THE CASE FOR SHYNESS

“Joe Moran’s book Shrinking Violets is a sweeping history that doubles as a (quiet) defense of timidity”

By: Megan Garber

Published: Feb 20, 2017, The Atlantic, https://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2017/02/the-case-for-shyness/516933/

Level of difficulty: ***

BEFORE YOU READ

·         The Science Of Shyness: Is Shyness Genetic https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DZ2fLAITi8c

·         Shy people are awesome https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9sVBMy44srA

·         The Top 9 Reasons Why Being Shy Makes You Great| Psych2Go https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qvn5pl8p5-M

·         What Is The Difference Between Shyness And Social Anxiety? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2uxg_MD0Pgk

QUESTIONS

1.       We understand from the first couple of paragraphs that the desire to avoid………………..is a stronger motivation than death or the danger of serious brain damage.

2.       Which of the sentences below best summarizes the paragraph beginning “Shyness”?

·         There are many forms of shyness in the world

·         Everyone has one form of shyness

·         Everybody tries to avoid shyness in some way

·         Shyness is a social and personal problem

·         Everyone can be influenced by shyness at any time

·         Shyness is a very mysterious phenomenon

3.       Look back at the first four paragraphs of the text. What subtitle would you give this section?

·         The Heimlich Maneuver and its implications

·         Shyness; a social problem

·         Shyness; an all round problem

·         Shyness; a common problem

4.       Study the examples in the paragraph beginning “But Shyness”. Their purpose is to prove that shyness does not prevent…

5.       Read the paragraph beginning “Shyness – at its core”. Contrary to common belief,….

6.       What erroneous parallel is often drawn in society concerning shyness?

7.       The reason for the above is the fact that society…

8.       Zimbardo attributes his prediction concerning the future of social relations to the dominance of….

9.       What feature of modern civilization is shyness an inevitable conclusion of ?

10.   Look back on Dalton’s views. The fact that shyness is non-existent in the animal kingdom but present in human societies should come as no surprise because the lifestyles of the two societies are very similar / the lifestyles of the two societies don’t overlap / the lifestyles of the two societies don’t require shyness / the lifestyles of the two societies are very different.

11.   Susie Scott blames shy people for breaching the social norms. The reason for her attitude is the popular belief that………….

12.   We understand from the statements by famous writers and thinkers that most view shyness as a complication / an obstacle / a blessing / a curse / a nuisance (Mark the one(s) that don’t/ doesn’t fit)

13.   Josiah Morse and Tom Wolfe are examples of people who proved that…..

14.   Zimbardo seems to have overlooked the fact that……………when he announced the imminent danger of “the new ice age”.

15.   The reason for the views of Zimbardo and those who condemn shyness may be the fact that…………………………..

16.   Read the last two paragraphs of the text. What is the take home point of the text?

·         Humans are social animals by instinct and by default setting

·         We should benefit from the increased opportunities in the modern world

·         People should be allowed to row on their own sometimes

·         Social life is like a rowing team with everyone working together

·         It takes all kinds; we should be tolerant of shy people

·         Team work is the way of the world; people should get used to it

WRITING TASK

Discuss the reasons for shyness, social attitudes to shyness and the reasons we should be more tolerant of differences

THE CASE FOR SHYNESS KEY AND TEACHERS’ NOTES

This interesting text addresses prevailing attitudes to shyness and why it need not be a death sentence. It focuses on some of the benefits and implications and aims to promote tolerance and understanding of those who are different.

1.       Embarrassment

2.       Everyone can be influenced by shyness at any time

3.       Shyness; an all round problem is the best because the subtitle needs to summarize the section

4.       Inventive thinking and creative genius

5.       Shyness can be a benefit as well as a curse

6.       Shyness is emotionally adjacent to shame

7.       Values self confidence and takes for granted that social skills are external evidence of one’s internal self regard

8.       Digital technology

9.       The fact that life is lived as a kind of never-ending performance

10.   The last one

11.   Social animals

12.   A blessing

13.   To be shy is also to be misunderstood

14.   We have so many more ways of talking and connecting and being social and being human

15.   The world’s social structures are generally more accommodating of the lusty and the loud (This is the minimum you need; learn to omit unnecessary information.)

