Katia Balaganskaya

Preface For teenagers today, global instability is not abstract; it shapes their emotional landscapes. Yet a form of pedagogical hypocrisy often persists: coursebooks avoid discomfort, while teachers regularly adapt materials to address realities learners already encounter. Teaching speaking in the twenty-first century is no longer simply a matter of selecting the right methodology or coursebook. It increasingly involves ethical decisions about what learners are invited to discuss and how teachers support them in doing so. In teenage classrooms shaped by rapid social change and cultural diversity, communicative goals are shifting from persuasion and debate towards empathy, reflection and dialogue. Speaking...

The author designed a CLIL course to motivate and engage her learners during the summer break giving them a chance to explore English through different topics and activities.