ESL etc.

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It’s not ESL specific, but I found a lot of relevant ideas in McKay Jenkins’ recent article in the Chronicle of Higher Education. In it, he argues against focusing on preparing students for competition in the global marketplace. Instead, he suggests helping students understand and explore the problems of the marketplace, problems that are becoming more and more evident. At the same time, Jenkins has his students take action locally, performing field research on issues that matter to them. This idea of encouraging students to find opportunities for action as part of learning about global issues is one that I have long been a proponent of. In fact, if you’ll be at TESOL in March, I’ll be presenting ideas for bringing local environmental resources into the classroom.

I hear a lot of politicians, reformers, and even educational administrators talk about the importance of preparing students for the marketplace. I appreciate being reminded that this is not education’s ultimate goal.

I may be late to the party, but I want to highly recommend the Adblock Plus plugin for Firefox. It is free, quick to install, and it blocks virtually all banner and pop-up ads. It’s amazing what a difference it makes. It even blocks ads in things like Hulu. I haven’t noticed any slowdown, and it is easy to add exceptions for sites where you want to allow pop-ups. I will definitely recommend this plug-in to my students, and it would make an interesting discussion topic in a unit on consumerism. Looking at the things we get for “free” (because they serve as conduits for the delivery of advertising) is a great class topic.

My wife and I just watched a great documentary on PBS called My Life as a Turkey. It tells the story of naturalist and wildlife illustrator Joe Hutto and his experience as “mother” to a brood of wild turkeys. The video powerfully reveals the complex and sophisticated lives of wild turkeys. I think this should be required Thanksgiving viewing (preferably before dinner).

I’ve embedded the first chapter above, but you can watch the whole video for free on the PBS website. I would absolutely use this as part of a Thanksgiving lesson, or in a unit that addresses animal intelligence. In our program, we use the Quest series of books by McGraw-Hill. In Quest 1(which we use in some of our low-intermediate classes), there is a unit on biology that covers animal behavior, communication and learning. This video would fit in perfectly.

Slavery Footprint is a visually engaging survey that roughly determines how many slaves were involved in producing the goods we consume. It’s similar to carbon footprint calculators in terms of the questions it asks, asking about your home, electronics, diet, clothing and so on. On several of the questions, it allows you to really delve into detailed answers if you want, but it doesn’t require this. As you go through the survey, facts on slavery / bonded labor are given. The real information comes at the end, though. You are presented with a map that shows the regions whose slaves your specific lifestyle is most likely to involve. Clicking on each of these areas reveals a short summary of the particular industries in that area that rely on slave labor.

I think this is an effective way to get students to look at the ramifications of their consumption, and it also serves as a powerful reminder that slavery is not a thing of the past. I would absolutely use this in class, perhaps following it up with a reflective writing assignment.

Thanks Larry

NPR has a neat short video on how the world population has grown to reach 7 billion. It would be pretty understandable, even at lower levels, and it would work with a range of topics: population, poverty and wealth, food, consumption, etc.

Thanks Krista

Youth Xchange is produced by UNEP and UNESCO, and it has links to loads of educational resources aimed at young people. Topics include the environment, consumption, body image, nutrition, and much, much more. I haven’t nearly explored it all, but there is a lot of good stuff here. It is mostly profiles of people and organizations that are making a positive impact, as opposed to materials they they have developed themselves. They also have a downloadable guide that features some of the highlights.

If I were planning a unit on one of the issues covered by this website, I would definitely check out the links they suggest.

Business Insider has a page that features a ton of different charts and graphs on wealth inequality. It would work great in conjunction with an activity on Occupy Wall Street. The graphs start off showing how unemployment is at an all-time high (since 1940), then they look at CEO pay and corporate profits.

The graph I have included here compares corporate profits and CEO pay rates to production worker income and minimum wage. It makes a clear statement against the argument that a rising tide lifts all ships. Corporate profits and CEO pay have risen tremendously since 1990, but the trickle down of jobs and middle class income has not materialized.

Another interesting chart (far down the page) is one that compares wealth inequality in the US to that of other countries. We currently rank 93rd, behind China, Iran and Russia. Even further down is some information about how banks are using the money they are borrowing from the government at virtually 0% interest to buy treasury bills, profiting from free loans with zero risk.

These charts could be used in a wide array of activities on business, wealth and poverty, globalization, and worker’s rights. The page as a whole is probably too much, but a few carefully chosen graphs or charts would make a great addition to a reading or discussion activity.

Thanks Khalid!

Occupy Wall Street is a protest in New York City that has been going on for 18 days. On Saturday, 700 protesters were arrested, following the arrest of 80 protesters the week before. The occupation involves members of a number of different groups, and the main thrust is a frustration with the fact that American political and economic systems favor corporations. It is an expression of dissent against decades of policies favoring the rich. The Occupy Wall Street website itself doesn’t have much information, but there is a live video feed that might be useful.

If I were teaching a class on business, I would absolutely include information on this protest. In my experience, it may come as a surprise to some students that the majority of Americans are not rich. This would fit in well with activities on the distribution of wealth. One of the groups involved in the protest, We Are the 99%, offers a powerful collection of photos and narratives by the poorer 99% of Americans. This would work well with graphs illustrating the fact that, while the wealthiest 1% have seen their real income more than double in the past few decades, the rest of America has seen little to no growth. And, of course, this problem is not uniquely American. Students could be invited to present information on the distribution of wealth in their countries, or in other countries that they research. It could also be fruitful to combine these with activities looking at the distribution of wealth between countries. Whatever the angle, articles on this protest would be a great addition to a unit on business, government or wealth and poverty.

Spent is an educational game that attempts to give users the experience of living on the edge of poverty. You make a series of choices, trying to keep your head above water financially. It is text-based, providing lots of reading opportunities with plenty of life-skills-related vocabulary. I particularly like how they demonstrate that financial pressures can lead to moral dilemmas. For example, the decision to drive away from a fender bender with a parked car is much more tempting with a low bank account balance. There are also interesting compromises that have to be made in terms of opportunities that you are able to offer to your child. After many of the decisions, additional facts and opinions are given about the relevant issues.

I think this game is an engaging way for students to learn about many of the issues that poor families struggle with. I would certainly consider using it in a unit on poverty and wealth. It doesn’t take very long, and could serve either as an introductory or review activity. It also touches on a number of other issues, including education, health and nutrition.

One of the fundamental problems with capitalism as it is currently practiced in many countries around the world is that it relies on continual growth. Obviously, this is not sustainable. The Center for the Advancement of Steady State Economy (CASSE) is an organization that seeks to explore the true costs of growth-based economics, as well as considering alternatives. Their website is full of readings, and they also have a collection of videos, slideshows and audio recordings. There is even a humor section.

If I were doing a unit on business or the economy, I would absolutely use materials from this site. Many of the readings are fairly short, and the language is pretty down to earth.