16.   The 5^th

EXPLORE YOUR LIFE IN HISTORY

The Atlantic has recently introduced a new feature which allows people to explore their lives in history. Access the application: https://www.theatlantic.com/timeline/?utm_source=nl-atlantic-daily-022717, enter the month you were born, the year and the date and click explore. Access each event and make notes then write an account of your life in history. There is an example on the site.

WHY ARE PEOPLE SO INCREDIBLY GULLIBLE?

“Our brains don’t let piddling little facts get in the way of a good story, allowing lies to infect the mind with suprising ease.”

By: David Robson

Published: BBC, 24 March 2016, http://www.bbc.com/future/story/20160323-why-are-people-so-incredibly-gullible

Level of Difficulty: **

BEFORE YOU READ

·         Experts Explain: Norbert Schwarz and Eryn Newman on 'Truthiness' and Political Fact Checks https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jNf6MiIti1o

QUESTIONS

1.       What conclusion can be drawn from the account of flesh eating bananas?

2.       Why is the story of the flesh eating bananas significant?

3.       What examples are provided in the text of the above?

4.       Look at the two questions in the text quickly and answer them. Why, according to the text, did you not notice the mistake?

5.       We understand from the text that our decisions are influenced less by cognitive powers / rational arguments / instinctive reactions / family and friends / statements by celebrities.

6.       Consider the following example: a woman is in an abusive relationship. She complains about it every day to her neighbor. One day, she hits him over the head because she says he was trying to beat her. Would the neighbor believe her when she says she hit him in self defense? Would the neighbor believe the husband if he said he hadn’t touched her? Why?

7.       Read the following excerpt from a paper by Prof. Simon Springer “The choice of doing the first conference in an Italian small town like Reggio Emilia, where an established local anarchist movement already promoted events and publications on anarchist geographers is instrumental to the capital tasks of continuing a discussion among scholars and militants from different linguistic and cultural areas, and ensuring discussions involve grassroots movements and militant situations outside the academy” . How effective would he be in convincing the rest of his group to hold the meeting in this town? What suggestions would you give him so as to improve his chances? Use your own words.

8.       Watch the following two videos:

·         Stephan Lewandowsky - The Rejection Of Climate Science And Motivated Reasoning https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NcmOgi5m2pM

·         Stephan Lewandowsky: Denial of Science Always Involves a Component of Conspiratorial Thought https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0i3UJDd_spU 

Now explain clearly why some people reacted so strongly to the Professor’s papers?

9.       Read the first two paragraphs of the section titled “Fraying Myths”. We can draw the conclusion from this section that:

·         Debunked myths are an integral part of our mental models

·         It is very hard to get rid of a debunked myth

·         Our world views determine who we are as people

·         People don’t like gaps in their mental representation
    10. There is a belief that leaches are useful in the treatment of varicose veins. In fact the leeches are sold openly for this purpose. But a respected doctor, Gregg A. Reger, MD

 says the following: “Leeches would have no effect on varicose veins but other highly effective treatments are available”. Would this be enough to convince the leech advocates? Explain.

11.   Now watch the following video and answer the same question: Would this be enough to convince the leech advocates? Explain.

Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KtMDllkdcB0

12.   Google the following: The link between autism and the MMR vaccine. Check out the number of texts and videos. One factor that has fueled belief in this link is:

·         The number of scientific studies

·         The number of first-person reports

·         The amount of evidence to the contrary

·         The amount of material about the issue

13.   The conclusion of the text constitutes recent examples / a warning / implications / flaws / solutions.

WRITING TASK

Use all you have learnt to analyse the reasons why it is easy to spread misinformation.

