GOING IT ALONE

The two short reading activities below focus on the pleasure of going out and doing things alone; something I personally greatly enjoy. Watch the videos, tackle the two reading tasks and write your essay where you share your own views.

TEXT ONE: THE UNEXPECTED PLEASURE OF DOING THINGS ALONE

“People avoid going out by themselves because they think they’ll appear antisocial, but it turns out they’ll end up having a lot more fun than they expected”

By: Joe Pinsker

Published: May 6, 2015; The Atlantic; http://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2015/05/the-unexpected-pleasure-of-doing-things-alone/392486/

Level of Difficulty: **

BEFORE YOU READ

Study the following and make some notes before moving on to the reading tasks proper

·         “12 Things everybody should do alone at least once” http://www.buzzfeed.com/ariannarebolini/things-everyone-should-do-alone-at-least-once#.km0XWB5W5

·         “How to be alone” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k7X7sZzSXYs

QUESTIONS

1.       The opening of restaurants like Eenmaal should not really come as a surprise because……………..and ………………………………….

2.       What self destructive decision to some people make about doing fun things?

3.       What misconception did Ratner and Hamilton’s test subjects entertain? Be very precise. You will need to tweak the text.

4.       The negative social reaction to doing things alone that causes reluctance is the fear that………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

5.       The above fear makes no sense at all because there was a close correlation / a positive correlation / little correlation / no correlation between the negative labels these same people expected to be given when doing things alone and those they themselves applied to similar people.

6.       Most people seemed to feel that going to a café or restaurant alone was more acceptable if they could feel that………………………………………………………………………………………

TEXT TWO: IN DEFENCE OF SEEING MOVIES ALONE

“Sitting solitary through a summer blockbuster has its perils. But that’s O.K.”

By: Chris Le

Published: June 2, 2011; The Atlantic; http://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2011/06/in-defense-of-seeing-movies-alone/239814/

Level of Difficulty: **

BEFORE YOU READ

·         “The case for going to the movies alone” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sf9eZwi0Hig

QUESTIONS

1.       Why does the writer go to the movies?

·         To be alone

·         To listen to other people

·         To watch a movie

·         To meet people

2.       The writer feels that it is strange / unusual / unnecessary / unpleasant / pathetic / fun to be accompanied to the movies.

3.       According to the information in the text, which of the activities would not be “immune to stigma”?

Going to a football match, going to the mall, going to a pop concert, going on a picnic in the park, going to the school cafeteria, going to the launderette

4.       Why is the writer happy to go to the movies alone but not to a party where he doesn’t know anyone? After all, he doesn’t know anyone else at the cinema either. Use your own words.

5.       The writer implies that whether the lone movie goer is likely to enjoy a solo visit to a movie theatre in the summer or not depends on………………………………………..

WRITING TASK

Think about what you have watched and read. Then write about the advantages and disadvantages of doing things alone.

TEXT ONE: THE UNEXPECTED PLEASURE OF DOING THINGS ALONE KEY AND TEACHER’S NOTES

I have always felt sorry for people who shut themselves up in their homes because they have no one to accompany them to various places. I have personally always greatly enjoyed my solo outings despite a wide circle of friends and actually crave the me time these excursions to cafes, restaurants and the like provide the opportunity for. This being the case, I couldn’t resist these two little texts.  Hopefully, there will be some converts.

1. Today more than a quarter of American households are home to just one person and the median age at which Americans get married has reached a record high.

2.       They decide to not do things all the time just because they are alone

3.       They predicted low levels of enjoyment while strolling through a nearby art gallery alone

4.       People would think they didn’t have any friends

5.       Little correlation

6.       They could be productive; OR the experience was an accomplishment

TEXT TWO: IN DEFENCE OF SEEING MOVIES ALONE KEY AND TEACHER’S NOTES

1.       To watch a movie

2.       Unnecessary

3.       Going to a football match, going to a pop concert, going for a picnic in the park

4.       The purposes are different. Watching a movie is an individual experience and doesn’t have to be shared; the purpose of a party is to socialize.

