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Great post on presentation techniques

February 6th, 2008
by Cleve Miller


A little different take, with a refreshingly informal register. Great advice on what is all too often overlooked: hardcore practice.

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“I could not help myself. It is my nature.”

February 5th, 2008
by Cleve Miller


Micah Baldwin wrote a wonderful mash-up of the classic frog and scorpion parable, and the post is a nice text that could be used in any BE class that would be interested in discussing the proposed Microsoft + Yahoo! merger.

For a small group class, you could work in some other parables as well, that you select from here. Include the original frog scorpion parable in your selection of parables. Then, for example:

1) distribute a different parable to each S or pair
2) have each S or pair read their parable; you help with vocab.
3) the pairs then relate their parable in their own words to the class as a whole
4) class briefly discusses the meaning of each, to arrive at the “moral of the story” (right hand column)
5) sequence the parable pairs so that the original frog and scorpion parable comes last
5) after the frog/scorpion pair relates their parable and it’s discussed, distribute the Microsoft/Yahoo parable to all Ss
6) Discuss: is the MS/Yahoo merger analogous to the original parable? What business lessons could be drawn from that parable, or any other?
7) For next class: have Ss think of a current business challenge/decision that they or their department or colleagues are making, and find a parable on the parable resource above that relates to the decision, and be prepared to tel the story / present the parable and relevance to the class

Depending on class size, level, and dynamic, it might go to two classes. Step 7 is critical IMHO.

Anyway, just an idea. I think I’m like most BE teachers: everything I read, I subconsciously make a lesson out of!

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Meetings and discussions resource

December 29th, 2007
by Cleve Miller


I can imagine a lot of ways Debatepedia could be used as a resource for higher level BE classes, especially for skills such as meetings, discussions, presentation Q & A, and negotiations. Whatever the class goals are, it’d be good to work on “polite disagreement” - debate classes can get contentious in my experience, and it’d be good to practice “how to keep your cool in English”!Debatepedia calls for user-generated content from its community:

As a wiki like Wikipedia and an open-source movement, Debatepedia’s socially important content is developed by editors like you - students, citizens, debaters, professors, experts, and thinkers. Here’s why you should join our community of editors…

Its mission:

[Debatepedia] improves your ability to think through the complicated issues and debates you care about, take a confident stand, and take action as a citizen. An important way to take action is by participating as an editor on the site, where you can create new debates, build and organize pro and con arguments, and present supporting evidence (quotes, studies, links) from your readings all so that you can better deliberate. Your efforts, in turn, will also improve the ability of a wide audience of citizens, leaders, and decision-makers to deliberate and draw reasoned conclusions. As such, we believe Debatepedia will help fix an apparent deficit of balanced reasoning and deliberation within the public and among leaders today.

I’ve re-read that last sentence a few times now, and each time I smile (which is probably a prelude to either laughing or crying).

Hat tip to Jeffrey Hill of The English Blog.

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