WHY ARE PEOPLE SO INCREDIBLY GULLIBLE? KEY AND TEACHERS’ NOTES

This is a very topical text as it covers a currently trending topic: misinformation, and the reasons why we are so ready to believe it. This is a scientific text and examines the issue in terms of various typical human idiosyncrasies. The videos relate closely to the text and have been incorporated into the task

1.       Humans are gullible

2.       Because such cracks in our rational thinking can have serious, even dangerous, consequences

3.       HIV is harmless vitamin D supplements can cure AIDS

4.       Because we to save time and energy, our brains use intuition rather than analysis. I would not accept “cognitive misers” as an answer because it is not explicit enough

5.       Rational arguments

6.       The neighbor would believe the woman but not the husband because their story fits in with her expectations

7.       No he would not be successful; the paragraph lacks cognitive fluency. Possible answer: he should simplify the language and write in an easy to read font; he should have a picture of himself and have pictures of the town

8.       The reason was conspiratorial thinking which means believing that nothing happens by accident, nothing is irrelevant and everything has to have a very sinister purpose.

9.       It is very hard to get rid of a debunked myth

10.   No it would not because the doctor does not come up with an alternative.

11.   Yes it would because he suggests an alternative form of treatment.

12.   The amount of material about the issue

13.   A warning

THE PROBLEMS FACING THE WORLD’S OCEANS

The world’s oceans are facing numerous problems from warming to increased acidity; from plastic pollution to radioactive pollution.  Go to the link below and study the problems facing the world’s oceans. When you have compiled the necessary notes, write an essay detailing what you have learnt.

The Economist “Water, Water Everywhere”

http://learnmore.economist.com/story/58a5bc56cf15bda87a490d1c?cid1=e/ed/EDM/n/n/n/owned/n/n/Turtl_Eng_Sub_oceans/n/n/%2B%20blast.id%20%2B/n

Refer to my second blog, The Essay Archive, for sample essays: https://theessayarchive.blogspot.com.tr/  

HOW FAKE IMAGES CHANGE OUR MEMORY AND BEHAVIOR

“Doctored images can affect what we eat, how we vote and even our childhood recollections. The question scientists are asking is why there’s nothing we can do to stop it.”

By: Rose Eveleth

Published: BBC, 13 December 2012, http://www.bbc.com/future/story/20121213-fake-pictures-make-real-memories

Level of Difficulty: **

BEFORE YOU READ

·        Elizabeth Loftus: How reliable is your memory? https://www.ted.com/talks/elizabeth_loftus_the_fiction_of_memory

·         Scott Fraser: Why eyewitnesses get it wrong

https://www.ted.com/playlists/196/the_complexity_of_memory

QUESTIONS

1.       What exactly is the “glitch” that the writer refers to? The fact that….

2.       The writer implies that the way our memories are formed and the way our minds work makes deception easier / makes forgetting easier / makes remembering easier/ makes misdirection easier / makes misconduct easier.

3.       What conclusion can be drawn from the experiment with the hot air balloon and the one with Bugs Bunny?

4.       What surprising discovery was made as a result of the gambling experiment?

5.       Imagine you wanted to remove the word “it” at the end of the sentence beginning “Of course, people aren’t walking…” just below the subtitle "Political Trickery.  What would you replace it with? Be careful. This is a grammar question and has one answer.

6.    The experiment carried out by Slate demonstrated  that it is possible to promote damage to property /alter attitudes to protests / make protests more crowded / increase the danger of injuries.

7.       Most news channels have plenty of visual material on their websites. We learn from the article that this could be because……

8.       Who would be more likely to believe photos showing Vladimir Putin saving beached whales?

9.       What innate problem seems to prevent people from being able to pick out fake images? The human inability to…

10.   Why, according to the text, do we remember a particular joke but not who told it? Because although we remember the joke, …………………………..

11.   The bad news concerning all the experiments involving fake images is that …

12.   What is the difference between the examples of doctored images provided in the paragraph beginning “The worry” and the photograph of John Kerry at a Vietnam War protest. Explain in your own words.

13.   The take home point from this text is that our memory is often…..and therefore open to manipulation.

WRITING TASK

Write a cause and effect essay where you discuss the reasons why fake news has such a powerful grip on people’s minds.