5.       The film; The type of film

THE DARK SIDE OF EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE

“In some jobs, being in touch with emotions is essential. In others, it seems to be a detriment. And like any skill, being able to read people can be used for good or evil”

By: Adam Grant

Published: Jan 2, 2014; The Atlantic; http://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2014/01/the-dark-side-of-emotional-intelligence/282720/

Level of Difficulty: ***

BEFORE YOU READ

Watch all three of the videos below in the order they have been presented and make notes:

• “Emotional Intelligence” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=weuLejJdUu0
• “Emotional Intelligence” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MepJp7KpaH4
• Watch the video where Daniel Goldman discusses emotional intelligence:

http://www.ted.com/talks/daniel_goleman_on_compassion/transcript?language=tr

•  

QUESTIONS

1.       According to the information in paragraph one, which of the following speeches would not require emotional intelligence? You may need to do a little research first.

·         Obama’s speech when he won the presidency

·         Churchill’s speech to the British people on the eve of WWII

·         David Cameron’s presenting of the party program to parliament

·         The Queen’s Christmas message of 2014

·         Julius Caesar’s speech beginning “Friends, Romans countrymen lend me your ears”

2.       Adolph Hitler tried to exploit the power of emotions in order to…………………………………

3.       The purpose for teaching emotional intelligence is to foster: mark the ones that fit.

·         More empathy with others

·         More charity and donations

·         More voluntary work

·         More  future opportunities

·         More sympathy for others

·         More self interest overall

·         More concern for others

·         More individualism overall

4.       A politician or a leader who is an expert in emotional skills has a distinct advantage because if he wishes to he can………………………………………….An example to the latter is the German people’s giving up their democratic rights and giving Hitler absolute power in a referendum.

5.       Why could the “awestruck effect” also be called the “dumbstruck effect”? Because the audience………………………………………………………………………………………………….

6.       The manager of the computer company studied by Gideon Kunda is an example of a/an…….

7.       The purpose of the same manager in praising the project yet distancing the organization from it was to undermine his colleague. We know this because he wished to guarantee that………..

8.       The purpose of people who adapt their emotions according to their surroundings is to……….

9.       The manager of the computer company studied by Gideon Kunda and Body Shop founder Anita Roddick are similar to each other in that they both ………………………………… but different in that ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

10.   Nurses, teachers, social workers and care givers are examples of professionals who benefit / don’t benefit from emotional intelligence because …………………………………………………………….

11.    Why would emotional intelligence be a handicap for a mechanic? Because:

·         His attention would be divided

·         He wouldn’t be concentrating

·         He would get worked up

·         He would endanger himself

·         All of the above

·         Other: please specify

12.    A manager with any sense would value staff with high levels of emotional intelligence in their company because they would……………………………………………………………………………..

13.   The difference between a hot headed person and an emotionally intelligent person is that the latter is able to …………………………………………………………………………………………………..

14.   Who would the manager be more likely to listen to? The hot headed person or the emotionally intelligent person? Why?

15.   The example of the self assessment of emotional intelligence is provided to prove that a lot of the research done on the subject is……………………………………………………………………………

WRITING TASK

Use all that you have learnt to write about the up sides and the down sides of emotional intelligence

THE DARK SIDE OF EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE KEY AND TEACHER’S NOTES

Some texts, because of their style and content, allow me to write the kind of comprehension questions any teacher would dream of; this is just such a text. The questions are tough and they require full understanding of the text; nuances, shades of meaning and all. The task is also practical in that the answers to the questions are clear cut, brief and direct. There is an added bonus: the text has a wow factor and the task will lead to a good writing task.

