(old) Introduction to English Discussion (1)

Introduction to English Discussion (1)

NOTE: The word, quote, and joke of the day are not optional; they are mandatory. Each week, we will start class with these three items. Please make sure that someone new is assigned each week. If not, the person who did the duty the previous week will need to do it again.

Exam Topics

+2 or 3-person teams. Each team talks with the instructor for 7-10 minutes.
+You coordinate the schedule. Be here in 10-minuite blocks during class time Week 15.
+I will tell you the discussion topic and may ask a question or two, but you need to have a discussion on one of the topics. I will tell you which topic when we begin.
Possible Topics:
1. North Korea issues
2. Studying Abroad
3. Legal Drinking Age
4. Capital Punishment (Death Penalty)

2013.04.29-06.03

After taking a week off to prepare and produce mid-term-tasks, the class got back into action April 29th with a reading, worksheet, and discussion on the Darwin Awards. Thankfully, no one in our class qualified.

On May 6th, we got back into the book for some more class discussions, along with student-led issue discussions on some controversial topics.

Starting next week (2013.05.13) we will begin working on two differentstudent-led discussions each week, Please continue to bring your textbook to class in case we have to quickly organize an impromptu class discussion.

The class final will be a face-to-face interview with the instructor and pairs of students on controversial topics. You will have a few weeks' notice to be ready to talk about the topic.

Thanks!

JBH

2013.03.25-04.15

In the first half of each of these regular weekly sessions, we worked on book discussions .

The second half of each hour was devoted to issue discussions, including the current crisis with North Korea, Gay Marriage, Multicultural Families, and other topics.

For next week please complete your mid-term task (see below). E-mail me a link to your video by 5 p.m. 4-22.

We will be back to our usual routine when we meet again 4-29.

Enjoy Exam Week!

JBH

Mid-Term Task

For your mid-term evaluation grade, I will be asking you to submit a video clip of yourself and partner (pairs only -- no trios) of your choice “acting out” or accomplishing the goals from one of the discussion units or discussing another issue of your choice using techniques from the text. Your discussion recording should be from three to five minutes long.

It should include as much of the discussion “action” as possible and a written explanation for me about any necessary background information.

You will not be evaluated on your acting ability (this is not an acting class), but you will be evaluated on the topic, what you do with it together, and how interesting the discussion is. It will be great if you come up with a discussion topic or idea that we can use in class.

After the discussion, each participant should speak individually for about two minutes (1:30 to 2:30) on one or more of the following topics:

1.     What is required to be good at English discussion?/ (same question phrased differently)/ What qualities does a good “discusser” need to have in English?
2.     What is the difference between discussing things in English and your native language?
3.     What is difficult about discussion? What is fun about English discussion?

The total recording should be less than 10 minutes long.
You can use whatever equipment you like to record your video discussion. Please make sure that I can hear and see all participants, and don’t be surprised if we share them in class. Deadline April 22nd.

Have fun with this one!

JBH

2013.03.18

1.      W-Q-J

2.      Go over topics for each class. Make sure people are committed to them and prepared.

3.      Instructor chooses topics of day; students need to be ready to discuss second part of session.

4.      Go over book, and after break, do one discussion.

Discussion procedure: Break class into groups of four-five. One leader, one secretary. All participate and no one dominates discussion. I will be wandering around eavesdropping (and occasionally interrupting) too. Debriefing after discussion ends to see if there are any general conclusions from whole class.

For next week, be ready with topics for discussion if you have not presented yet, and stay ahead of us in the book.

2013.03.11

Discussion classes 25 and 30. Wow.

We are going to have to do some evaluating.

You will be graded on leading discussions, participating in discussions, and language use. I will also use mid-term and final interviews to help me assess your proficiency and improvement.

We will be talking soon about how to put ourselves online for discussion evaluation

For now, we need to start preparing team-led discussions at least once a week, possibly more.
We chose partners and started thinking about topic choices today. If you don't have a topic chosen, yhou need to talk to me ASAP.

Here are some topics that are already chosen:
(Several need to have more specific details added)

9 a.m. Class

1.      Korea should not allow International-Koreans to participate in Korean politics. DONE

2.      Should the US, South Korea and other countries in Northeast Asia take tough measures toward the North Korea's nuclear policy and destroy all reactors and processors that are producing weapons-grade plutonium and uranium with help of the military force or they should try to take efforts in order to achieve bilateral non-proliferation agreements without military force." DONE

3.      is it appropriate for a person who committed sexual violence to get chemical castration?" DONE

4.      Can welfare be a driver of growth? Needs more specifics

5.      Should South Korea keep supporting the North with food supplies?

6.      'Is it really helpful for children to study abroad at the very young age?'

7.      "The development of Antarctica to secure natural resources will be harmful to ecosystem?"

8.      Could animal experiment be justified in the name of science?

9.      Do you think is it ok to boycott products made in japan?'

10.   (Something about) plastic surgery

11. The drinking age in Korea should be raised.

12. What should U.S. do about child obesity?

11 a.m. Class

1.      Korea should allow Gay-marriage legally in this year. DONE

2.     Brazil should stop deforestation in favor of growing crops to protect the Amazon.

3.      Should South Korean government treat North Korea friendly or strictly when it continues to test the nuclear weapon?

4.      "Immigration". Pros and cons

5.      From 2015, student who treats other student as an outcast should be expelled.

6.          The Korean government should ban children under 6 years old from studying abroad. DONE

7.      Plastic Surgery for beauty should be abandoned in Korea for people under 16 years old.

8.      food or fuel ? The pros and cons of corn ethanol biofuel.

9.      Korean government has restricted violent Internet games or the time that minors spend on Internet games by their age since Nov 20, 2011. Do you agree or disagree with this 'shutdown' policy

10.   From next year, both Korean adult males and females can volunteer for military service with higher wages, not compulsorily .

11.             " Korea should legalize smoking marijuana

12.     'Should government give pensions to all seniors regardless of their incomes or not ?'

13.        Voluntary euthanasia for “irreparable” patients.

14. The government should not allow nudist beaches in Korea

2013.03.04

Our first day got off to a good start bright and early at 9 and 11 a.m. on everybody's favorite day of the week, Monday. Class started out with an exercise to get to know each other, breaking up into small groups to talk about five favorite and/or least favorite things that everyone in the group agreed on.

The second item on the day's agenda was demonstrating our regular daily routine for starting class with a Word, Quote, and Joke of the Day. Don't forget, someone needs to present those at the beginning of class each week. Please write the Word and Quote of the Day on the board or have them ready to go on the classroom computer when class begins on the hour. If one of these is your job and you are going to be absent, please find a replacement.

Today's Word(s): lollapalooza [lol-uh-puh-loo-zuh] noun (slang) an extraordinary or unusual thing, person, or event; an exceptional example or instance. Origin: 1900–05,  Americanism; origin uncertain.

Today's Quotation(s):
"If there were in the world today any large number of people who desired their own happiness more than they desired the unhappiness of others, we could have paradise in a few years."
Bertrand Russell, British author, mathematician, & philosopher (1872 - 1970)
AND
"I cannot live without books."
Thomas Jefferson, 3rd president of USA (1743 - 1826)

I don't write down jokes. Jokes need to be delivered in person, not read off a page.

FOR NEXT WEEK:
Please get the book (Discussion Strategies, Kehe and Kehe, ProLingua); pre-read and be ready to discuss the first three units when we meet Monday.

See you in class!

JBH