HOW FAKE IMAGES CHANGE OUR MEMORY AND BEHAVIOR KEY AND TEACHERS’ NOTES

The issue of fake news has been dominating the headlines around the world so it will be interesting to analyse the reasons why such news has such a grip on our minds even if it is proved to be wrong. The text examines the reasons for this issue and reports the findings of studies that have been carried out.

1.       The fact that human memory is like a desert mirage

2.       Makes misdirection easier

3.       Old memories seem the easiest to manipulate

4.       Even after being told that the footage was doctored, participants sometimes recalled the cheating that never happened.

5.       That you have seen them

6.       Alter attitudes to protests

7.       People trust photographs so much that they actually place more weight on information that is accompanied with an image (regardless of…)

8.       His supporters

9.       Analyse lighting and reflections

10.   We don’t remember where the information came from.

11.   There is not much that anyone can really do to guard against being duped by these images

12.   Possible answer: décor or props are added in the first case. The events did actually take place. The event is completely wrong in the second case; it never happened at all.

13.   Non-factual

WHAT HAPPENED AT THE INFAMOUS NUCLEAR TEST SITE, THE POLYGON, IN THE FORMER SOVIET UNION?

Callous disregard for the short term and long term impacts of radiation characterized the nuclear testing during the cold war. Do your research and find out what exactly was done and what the impacts have been. Then write an essay where you describe the problem and its effects.
Refer to my second blog, The Essay Archive, for sample essays: https://theessayarchive.blogspot.com.tr/  

Familiarize yourself with the issue:

·         Victims of Nuclear Testing https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hCiEe1v6B98

·         Effects of a nuclear bomb https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Aza-2wopCFY

Reading material to make notes on:

·         Slow Death In Kazakhstan's Land Of Nuclear Tests

http://www.rferl.org/a/soviet_nuclear_testing_semipalatinsk_20th_anniversary/24311518.html

·         The Soviet Union’s Nuclear Testing Programme  https://www.ctbto.org/nuclear-testing/the-effects-of-nuclear-testing/the-soviet-unionsnuclear-testing-programme/  

·         General Overview of the Effects of Nuclear Testing https://www.ctbto.org/nuclear-testing/the-effects-of-nuclear-testing/general-overview-of-theeffects-of-nuclear-testing/  

·         Effects of Nuclear Weapon Testing by the Soviet Union https://www.ctbto.org/nuclear-testing/the-effects-of-nuclear-testing/the-soviet-unionsnuclear-testing-programme/page-3-effects-of-nuclear-weapon-testing-by-the-soviet-union/

Videos to watch and take notes from:

·         THE POLYGON Documentary  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hqCT27S74r0

·         The Polygon Nuclear Testing Site https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-SU0ynbbOK4

·         Kazakhstan's nuclear curse - 29 Aug 09 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bi-Bz1-Kqw4

THAWING PERMAFROST HAS SERIOUS IMPLICATIONS

Do your research and find out what exactly permafrost is, how it is formed and the serious implications of its thawing.  When you are ready, write an essay in which set out the problem and discuss the potential effects.
Refer to my second blog, The Essay Archive, for sample essays: https://theessayarchive.blogspot.com.tr/  

Familiarize yourself with the issue

·          Permafrost – What is it? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lxixy1u8GjY

·         Arctic permafrost and Methane https://prezi.com/36kreebw-iam/arctic-permafrost-and-methane/

·         Thawing permafrost  https://science360.gov/obj/tkn-video/f6b56e06-421d-488b-b5ff-de31ad1382f4

 Reading material to make notes on

·         Permafrost in a warming world https://www.wunderground.com/resources/climate/melting_permafrost.asp

·         Climate threat: thawing tundra releases infected corpses

http://www.livescience.com/2403-climate-threat-thawing-tundra-releases-infected-corpses.html

·         Anthrax outbreak in Russia thought to be result of thawing permafrost

http://www.npr.org/sections/goatsandsoda/2016/08/03/488400947/anthrax-outbreak-in-russia-thought-to-be-result-of-thawing-permafrost

Videos to watch and take notes from

Thawing Permafrost -- Changing Planet https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yN4OdKPy9rM

  Permafrost: The ticking time bomb https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FLCgybStZ4

Alaska’s thawing permafrost https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ltHDTkljAfY

REHABILITATING PRISONERS SO THAT THEY CAN BE PRODUCTIVE MEMBERS OF SOCIETY

Keeping prisoners from reoffending and going back to prison is in everybody’s interest. Prisons are a drain on the economy before anything else. To be able to prevent first time offenders from reoffending, they need to be rehabilitated and helped to become productive members of society. Do your research and discover how this is achieved and write a problem and solution essay on the topic. Make sure you don’t stray off topic.