1.       The second and the third

2.       An absolutely spell binding public speaker

3.       One, two, three, five and seven fit.

4.       Motivate people to act against their best interests (This answer fits with the example that has been provided)

5.       Stops thinking critically (and just emote)

6.       A Machiavellian with high emotional intelligence

7.       The company’s founder blamed the colleague

8.       Fabricate favorable impressions of themselves

9.       Use emotional intelligence; Anita Roddick doesn’t use it (emotional intelligence) for nefarious purposes

10.   Benefit; these jobs require extensive attention to emotions

11.   His attention would be divided ( He wouldn’t be concentrating is too strong)

12.   Challenge the status quo by speaking up with ideas and suggestions for improvement

13.    Keep his anger in check and reason

14.   The emotionally intelligent person because his ability to express enthusiasm would help him avoid threatening the leader

15.   Fatally flawed

PRE-CRASTINATION: THE OPPOSITE OF PROCRASTINATION

“Why we do some tasks before their time and why pigeons do too”

By: David Rosenbaum and Edward A. Wasserman

Published: The Scientific American, June 30, 2015; http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/pre-crastination-the-opposite-of-procrastination/  

Level of difficulty: ** This is an easy level two

BEFORE YOU READ

·         Watch the following video titled “ pre-crastination: just as bad as procrastination”  and make some notes

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NkAkzs7bFu8

QUESTIONS

1.       Delaying a job that needs to be done until the last minute and then having to work fast is a bad idea because ………………………………. (use your own words)

2.       What is motivates pre-crastinators?

3.       Why are the actions of the supermarket shopper illogical?

4.       What hypothesis was disproved by the bucket experiment?

5.       How did the students try to justify their choice of bucket?

6.       The students’ bizarre selection of a bucket may be due to the fact that ……………………..

7.       The fact that………………………………………….proves that pigeons pre-crastinate as well.

8.       Why is the fact that both humans and pigeons pre-crastinate of significance?

9.       What two explanations for the innate tendency to pre-crastinate seem illogical?

10.   What is the possible scientific explanation for the tendency to procrastinate?

11.   The major advantage of trial and error learning is that ………………………………………

12.   How can procrastination help procrastinators?

WRITING TASK

Use the text and the video to write a definition paragraph on procrastination.

PRE-CRASTINATION: THE OPPOSITE OF PROCRASTINATION KEY AND TEACHER’S NOTES

As teachers we have all had those seemingly clever students who rush through a task like the road runner and seem to make a host of mistakes they then seem to be able to correct themselves. Slowing down the pace seems impossible. The resulting failure is frustrating for the student and the teacher. I have had students like this in the past as well and now there is a name for them pre-crastinators.  Hopefully, the two little texts and the video will make students more aware of this problem.

1.       Possible answer: It causes unnecessary mistakes / oversights / slip ups

2.       The desire to get things done sooner rather than later

3.       Because he tots the items further than necessary.

4.       That students would choose the bucket closer to the end because it would have to be carried a shorter distance

5.       They claimed they wanted to get the task done as soon as possible

6.       Getting something done, or coming closer to getting it done, is inherently rewarding.

7.       The pigeons directed their second peck to the side square, hence moving to the goal position as soon as they could (even though there was no obvious or extra reward for doing so)

8.       This behavioral tendency may have emerged even earlier in phylogeny

9.       The desire to grab low hanging fruit; completing tasks immediately may relieve working memory

10.   Neural circuits for tasks that get completed may endure longer than neural tasks for circuits that don’t

11.   It can prompt practical behavioral innovations

12.   By breaking larger tasks into smaller ones

INSIDE LONDON’S NEW SUBTERRANEAN FARM

“The farm, located 115 feet below a busy South London street, uses hydroponic techniques to grow pesticide free crops”

By:  Fergus O’Sullivan

Published: July 1, 2015; The Atlantic City Lab; http://www.citylab.com/tech/2015/07/inside-londons-new-subterranean-urban-farm/397454/

Level of Difficulty: *

BEFORE YOU READ

·         Go to the website for “Growing Underground” and study the website:  http://growing-underground.com/  . Make a note of the major advantages of underground farming.

·         Now, study the pictures, watch the video and read about these new urban farms on the following website: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3143564/Growing-underground-Forgotten-World-War-Two-bomb-shelter-100ft-tube-tunnels-world-s-subterranean-farm.html

Make some notes on what you have seen, watched and read.

