50 people 1 question
Spring is slowly making its arrival and so this week’s question is: If you could wake up anywhere, where would you wake up?
Before you watch these people in London give their response, what would you guess most answers are?
London (B1 and up)
And then in New York City (B1 and up)
Are there any cultural differences? Do you think the city affects their answers?
Here are this month’s collection of interesting links..all about our brains!
How our Brain Works (B2 and above–typical London cab driver’s accent!)
The Gap on Creativity (B1and above) We are all creative and we just have to keep working on it to make it good and close that gap.
The Evolution of English (B1 and above) and a comprehension test
The Benefits of Learning Languages
Photo: Michael Neugebauer, courtesy of The Jane Goodall Institute
We know most of you don’t celebrate Valentine’s Day and you probably call it a “Hallmark” holiday (aka Corte Ingles Holiday) but we can’t help showing you a little history on this very romantic day…
The History of Valentine’s Day (Level B2 and above–advanced vocabulary)
An Easy Step by Step Story (Level B1 and above)
See if you can answer these questions (in reference to the first video):
1. What did the Roman Pagans sacrifice and why?
2. In what century was St. Valentine’s declared?
3. What did Emperor Claudius II Ban? And why
4. Who would visit Father Valentine and why?
5. How much money does the holiday bring in annually to the USA, thanks to Cupid?
Photo Source: http://addictedtoconsumerism.tumblr.com/post/74047975663
Will Digital Technology Disappear? (Video–Level B2 and above)
And how about mono-tasking? Would this device work for you? (Video–Level B1 and above)
Another fun test: What Career Should you Actually Have?
What is the difference between a career and a degree?
Photo Source: http://designspiration.net/image/1033194365751/
Recently, a lot of people have been talking about Generation Y or The Millennials.
In other words, The Entreprenuers . The Digital Era. The Narcissists. Selfies! Born between the years 1980 and 2000’s, they are shaping our economy and work force today.
Watch this video, take notes and tell us, what generation do you belong to?
2000/2001-Present – New Silent Generation or Generation Z
1980-2000 – Millennials or Generation Y
1965-1979 – Generation X
1946-1964 – Baby Boomers
Do you agree with the comments on the video? And what are the pros and cons of the different generations they mention?
Photo Source: http://www.maddisongraphic.com/we-make-stuff-happen.php
And it’s here! Our favourite links to look back at 2013.
Merry Christmas!
Link List:
–The Things We Talked about in 2013
–The Best Photos of 2013 According to Reuter’s
–Literary Jukebox – (a quote, a book and a song) daily updates. A great new habit for the New Year!
–A new perspective on the stress in our lives
– Christmas Comparisons – Which do you prefer? Compare two very different versions of the Christmas Classic, ‘Carol of the Bells’
A robot chior:http://www.itsnicethat.com/articles/james-houston-carol-of-the-bells
The traditional version: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oos7tkWrKyY
As the holidays quickly approach and we start preparing to end another full year, I am sure we all begin using our hindsight (an understanding of a past situation or event) to put the year 2013 into perspective and to prepare ourselves for a busy holiday season and 2014. No, this is not to stress you out more. On the contrary, this is to give you some tips (helpful hint or piece of information) on how you can begin the New Year successfully.
In this very interesting video by Amy Cuddy, Your Body Language Shapes Who You Are, we get some wonderful advice on how to face (confront) your fears and how to ace (do fantastically well) on that next interview or presentation you might have to do. It all begins with how you feel in the inside and how you use the information you have and know to arrive to your objective. Yes, there will be some challenges, but all it takes is a little practicing and a lot of confidence to say you DID
So what do you think? Will you start practicing “open posture” and facing your challenges?
http://www.ted.com/talks/amy_cuddy_your_body_language_shapes_who_you_are.html
Stay tuned for our Presentation Workshops in 2014!
This week, we are discussing with some students whether they feel learning English has become a race to the finish line (something urgent).
Here are two very interesting debates on whether English should become “The World Language”. Lately, this seems to be quite a debate. English is contagious and everyone around the world is trying to learn English. Did you know about 2 billion people are studying English as we speak?
Take a look at these stats (statistics):
http://www.britishcouncil.org/learning-faq-the-english-language.htm
Some think that this is an opportunity for the world to communicate and do business. Others argue we are losing many minority languages. What do you think? Watch these two videos and see if you have a stance (position) on this important debate…after all, it is affecting you too:
Pro-Global English: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/the-world-s-english-mania-jay-walker
Against Global English: http://www.ted.com/talks/patricia_ryan_ideas_in_all_languages_not_just_english.html
Photo Source: Just Write Steve McCurry
We are beginning our 3rd year in business, we have a new office at Pau Claris 149 (two rooms!), Madeleine joined our team 6 months ago and we are ready to start making changes and share ideas, links and invite you to useful workshops to help you gain even more confidence. Sometimes Just knowing a little more about a subject and watching a video or two can help you take that extra step to feel connected. And that’s what we will do. Make sure that you are updated!
So you are learning English and you think you know why, but do you know where English comes from? Or why some words sound so similar to Latin, French and sometimes even Spanish?
Take a look at these videos. Perhaps they will make you feel just little more connected to the language you are investing so much time in. After all, everything has an explanation right? Of course, there is an exception, when… (sound familiar?).
A short 5 minute history on How English Evolved (not too difficult)
http://ed.ted.com/lessons/how-did-english-evolve-kate-gardoqui
A 10 minute and creative in depth video on The History of English (a little more difficult):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H3r9bOkYW9s
Learning English isn’t only about grammar and preparing for that very important business meeting. It is also about being able to finally understand that song you have been listening to and “trying” to understand. Or going to the movies and deciding to finally watch it in original version. Because taking those small steps are just as important to help you feel confidant and capable for that BIG meeting.
So, why not have some fun? You can begin by checking out this great website where you can practice English and learn those lyrics you have been wanting to sing forever:
LYRICS TRAINING
http://www.lyricstraining.com/
We don’t joke around here…learning is musical! Next step: A movie in Original Version?