Familiarize yourself with the issue :

·         How can we best rehabilitate prisoners so that they become productive members of society?

https://prezi.com/fvizcvq1yh4n/how-can-we-best-rehabilitate-prisoners-so-that-they-can-be-p/

Reading material to make notes on :

·         Rehabilitation for criminals http://hubpages.com/politics/Rehabilitation-for-Criminals

·         Successful rehabilitation of today’s criminals http://www.freedommag.org/english/vol29i1/page30.htm

·         Prison re-entry programs help inmates leave the criminal mindset behind, but few have access to the classes

http://www.nola.com/crime/index.ssf/2012/05/prison_re-entry_programs_help.html

Videos to watch and take notes from :

·         Obama Weekly Address: Disrupting The School To Prison Pipeline

http://www.realclearpolitics.com/video/2015/10/31/obama_weekly_address_disrupting_the_school_to_prison_pipeline.html  (The tape script is available)

·         Prison rehabilitation https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=htYS6uXwQls

·         The process of rehabilitating prisoners  https://omny.fm/shows/geoff-currier/the-process-of-rehabilitating-prisoners#description

     Refer to my second blog, The Essay Archive, for sample essays: https://theessayarchive.blogspot.com.tr/  

BIOFUELS; A BLESSING OR A CURSE?

Concern about damage to the environment and the imminent depletion of fossil fuels has led to a search for environmentally friendly, practical and plentiful sources of energy one of which is biofuels. Do your research and discover what biofuel is and what its advantages and disadvantages are. Then write an essay where you discuss them.

Refer to my second blog, The Essay Archive, for sample essays: https://theessayarchive.blogspot.com.tr/  

Familiarize yourself with the topic:

·         What is Biofuel? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S88ZtNMD-7o

·         What is biomass? ?  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQ-cIVJuDks

Reading material to make notes on

·         What are Biofuels? http://biofuel.org.uk/what-are-biofuels.html

·         Biofuel facts http://biofuel.org.uk/biofuel-facts.html

·         Types of biofuels http://biofuel.org.uk/types-of-biofuels.html

·         Biofuel uses http://biofuel.org.uk/uses-of-biofuels.html

·         Advantages of biofuels http://biofuel.org.uk/advantages-of-biofuels.html

·         Disadvantages of biofuels http://biofuel.org.uk/disadvantages-of-biofuels.html

Videos to watch and take notes from

·         Are Algae Biofuels the Future of Energy? : Jerry Brand https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N5snbafLV40   

Renewable energies: the return of biomass https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ps6Rn-i9t1Y

HOW EAST AND WEST THINK IN PROFOUNDLY DIFFERENT WAYS

“Psychologists are uncovering the surprising influence of geography on our reasoning, behavior and sense of self”

By: David Robson

Published: BBC, 19 January 2017, http://www.bbc.com/future/story/20170118-how-east-and-west-think-in-profoundly-different-ways

Level of difficulty: **

BEFORE YOU READ

·         Individualistic versus collectivistic cultures https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rkUVe6KzAJU

Individualism versus Collectivism https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_v5TrCsVql0

QUESTIONS

1.       Which sentence best summarizes the first three paragraphs of the text?

·         Hokkaido was very similar to the American Wild West

·         Hokkaido was completely unfit for human habitation

·         Hokkaido was a very inhospitable place to live

·         Hokkaido was tough to reach and live on

·         Only the Ainu people were equipped to live on Hokkaido

2.       Why was the decision taken to reclaim the island of Hokkaido?

3.       What surprising discovery has been made about the residents of Hokkaido? Two answers

4.       The example of Hokkaido is provided to support the contention that…………………..

5.       What wrong assumption by researchers in the field of psychology probably led to misleading results? The assumption that…

6.       Read the two examples that follow and try and explain the reasons why the students acted as they did. Use your own words.