QUESTIONS

1.       In what way is the new agricultural project unique?

2.       What overall conclusion can we draw from this project?

3.       All the precautions taken in the underground farm are for the purpose of………………………

4.       What advantage do crops grown at the underground farm have over the stuff you habitually eat?

5.       It is to the company’s advantage to grow crops underground because……………………….

6.       The place of the farm was probably especially selected because …………………………………………..

7.       Explain what “This” refers to in the phrase “This could be the beginning”. Use your own words.

8.       The project Growing Underground has enormous potential because …………………………………..

WRITING TASK

Write a paragraph or an essay discussing the advantages of Growing Underground. Use all the material that you have studied.

INSIDE LONDON’S NEW SUBTERRANEAN FARM KEY AND TEACHER’S NOTES

This fascinating text is all about an innovative approach to farming: a project called Growing Underground is pioneering a completely novel way of growing crops. The project has enormous potential and could help deal with the problem of loss of farm land. Hopefully it will lead to plenty of discussion.

1.       It is 115 feet below a busy South London street

2. With the right equipment you can grow food just about anywhere.
3. Keeping any bacteria at bay
4. They are pesticide free
5. The farm’s subterranean location cuts overheads
6. It is located extremely close to central London; OR,  the farm can get its crops onto plates within four hours of being harvested
7. This could be the beginning of a whole new way of growing crops
8. Other improbable, unpromising sites could be used to create stuff to eat.

THE SWEDISH VERSION OF VISIONZERO

TEXT 1 : HOW STOCKHOLM BECAME THE ULTIMATE WALKABLE CITY

By: Sarah Goodyear

Published: May 24, 2015; The Atlantic City Lab; http://www.citylab.com/commute/2015/03/how-stockholm-became-the-ultimate-walkable-city/388433/ 

Level of Difficulty: **

BEFORE YOU READ

·         Watch the following video on walkability and make a few notes: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7xL2Jl8ysoY

·         Watch the following video and make a few notes: “Talk explains how to make walkable cities” http://www.newsplex.com/home/headlines/Talk-Explains-How-and-Why-to-Make-Walkable-Cities-274056821.html

QUESTIONS

1. The original purpose of vision zero was to ………………………………………………………………………………
2. Watch the video that comes with the text. Now circle the words that best describe the streets of Stockholm:

Social, impersonal, laid back, family friendly, noisy, lack of amenities, too few public facilities, good shopping centers, too much night life, drugs and alcohol, good for pedestrians, preserves history and culture, not really livable

3. How is the focus of Vision Zero going to be changing in the coming years?
4. The change in opinion concerning congestion pricing is dramatic / minimal / considerable
5. We understand from the economic argument discussed in the text that apartments with facilities and amenities which are ……………………. are far more popular.
6. ……………………….has made Stockholm’s street family friendly.
7. The new vision for Stockholm is planning a city which is …………………………………………………
8. Vision zero is now not only about making the city safer but also more ………………………….

TEXT 2: THE SWEDISH APPROACH TO ROAD SAFETY: ‘THE ACCIDENT IS NOT THE MAJOR PROBLEM’

By: Sarah Goodyear

Published: November 20, 2014; The Atlantic City Lab, http://www.citylab.com/commute/2014/11/the-swedish-approach-to-road-safety-the-accident-is-not-the-major-problem/382995/

