I was invited to be a guest on Fireside Chat with Cecilia Nobre and was asked to share my experience in order to help teachers overcoming an intermediate plateau. We started by language level analysis, discussed reasons why students have problems hopping on C1, and at the end, I shared ideas and techniques I used so far.
Apart from ready-to-use ideas I spoke about C1 game-changers. Students should be able to understand the irony, humor, abstract ideas and improve critical thinking skills.
I guess we all know and love TED which is one of the solutions to develop an understanding the abstract or complex ideas the same as critical thinking. Now I want to show you another mesmerizing website Intelligence Squared.
I’m a huge fan of using debates as an approach in broadening horizons, sharing opinions, engaging speaking activity, listening practice as well as vocabulary and grammar enrichment.
The Idea
STAGE 1:homework
Last time I used a very provoking idea – drugs. Using flipped classroom I guided my students to prepare for&against arguments for the thesis: ‘should we liberalize or prohibit drugs?’
I underlined that no matter their personal opinion they must come up with pros&cons.
They must note everything down!
I have 4 students in this C1 group. It’s a one-week project. After they prepared their arguments they had to watch the video: It’s Time to End the War on Drugs
Instructions:
All watch the intro until 3:03
1 student – 3:03 until 34:25
2 student 34:10 until 1:01:04
3 student 1:01:04 until 1:31:40
4 student 1:31:40 until 2:07:02
While watching they had to list the arguments and guests that presented them as well as vocabulary they heard for the first time.
STAGE 2:on classes
At the lesson they were told to not use phrases like:
– I think…
– In my opinion
– I agree/disagree
– I don’t think that…
– I think so
Instead, they can choose from:
Expressing Opinion:
– I hold the view that …
– It goes without saying that …
– I consider / suppose / presume / assume that …
– My belief / impression / conviction is that …
– I hold the opinion that …
– As far as I am concerned …
– As far as I know/understand…
– I dare say that …
– I gather that …
– I might be wrong but…
Expressing Agreement:
– I approve of it
– I have come to the same conclusion
– I hold the same opinion
– We are of one mind / of the same mind on that question
– We are on the same page
– I am at one with him/her on that point
– Fair enough
– I couldn’t agree more
Expressing Disagreement:
– I take a different view
– I don’t share his/her/your view
– This argument does not hold water
– Nonsense!
– I am afraid that is not quite true
Expressing General Point of View:
– It is often said that…
– It is generally accepted that…
– Everybody knows that…
– According to scientists…
– It is thought that…
– Some people say that…
– It is considered…
– It is generally accepted that…
– The research seems to suggest…
-Apparently…
Debate arguments
Using previously shown phrases all students have to present the arguments they heard.
Personal arguments
Using previously shown phrases all students have to present the arguments they prepared before watching a debate. They summarize if they changed their minds or not.
At the end, the whole group watches the end of a debate from 2:07:02.
And discusses the result 🙃
I wish you an amazing debate with your students 😊
