“…and does Google and Wikipedia make it better
or worse? Studies show that other people and tools influence our brain power as
much as our own minds”
By: Tom Stafford
Published: BBC Future; 20 November 2012;
Level of difficulty: *
BEFORE YOU READ
·
What
factors determine intelligence?
·
Do
you think the changing environment with all the modern technology makes a
difference?
·
Do
you think this effect is negative or positive?
WATCH AND LISTEN
·
What is intelligence? https://slideplayer.com/slide/7080256/
QUESTIONS
1.
Which
sentence in paragraph 1 best expresses the main idea?
2.
Experts
state that intelligence is closely linked to …………………………………………………………………..
3.
Shopping
at a certain mall because most people you know shop there makes a person a
………………………………………………., which basically means that this person ……………………………….
4.
If
the cashier at your local supermarket is replaced and you don’t notice it you
are exhibiting ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….
5.
What
is the reason for the above?
6.
Why
does Andy Clark call humans natural born cyborgs?
7.
Read
the experiment Wegner conducted. What was the result of the experiment?
8.
What
was the reason for the above result?
9.
What
does “this way” in the phrase “Having minds that work this way…” refer to?
10.
The
latest player in what Wegner calls “transactive memory” is ………………………………………
11.
Wikipedia
is provided as an example of ……………………………………………………………………………..
12.
What
is the function of the last sentence of the text?
WRITING TASK
Write a brief summary of about 150
words of the text. Remember a good summary must have the following qualities:
it needs to be short yet complete with all the main ideas covered and none of
the details included; it needs to be written in your words. If you are not sure
of how to do this, check out the tasks in the file marked “Summaries” on this
blog.
WHAT MAKES US INTELLIGENT KEY AND TEACHER’S NOTES
This relatively straightforward yet interesting text is another of Tom
Stafford’s brilliant articles. Being topical and having a wow factor it should
interest students. I have also taken a stab at introducing some real
comprehension questions albeit at a simple level. The writing task is a
summary; an invaluable writing and reading activity and a must have in any
decent program. This might be a good opportunity to work with the students on
what should and what shouldn’t be included in a summary. The Cornell method
remains my preferred method, exercises relating to which you will find in the
file marked “Summaries”.
1.
But
the rise of Google, Wikipedia and other online tools has made many people
question the impact of these technologies on our brains.
2.
How
we coordinate ourselves with other people and the environment.
3.
Cognitive
miser; we are reluctant to do mental work unless we have to.
4.
Change
blindness
5.
People
don’t tend to rely on their memories for things they can easily access.
6.
Because
they have minds that naturally incorporate new tools, ideas and abilities.
7.
The
pairs that were made up of couples in a relationship could remember…
8.
Because
couples in a relationship had a good understanding of their partners, they
would tacitly divide up the work between them.
9.
Developing
a shared system for committing items to memory and bringing them out again; OR
transactively
10.
Technology
11.
A
system of knowledge that serves the needs of society as a whole; OR a potential
to share knowledge.
12.
It
is the concluding statement and ties back to paragraph one and the main idea,
all of which makes the article very well organized.
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