Level of difficulty: ** 

QUESTIONS

1. What unique goal has the Swedish government undertaken?
2. The system has proved successful because …………………………………………………………..
3. What rather harsh view entertained by political economists is Sweden trying to counter?
4. Transport safety needs to be seen ……………………………….which requires a radical shift in mind set
5. The new system Sweden envisions puts …………………….front and center
6. What criticism was leveled at Sweden by an American author? He felt that…………………..
7. The fact that a basic safety net is part of life in Sweden means that people are more prepared to………………………………………………
8. Read the answer to the question “And how does that play out in the transportation realm?” Where, in this section, would you put the saying “After all, if you can’t beat them, join them”?
9. The speed limit of 30mph allowed in urban settings in Sweden represents ……………………………
10. Read the story of Allison Liao. Where would you put the phrase “This is asking for trouble”?
11. Read from “So that’s a good example of a problem” to the end of this section. Where would you put the sentence “Traffic cameras are well and good but they won’t solve the problem”?
12. Sweden is very different from other countries in that the purpose of traffic cameras is not to ……………………………………….or to ………………………………………………………………………………………..
13. Where in the last paragraph would you put the phrase “ It is a real urban jungle unlike Stockholm”

WRITING TASK

Use the information in the two texts you have studied plus the videos you have watched to discuss the advantages of the Swedish approach to providing road safety and city planning.

TEXT 1: HOW STOCKHOLM BECAME THE ULTIMATE WALKABLE CITY KEY AND TEACHER’S NOTES

This is the first of two texts on how Sweden, progressive welfare state, has tackled the problem of road safety. Being Sweden, they have a radically different and people friendly system where the pedestrian is front and center. And naturally, being Sweden, it works like a dream. Traffic is a popular topic in language classes this might be a breath of fresh air. It needs to be covered in conjunction with the text titled “THE SWEDISH APPROACH TO ROAD SAFETY: ‘THE ACCIDENT IS NOT THE MAJOR PROBLEM” to be meaningful.

1. To reduce traffic deaths and serious fatalities to zero through a combination of engineering, education and enforcement.
2. Social, laid back, family friendly, good shopping centers, good for pedestrians, preserves history and culture
3. They want to involve the health benefits of more people using their bikes and more people walking.
4. Dramatic.
5. Walking distance
6. Eliminating cars
7. Rich in human interaction, that provides a healthier environment that puts people above cars in a variety of ways
8. Livable

TEXT 2: THE SWEDISH APPROACH TO ROAD SAFETY: ‘THE ACCIDENT IS NOT THE MAJOR PROBLEM’ KEY ANDTEACHER’S NOTES

This the second of two texts addressing the issue of road safety, and how Sweden has tackled the problem. It needs to be done in conjunction with the text titled “HOW STOCKHOLM BECAME THE ULTIMATE WALKABLE CITY” to be meaningful.

1. Managing the nation’s streets and roads with the ultimate goal of preventing fatalities and serious injuries.
2. Sweden recorded seven traffic fatalities per 100.000 people; despite a significant increase in traffic volume, the number is fewer than three.
3. Fatalities are a price you have to pay for transport
4. As a civil rights thing
5. Humans
6. If you take care too much about people in your society they will be a little bit spoiled
7. Take risks
8. At the end of the first paragraph in the section
9. The threshold where we can tolerate external violence, kinetic energy
10. After “or risk reduction on these two people”.
11. After the sentence beginning “Because these mistakes…”
12. Catch people or earn money/ raise revenue
13. After  “insecure”

MIXED SIGNALS: WHY PEOPLE MISUNDERSTAND EACH OTHER

“The psychological quirks that make it tricky to get an accurate read on someone’s emotions”

By: Emily Esfahani Smith

Published: April  23, 2015; The Atlantic; http://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2015/04/mixed-signals-why-people-misunderstand-each-other/391053/

Level of difficulty: **

BEFORE YOU READ

·         Watch the following video carefully: “Facial Expression Tutorial by Khappucino”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TrgNKGjSyxA

·         Now listen to the following talk and take notes:

http://study.com/academy/lesson/facial-expressions-in-nonverbal-communication-importance-lesson-quiz.html

