Welcome to the third roadmap for the C2 Development Course. Below, you’ll see the guiding question for this week – you’ll be reflecting on this through the various tasks, as well as in our live sessions. You then have three tasks to introduce you to the topic and text(s), as well as an optional task. It is recommended that you complete the first three tasks before you attend the live session. Although the tasks are designed to be completed in order, you can skip to the main text task if you are short on time.
Guiding question two: how does the internet shape what we believe?
Task one: I aint talkin’ bout that!
Dylan Gates, a teacher trainer I follow on LinkedIn, recently posted a poll asking readers to suggest taboo topics for the classroom. Doing my CELTA back in 2011, I remember being told about the PARSNIPs – an acronym of topics which were inappropriate to discuss in the classroom, for fear of offending your learners or making them feel unwelcome in your classroom space. Well, here’s the list of topics that those of us who replied to the post suggested:
- 👩💻 Technology & Society 👨👩👦👦
- AI: friend or foe?
- Social media: connection vs. surveillance
- Digital surveillance & data privacy
- Influencer culture: empowerment or commodification
- Crypto: freedom or speculation
- Fake news vs. real news
- Scams and online manipulation
- Children on social media
- 🏛️ Politics & Power 💪
- Populism and its impact on democracy
- Politicians vs. experts: who should guide decisions?
- Cancel culture: accountability or overreach?
- “Woke” culture: awareness or opportunism?
- Brexit: long-term benefits and drawbacks
- 🧾 Society, Ethics & Culture 🧕
- Migration: enrichment or social strain?
- Feminism: equality or shifting imbalance?
- Anticolonialism: justice or new power structures?
- Freedom of speech vs. hate speech
- Accent prejudice and linguistic bias
- Authenticity in the workplace
- 👩🎓 Education & Learning ✍
- Role of taboo topics in the classroom
- Coursebooks: useful or limiting?
- How education systems should evolve
- 🧪 Health & Wellbeing 🌱
- Mandatory vaccines and public health
- Gender and identity
- 🤑 Economy & Global Issues 🌏
- Wealth inequality: should billionaires exist?
- Resource extraction (e.g., cobalt mining)
- People as products vs. consumers
- Demographic changes and falling birth rates
- 📵 Everyday & Light Debate Topics 🍕
- Mobile phone use in public (etiquette & rules)
- Hawaiian pizza: yes or no?
But the question is, are any of these actually taboo topics? Would you feel uncomfortable if any of these topics were raised in class (or conversation)? Why (not?
Task two: what’s taboo for you?
Let’s try and put our finger on exactly what it is that you find taboo? Where’s the line in the sand that you wouldn’t cross?
Can you think of three different opinions which, if raised by a colleague, a classmate, or an aquaintance, would make you feel uncomfortable?
For each of the opinions, can you pinpoint why it is you’d feel this way?
Task three: the main text
Wondering where this is going? It’s all very innocent (minus the bonus video at the end). Watch this interview with Tom Hardy, first just to enjoy it. Then watch it again with the questions which follow.
Here are the questions:
- How would you answer each of the questions?
- What’s with the door in the TV?*
- Why does Tom say he wouldn’t be a meaty snack?
- In what way could someone be a princess? Why does Tom say the girl is a princess in a nice way?
- Can you explain see it off with a big stick? What other expression does Tom use to evoke the same idea?
*Natural language alert
Why did Ben ask what’s with… ? What does it mean?
Feel like doing some listening work?
Pay attention to what Tom and Dev say, and how they say it
Optional extension
There’s a couple of rabbit holes you can go down with this one. There’s a whole series of Kids Ask videos from BBC Radio 1, including this very topical one with Stanley Tucci and Anne Hathaway. What interesting, colloquial language do you spot in this (or any other) video?
The other rabbit hole is very different, going back to the idea of taboo with a vengeance. The Taboo Room is one of those YouTube gems – well-made documentaries that shine a light on parts of society which are much-maligned or often forgotten. The task is the same: what interesting, colloquial language do you spot. In addition, think about what aspects of the documentary shock or surprise you, and why that would be the case.
And yes, the accents are challenging!
This week in the Dev Sesh…
In our live session this week, we’ll spend more time with Tom Hardy (no complaints there), thinking about what he says and how he says it. We’ll also explore what stated Dylan Gates off on his classroom taboo discussing in the first place, and think about how much has changed in society in the past 20-odd years. Nice and light, then!
