Ken Robinson says schools kill creativity

Before you watch the video, try to answer the following questions.

1. What are the most important subjects at school? 
2. What is literacy? 
3. What is the purpose of education? 
4. What is intelligence? 
5. What is the meaning of MA, BA, PhD, ADHD? 

COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS

1. Sir Ken Robinson says that there have been 3 themes running through the conference. Which ones are they? 
2. What are the two topics Robinson wants to talk about? 
3. What are the three gifts the kings bring to baby Jesus? 
4. According to Robinson, every education system in the world has the same hierarchy of subjects. Which subjects are at the top and which subjects are at the bottom? 
5. What’s the hierarchy of subjects within the arts? 
6. What are the three things Robinson says we know about intelligence? 
7. What are women better at than men, according to Robinson?  

QUESTIONS FOR DEBATE

1. Robinson says “If you think of it, children starting school this year will be retiring in 2065. Nobody has a clue—despite all the expertise that’s been on parade for the past four days—what the world will look like in five years’ time. And yet we’re meant to be educating them for it.” How can education prepare children for the future? 
2. Robinson says “My contention is that creativity now is as important in education as literacy, and we should treat it with the same status.” Do you agree? Why?/Why not? 
3. Robinson argues that “if you’re not prepared to be wrong, you’ll never come up with anything original.” Can you illustrate Robinson’s opinión with an example? 
4. According to Robinson, “the whole purpose of public education throughout the world is to produce university professors.” Do you agree? What should the purpose of public education be? 
5. Robinson says that “Suddenly, degrees aren’t worth anything. Isn’t that true? When I was a student, if you had a degree, you had a job. If you didn’t have a job it’s because you didn’t want one. . . . But now kids with degrees are often heading home to carry on playing video games, because you need an MA where the previous job required a BA, and now you need a PhD for the other.” Is this true in Spain?

Transcript - Ken Robinson Says Schools Kill Creativity

Leaving school at 15 - what about brain development?

Before you watch the video, discuss the following questions:

1. What is better for a 15-year-old, to continue studying at school, or to move on to find a job? 
2. What is an unskilled job? 
3. What can people do to develop their brains? 

Watch the video and answer the questions below:




COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS

1. According to Dr. Martha Burns, why is school very good for the brain? 
2. Why does Burns say that at this particular moment finding a job is not a good stimulus for the brain of an adolescent? 
3. What are the examples that Burns gives of unskilled jobs? 
4. What, according to Burns, are good alternatives for teenagers leaving school? 
5. What are the two things, according to Burns, that brains benefit from? 

QUESTIONS FOR DEBATE

1. Do you agree with Dr Burns? 
2. What is a good alternative to school, in your opinion? Do you think teenagers should finish compulsory education before leaving school? Why/Why not?

TRANSCRIPT - Leaving School at 15

social networks - goods and evils

Questions for debate:

1. Do you use social networks?
2. What are they useful for?
3. What are their dangers?


Watch the following video:


From The Telegraph, 22 September 2012

Facebook party leads to riots in Dutch town
A riot broke out in a small Dutch town after more than 4,000 revellers descended on a party when an invitation posted on Facebook went viral.

video watching: "what is the internet, really?"

You will find Andrew Blum's recorded speech below. Watch the first 5 minutes of his talk and answer the questions below:

1. What do architects do, according to Andrew Blum?
2. Why does he talk about architecture at the beginning?
3. How have our relationships changed in the last few years, according to Blum?

4. What was the most striking thing for Blum, when considering the Internet?
5. What does the image he shows on the screen represent?
6. Why did Blum lose connection to the Internet?
7. Did Blum find a place where the Internet is?

If you're interested, you can watch the rest of the video. Here is the transcript:

Transcript - Andrew Blum - What is the Internet, Really

Recycling lesson plan

Content objectives: to understand the importance of recycling; to identify the specific rubbish bin in which you must throw trash.

Language objectives: containers (carton, can, tin, etc.), materials (plastic, paper, glass), environmental problems (air pollution, water pollution, deforestation, desertification, etc.).

This is the PowerPoint we saw in class. You can try to do the activity again, or check your answers.

Environmental problems from soniasedano

If you want, you can practise the vocabulary for environmental problems clicking here.
If you need to review the vocabulary related to containers, click here.

Thanksgiving lesson plan

Content objectives: explain what life was like for a pilgrim.

Language objectives: form questions correctly; answer questions adequately, taking into account the verb tenses and structures used.

1.       Write the word “Thanksgiving” on the board.

2.      Divide students into cooperative groups.

3.      Ask students to list on a piece of paper all the meanings, stories, and images that come to their mind when they hear the word “Thanksgiving”.

4.      Divide students into 3 groups:

-       Group A: Priscilla Mullin.

-       Group B: John Howland.

-       Group C: present-day interviewers

5.      While groups A and B read Priscilla Mullin’s and Joh Howland’s story, group C prepares an interview for each of them. They should, at least, ask 4 questions to each pilgrim.

6.      Groups A and B answer group C questions taking into account the fact-file of their character.

Priscilla Mullins John Howland

My Bed Is A Boat, by Robert Louis Stevenson

My bed is like a little boat;

Nurse helps me in when I embark;

She girds me in my sailor's coat

And starts me in the dark.

At night I go on board and say

Good-night to all my friends on shore;

I shut my eyes and sail away

And see and hear no more.

And sometimes things to bed I take,

As prudent sailors have to do;

Perhaps a slice of wedding-cake,

Perhaps a toy or two.

All night across the dark we steer;

But when the day returns at last,

Safe in my room beside the pier,

I find my vessel fast.

• click here to review some vocabulary from the poem

• see the mind map we elaborated from the poem (remember that you can extend this mind map and create new ones at bubbl.us

• if you missed the lesson or want to review it, see the PowerPoint presentation below:

My bed is a boat

View more PowerPoint from soniasedano

• see the following performances and videos that some people have created for this poem