Sustainability as a Topic in German as a Foreign Language Classes

Abstract

This article examines the concept of Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) is gaining increasing importance across all areas of education. Combining German as a Foreign Language instruction with sustainability offers the opportunity to link language learning with socially relevant topics such as the environment, social justice, and global responsibility. ESD aims to empower learners to act responsibly and with a focus on the future. Sustainability encompasses ecological, economic, and social dimensions. In current educational discourse, ESD is increasingly being integrated into language teaching contexts, for example through thematic modules in teacher training. It discusses that the central didactic approach is Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL) or, in Germany, language-sensitive subject instruction. Sustainability topics are particularly well-suited because they are relevant to learners’ everyday lives, promote communicative skills, and open up intercultural perspectives. The study concludes that the integration of sustainability into German as a Foreign Language instruction offers great potential, including the integration of language learning and social education, the promotion of practical skills, and the strengthening of intercultural perspectives. At the same time, there is a need for further research and development, particularly regarding teaching materials and the integration of sustainability into the curriculum.