·         Consider the following incident that took place in an English class in Japan: Students were asked a question based on a reading passage that had just been covered. Nobody raised their hands to answer. The teacher later discovered that at least a third of the students knew the answer.

·         Now consider the following incident which took place during a German class in the US: Students were asked a question based on a reading passage. Most of the class raised their hands. The student who was told to answer the question got it wrong. One student called out the answer and was reprimanded for doing so.

7.       Consider the following example: You are walking down the street and you see a woman yelling at a boy and then you see her slap him. He starts to cry and she drags him off home. You react as follows:

·         You are angry. You think the mother is abusive and she doesn’t deserve to have kids

·         You wonder what the kid has done to deserve a beating

In which case are you thinking holistically?

8.       Consider the following list of terms items: pin, needle, thread. Which two would a holistic thinker not choose? Why?

9.       Look at this picture of the traffic accident: http://www.istockphoto.com/tr/photo/car-crash-collision-in-urban-street-gm522604359-50853808?st=_p_car%20accident You are a traffic policeman. You see various people standing around. Who would you ask about the cars which are driving away?

10.   Second and third generation Turkish immigrants in Germany may experience change in their social orientation because…

11.   We understand from the paragraph beginning “But” that the teachings of people like Enlightenment scholars probably led people in Europe and America to focus on…..

12.   Read the section of the text comparing the Wild West and Hokkaido. We understand from this section that the independent spirit and increased individualism is fostered by: Select as many as fit.

·         The harsh living conditions of the two locations

·         Trying to cope with life in these two locations

·         The pioneering spirit of the people in these two locations

·         The battle with the wilderness in these two locations

13.   Consider the following example: A young boy steals some food from a supermarket. Your reaction is to think that he was probably hungry and couldn’t afford food / he was badly brought up and a thief. What kind of a culture have you been brought up in?

14.   We understand from the paragraph detailing germ theory that the relationship between social outlook and response to disease is

·         Untenable

·         Valid

·         Invalid

·         Irrefutable

·         Probable

15.   We understand from the section detailing the relationship between crops and social orientation that the more……………..the growing of the crop, the more………………the culture and vice versa.

16.   We understand from the same section that the correlation between wheat and rice farming and social orientation is

·         Untenable

·         Valid

·         Invalid

·         Irrefutable

·         Probable

17.   Read the section titled “Cognitive Kaleidoscope”. What function does it serve? How do you know?

WRITING TASK

Use all that you have learnt to compare and contrast the two forms of social orientation discussed in the text: individualism and collectivism.

HOW EAST AND WEST THINK IN PROFOUNDLY DIFFERENT WAYS; KEY AND TEACHERS’ NOTES

This relatively simple text addresses ways of thinking, perspectives and attitudes which are shared by people in various parts of the world and can lead to a good writing task. The text has also allowed me to write questions including examples that are not in the text to test students’ comprehension.

1.       The fourth

2.       Because they feared a Russian invasion

3.       The frontier spirit still touches the way they think / Their cognitive profile is closer to America than the rest of Japan

4.       History, geography and culture can change how we all think in subtle and surprising ways

5.       Western, educated, industrialized, rich and democratic people could represent universal truths about human nature

6.       Possible answer: The Japanese culture is collectivist and they tend to underestimate their abilities but the US culture is individualistic and people with such a cultural background thirst for self validation and demonstrate overconfidence

7.       The second

8.       Pin and needle; there is no functional relationship between them

9.       An east Asian

10.   Our social orientation is learned from others (in this case Germans and German society)

11.   Freedom and independence

12.   Two and four

13.   Depends on your choice: if you take the first one, you were brought up in a collectivist culture; if you chose the second one, you were brought up in an individualistic society

14.   Probable

15.   Labour intensive, collectivist

16.   Valid

17.   It is the conclusion. It goes beyond the text and refers to the future. It is more general than the content of the development