trees they touched, but note
that she doesn’t declare a winner. Doing so might lead to an argument, cheating and disruption.
It would also be time-consuming. Instead, she moves on quickly to the next activity.

4  Eliciting what students already know: She asks students to say words they know which can
describe a tree, getting them to think critically. Note that she also encourages students to use
their L1 (for hard) when they don’t know the word in English.

5  Peer feedback: One student challenges the use of tall. The teacher encourages this discussion,
but also acts as the referee.

6  Recording the learning: Students write down what they want to remember, bringing together
what has been discussed.

7  Linking to other subjects: At the end, she opens up the discussion, and could link to areas such
as geography, science, the environment, etc.

18.2 Learning walk (specific)

Building on the same idea, you can also give students specific tasks to do on a learning walk.

ACTIVITY: Learning walk

1 Divide the class into groups of about four students. Present a random list of ten adjectives (e.g.
small, narrow, oval).
2 Check students understand the meaning of these words.
3 In groups of four, students must go outside and find objects which can be described using these
adjectives (e.g. small = stone; narrow = river; oval = egg). If they can, they should bring them back
to the classroom (or a photo, if they have mobile phones). Give a specific time limit
(e.g. 10 minutes).
4 Groups share their combinations with each other (i.e. small stone, narrow river, oval egg). Note
that there may be disagreement, especially related to opinion adjectives.
5 Take class feedback.

Variations
Useful categories / adjectives which you could use include:
• colours: red, green, orange, red, black, white, bright, dark, pale;
• shape: square, rectangular, circular, triangular, oval;
• size: big, small, huge, tiny;

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 Teaching in Challenging Circumstances

• general description: beautiful, young, old;

• physical attributes: long, short, tall, narrow, straight, wide, high, fat, thin;
• opinion: good, bad, important, interesting.

18.3 Community mapping

Most maps use a specific set of categories, and record information in a uniform way. In so doing, they
often ignore local knowledge, experience and priorities. A map created informally by a community
can look very different from the ‘official’ version. Whilst the final creation can be an important object,
the process of creating the map can also be extremely valuable and empowering.
Throughout this activity, students should try and use as much target language as possible. Your role is
to monitor, and provide additional language as needed.

ACTIVITY: Community map

1 Explain to students what a community map is.
2 Students work in groups of two or three. They discuss (and write down) what they think should be
in a map of their community.
3 Combine two groups together. This larger group of four or six share their ideas, and agree on what
they should include on their community map. They then draw this map.
4 Each group shares or displays their map with the rest of the class. Students should look, in
particular, at the different things which each focuses on. If possible, also compare it to an official
map of the area.

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 Teaching language without textbooks

The community map which you create can be a useful tool for organizing field trips. Field trips offer
many language learning opportunities, especially when students find the places interesting. Particular
places in your local area which might be good places for a field trip include: artist studios, carpentry
workshops, factories, galleries, garages, government buildings, museums, parks, religious buildings,
shops, sporting venues, or universities.

Note
This kind of map may have other practical benefits, for example regarding natural disasters –
e.g. noting high points, safe spaces, medical professionals, communication sites.

18.4 Listen to the world

This listening and speaking activity is another way students can engage with their local
environment.

ACTIVITY: Listen to the world

1 All the students get up and go outside. They should take a pencil and some paper. They walk
around wherever they like for five minutes.
2 As they are walking, they should write down all the sounds they hear (e.g. I heard a dog barking).
They should do this in English if they can, or in their L1 if not.
3 Students return to the class. In pairs / small groups, they discuss these questions:
What was the sound you heard the most?
What was the most interesting sound?
What was the most unusual sound?
What sound is easiest to make with your own voice? Can you do it?
4 Take feedback from the whole class.

Reflection
• Which of the activities suggested in this chapter would work best in your environment?
• What practical steps would you need to take in order to do these activities?

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