QUESTIONS

1.       Read as far as “To Halverson”. What conclusion did Tim draw from this incident?

·         I am not getting across to them as well as I thought I was

·         How awful they have been thinking I am a jerk

·         They must think I am terribly bad tempered

·         They must think I am completely unapproachable

·         All of the above

·         None of the above

·         Other: please specify

2.       What conclusion did Tim’s team draw from the same incident?

·         He can pretend all he likes; we know his type

·         Maybe he is not as bad as we thought; this could work

·         Active listening my foot; he is a bad tempered old sod

·         He needs to get out more and learn about facial expressions

·         All of the above

·         None of the above

·         Other: please specify

3.       What conclusion can we draw from the additional examples provided in the text?  Circle the adjective(s) that won’t fit according to the text.  Complete misunderstanding of another person’s intention in saying or doing something is  quite infrequent/quite common / relatively widespread / universal / exceptional

4.       All the examples studied so far prove that………………………………………………………………………………

5.       Read the section on the transparency gap and decide whether the following conclusions are true or false according to the text:

·         We shouldn’t blame others for not seeing us for what we are

·         If people choose not to understand that is their own fault

·         We should express ourselves clearly and not expect people to read our minds

·         If we want people to understand us we should help them to

·         Hiding your feelings and expecting people to read your mind is stupid

6.       The main reason why people misread other people is the fact that …………………………………………

7.       A staff member is confused and flustered on his first few days on a new job.  Mark True or False

·         This impression will be remedied as soon as he performs better

·         This impression may prevent his future promotion

·         This impression may affect the amount of responsibility he gets given

·         People will understand that he didn’t know the job and revise their opinion at once

8.       What would happen if the above staff member consistently received a lot of praise from clients?

9.       Why are people loath to resort to system 2 thinking?

10.   What is the ultimate result of sticking to system 1 thinking?

11.   Read Dan Gilbert’s experiment to the end. When the subjects were allowed to move on from their first impression, they labeled / didn’t label the subject as an anxious person.

12.    In the same experiment preoccupation seemed to prevent the subject from reaching the correct result / encourage the subject to reach the correct result. The conclusion we can draw is that in order to accurately assess a situation it is enough to form an impression / it is necessary to focus. The rule of thumb is that first impressions are always wrong / can be wrong / are never wrong.

13.    A person with high self esteem is likely to judge another person…………………………………….because …………………………………………………………………………………………….

14.   What conclusion can we draw from the 1998 study published in “Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin”?

15.   Sending clear signals comes with an additional bonus:

WRITING TASK

Use the text and the videos you have watched to discuss the reasons why we  often misunderstand each other. Although you will need to use what you learnt in the text, you must use your own words and your own examples while completing the task.

In your introduction: discuss the transparency illusion

In your development: discuss the reasons:

·         People are cognitive misers or lazy thinkers

·         Perception is influenced by the perceiver’s experiences, emotions and biases

In your conclusion: suggest solutions; use the text and your own experience

MIXED SIGNALS: WHY PEOPLE MISUNDERSTAND EACH OTHER

This task comes with some interesting videos and a writing task so it is all inclusive. The text should be appealing in terms of content and lead to lively discussions. Hopefully the lesson will be productive and enjoyable.

1.       All of the above

2.       Other: 2 and 4

3.       Quite infrequent, exceptional

4.       There is a gap between how other people see us and how we see ourselves.

5.       Only the second one is false

6.       They are lazy thinkers.

7.       F, T, T, F

8.       The boss can engage in system 2 thinking and update his impression of the member of staff.

9.       It demands a lot of effort and mental energy

10.   Speed is traded off for accuracy in thinking about others.

11.   They didn’t label the subject as an anxious person

12.   Prevent the subject from reaching the correct result; it is necessary to focus; can be wrong

13.   Less harshly or more favorably; his sense of himself or herself isn’t threatened.

14.   If you want to solve the problem of perception, it is much more practical for you to decide to be a good sender of signals than to hope that the perceiver is going to go into phase 2 of perception.

15.   Such people are ultimately happier and more satisfied with their relationships, careers and lives.

REACH UNDERSTANDING; CAN YOU TEACH PEOPLE TO HAVE EMPATHY?

Published: BBC Magazine, June 29, 2015; http://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-33287727

Level of difficulty: **

BEFORE YOU READ:

• What is Empathy?

