Kiri Manookin

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Self-proclaimed lover of people, words, and wild, Kiri Manookin, M.Ed., is an English instructor who has worked around the world, including Taiwan, Ecuador, Utah (USA), Switzerland, and Türkiye. She was an English Language Fellow in Nepal until the pandemic cut her work short. She continued working as a Virtual Fellow and online instructor in Nepal. When in-person work opened up again, she was reassigned as a Fellow in Armenia where she worked until the end of her contract in 2024.

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The Benefits of Nature-based Writing for English Language Learners

Theory and Practice in Language Studies

This paper explores the value of ecopedagogies and ecojustice education in an increasingly nature... more This paper explores the value of ecopedagogies and ecojustice education in an increasingly nature-deficit and attention-directed world, and does so through the lens of place-based education. More specifically, this paper explores the positive impact nature-based writing in the Department of English Language Learning at Utah Valley University (UVU) has on English language learners (ELLs). The ecopedagogical program at UVU includes multiple opportunities for conducting environmental/economic research and writing in several relevant genres, but this paper primarily focuses on qualitative data retrieved from semester-long Nature Journals and a Wilderness Writing Workshop held during a four-day department-sponsored excursion to Capitol Reef National Park in south-central Utah in the United States. The benefits of nature-based writing include greater engagement and increased desire to write, improved vocabulary and language skills, more poetic writing, less reported stress, and a greater ...

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Ecopedagogy in action: An example of engaging and connecting | Making a case for ecopedagogical writing programs in Nepal

Academia Letters, 2021

Ecopedagogies promoting nature-based writing provide opportunities to integrate an ecological eth... more Ecopedagogies promoting nature-based writing provide opportunities to integrate an ecological ethos and ethic into classes that promote social and eco justice. Students develop a sense of "place consciousness" (Lowenstein, Martusewicz, & Voelker, 2010); recognize all levels of diversity within living systems and communities, especially within local contexts; and increase their biophilia, or sense of connection to all living things (Louv, 2011). Given their efficacy, I argue that ecopedagogies could help bridge the gap in Nepal between the environmental experience of many Nepalis, especially the dozens of indigenous peoples, many of whom are marginalized, and the country's move toward better education and greater digital development, particularly through writing in English. I also argue that such programs could help preserve culture and land while helping the country move toward greater development and international engagement. A land of globally significant natural spaces-geologically, ecologically, and spiritually-Nepal has an inherent ecological and ecospiritual ethos (Goulah, 2011). The path of development is an opportunity for Nepal to become a global ecological leader without following the same ecologically destructive trajectory of so many other countries. Additionally, Nepal's embrace of greater digital literacy must not come at the expense of what I call "nature literacy." In support of this argument and to help inspire similar programs in Nepal, I offer the example of a content-and project-based ecopedagogical program for English language learners in which I taught academic writing. Using integrated language classes, the ecopedagogical language course in the Department

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The Benefits of Nature-based Writing for English Language Learners

Theory & Practice in Language Studies, 2018

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The Benefits of Nature-based Writing for English Language Learners

Theory and Practice in Language Studies

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Ecopedagogy in action: An example of engaging and connecting | Making a case for ecopedagogical writing programs in Nepal

Academia Letters, 2021

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The Benefits of Nature-based Writing for English Language Learners

Theory & Practice in Language Studies, 2018

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Kiri Manookin

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