Thinking and Debating About Nature – English Debate Activity

As part of our Erasmus+ project “From Forest to Future”, our students took part in an English debate activity focused on environmental sustainability, critical thinking, foreign language communication and active student participation.

The debate question was: “Should we protect old forests and large trees even if people need wood for building homes and heating?” Students were divided into groups representing different viewpoints and discussed the balance between human needs for natural resources and the importance of protecting forests and mature trees.

Before the debate, students prepared their arguments and organised the ideas they wanted to defend. During the activity, they expressed their opinions in English, explained the reasons behind their views, listened carefully to opposing arguments and responded to different perspectives. In this way, students used English not only as a school subject, but as a real communication tool for discussing an authentic environmental issue.

The activity also created an interdisciplinary connection between language learning and environmental education. Students transferred the debating skills they had previously developed in Turkish lessons into English and practised forming arguments, giving reasons, evaluating opposing views, active listening, public speaking and respectful communication.

The debate encouraged students to approach environmental sustainability from more than one perspective. Rather than considering forest protection as a simple yes-or-no issue, they reflected on people’s real needs for housing and heating, the responsible use of natural resources and the importance of finding a balance between human needs and environmental protection.

The activity was linked to key competences emphasised in the Türkiye Century Education Model, including critical thinking, problem solving, communication, collaboration, reasoned decision-making, respect for different opinions and self-expression.

The debate was held in front of the “From Forest to Future” Erasmus+ project and information corner, turning the area from a display space into an active learning environment where students could discuss, communicate and reflect on real environmental challenges.

Through this activity, students developed skills in English speaking and listening, critical thinking, argumentation, reasoning, evaluating different perspectives, public speaking, confidence and respectful communication.

The activity supported the core approach of the “From Forest to Future” project by encouraging students not only to observe nature, but also to question, discuss and think critically about real-life challenges related to the use and protection of natural resources.