1.       https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9_1Rt1R4xbM

2.       https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aU3QfyqvHk8

• Now do the following test designed by Simon Baron-Cohen to determine how good you are at reading people. You will learn the significance of this test when you read the text.

The test: https://www.questionwritertracker.com/quiz/61/Z4MK3TKB.html

• Now watch the following video:

               https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cDDWvj_q-o8

QUESTIONS

1. What word could you substitute for the word “integral” in the subtitle?
2. What does “this message” refer to in the sentence “Humans are naturally primed to embrace this message”

• Empathy is written into our genetic code; i.e. it is inherited
• It is important to put yourself in someone else’s shoes
• It is not possible to understand someone unless you love them
• It is possible to understand people if you share their life.

3. Could Hannibal Lector understand “this message”? Why?
4. What conclusion can we draw from the example of the mother, the earthquake, the six year-old twins and the writer’s partner?
5. Does the conclusion Cohen reached at the end of his research tally with the writer’s view expressed earlier in the text?
6. Interrupting a person halfway through his account of a problem to take words out of his mouth and finish his story for him because you think you know what he is going to say is right / wrong because  ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………..
7. Read the example of conflict resolution. Repeating what the staff member said gives the message that:

• The boss knows what the staff member is talking about
• The boss wants to correct the staff member if necessary
• The boss has actually listened to the staff member
• The boss has actually understood the staff member
• All of the above
• None of the above
• Other: please specify

8. Read the wonderful poem by Bertolt Brecht and state clearly what the message is. Begin as follows: It is important to

A Worker Reads History By Bertolt Brecht

Who built the seven gates of Thebes?
The books are filled with names of kings.
Was it the kings who hauled the craggy blocks of stone?
And Babylon, so many times destroyed.
Who built the city up each time? In which of Lima's houses,
That city glittering with gold, lived those who built it?
In the evening when the Chinese wall was finished
Where did the masons go? Imperial Rome
Is full of arcs of triumph. Who reared them up? Over whom
Did the Caesars triumph? Byzantium lives in song.
Were all her dwellings palaces? And even in Atlantis of the legend
The night the seas rushed in,
The drowning men still bellowed for their slaves.

Young Alexander conquered India.
He alone?
Caesar beat the Gauls.
Was there not even a cook in his army?
Phillip of Spain wept as his fleet
was sunk and destroyed. Were there no other tears?
Frederick the Great triumphed in the Seven Years War.
Who triumphed with him?

Each page a victory
At whose expense the victory ball?
Every ten years a great man,
Who paid the piper?

So many particulars.
So many questions.

9. What are the advantages of chatting to strangers?
10. Go to the following link and watch the video: http://empathymuseum.com/video . The message the museum is trying to give is that: …………………………………………………………………………………

WRITING TASK

Write an essay or paragraph were you discuss the ways in which mutual understanding can be improved.

11. Radical listening
12. Look for the human behind everything
13. Become curious about strangers.

REACH UNDERSTANDING

CAN YOU TEACH PEOPLE TO HAVE EMPATHY? KEY AND TEACHER’S NOTES

This wonderful little text comes with a couple of self explanatory videos and a test. It should lead to a fruitful discussion and a reading into writing activity. The good thing is that the text addresses a very complex issue but discusses it at a relatively simple level.

1. Very important or necessary
2. The second
3. No, he was a psychopath and incapable of feeling empathy
4. Most don’t tap into their full empathic potential in everyday life (The empathy gap can appear in personal relationships too will not do as it doesn’t cover the first two examples; the empathy gap on its own is grammatically not possible)
5. Yes it does.
6. Wrong; it doesn’t give them the feeling of being understood
7. Other: 3 and 4
8. Deepen empathic concern for others by developing an awareness of all those individuals hidden behind the surface of our daily lives (on whom we may depend on some way)
9. It opens up our empathic minds, we can meet fascinating people , we can challenge the assumptions and prejudices that we have.
10. Empathy is the cornerstone of healthy human relationships.