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.

The RSA Animate series of video clips is an interesting way to present some very sophisticated ideas to learners. The visual nature of the lectures helps comprehension and helps hold student interest. The lecture above looks at how recent developments in cognitive science change our understanding of human nature. Other lectures deal with concepts like charity, choice, and education, just to name a few. In addition to the various content areas that these lectures could be used in, they would be a great addition to activities working on lecture listening and note taking.

Unfortunately, I didn’t find the RSA website so easy to navigate. For example, I couldn’t find a page that indexed all of the animated lectures. That said, there are many articles and other materials on the website that would be interesting to use in class, so poking around a bit is not a bad thing. If you’re looking for a shortcut, though, here is a search that highlights the RSA Animate lectures. Another approach is to browse through their YouTube channel, which includes many non-animated lectures as well.

Along the same lines, Yes Magazine has an article about 5 acts of performance-based protest. I’m not thrilled with the tone of the article (“laughtivism” seems overly reductive) but the events themselves are very interesting. For one thing, it is great to show students that activism has many different faces. I tend to emphasize the activism that we take in our everyday actions, and it is important show students the range of responses that are available.

I haven’t used any of these materials yet, so to get a better understanding, I took a look at one topic in particular. I chose the 9-12 unit on Microfinance. The lesson plan itself is 37 pages, with detailed descriptions of the standards met, and several page-long readings on women and microfinance. It starts with a set of visual aids, a collection of photos and maps that help introduce the issues.

Next, students watch a short (2 min.) video clip profiling a woman in Aceh, Indonesia who is rebuilding her business after the tsunami. There is also a reading that gives additional information on her story, and discussion prompts are included with the visual aids. Many ideas for extension activities are also given, including reading graphs, understanding laws, and learning about gender inequality in the US.

The second part of the lesson uses a 2 min. interview with a woman from the International Food Policy Research Institute. She discusses how improving the economic status of woman also benefits children. Slides in the visual aids take students through a summarizing activity and a discussion of the U.N.’s Millennium Development Goals. Again, many extension activities are given.

Based on this lesson, I would absolutely look to use these materials in class. They are full of great vocabulary, and engaging activities. And I think the range in grade levels available would make it easy to find something that would work with a class at a variety of English proficiencies.

Via World727

I have to confess that I’m no expert on Cesar Chavez, but these resources seem like a great way to make issues of human rights and food production relevant.

Thanks Larry

More photos are available at Nina Berman’s website. Check the purple hearts and marine wedding portfolios. Any or all of these materials would be great additions to a unit on war.

In January, they are conducting their 2nd month of responsible consumption. The tenets of the month are:

1. Daily meditation.
2. Limiting use of plastic bags, disposable coffee cups, electricity, and so on.
3. Walking, biking or using public transportation whenever possible
4. Eating lightly packaged local food and less meat.
5. Limiting general consumption, trying to buy things secondhand.
6. Finding another personal way to reduce consumption (giving up cigarettes, coffee, etc.).
7. Sharing your experience on a daily basis.

Because I can no longer listen to the podcast (it’s blocked in China) this event crept up on me, but I think it would be a great activity to bring into the language classroom, and a powerful way to introduce a wide range of global issues. I have done individual activism projects before, and found them to be very worthwhile. I especially like the final item on the list — participants are encouraged to journal about their experience and realizations during the course of the month. Students could participate on the message board, or simply share their thoughts with their classmates.

Long Way To Wander resonates with a Dylan-esque verve, a Waits-ian post-modernity, Cook baring his soul in public for all to hear. The songs mostly revolve around Cook’s strings – guitar, banjo, ukelele – and his low, booming voice, while a few of his friends appear in secondary roles. –Francois Marchand

In all, it’s deep-thinking, introspective stuff with a definite expat desperation, the special observations that going away and coming home delivers to us, both curse and superpower. –Fish Griwkowsky

You can check out three of the tracks for free here, and you can also find links to buy the album from CD Baby, iTunes, or Bullfrog Music (in Canada). Personally, I recommend the MP3 download from CD Baby – no packaging, no DRM, and the artist gets 91% of the album price.