June 25 2015 Blog Topic (Thursday)

Please read the strange resume, make some decisions, form an opinion, and prepare to discuss.

See you in class!

Matthew

The Best, or Worst Resume Ever

The following is a copy of an actual resume submitted to a company by a man named Eric.

Some of the details have been edited out to protect his privacy.

Is it the worst resume ever or is it actually quite brilliant?  You decide.

Eric

hgsrfhrfthertherfghsdfghdfhgdffghdfhfdhg

dfgdshdfghdfghdfghdffgh

OBJECTIVES

To claw my way to the top using any means necessary…. but then be a fair and just ruler, and bring your company to new heights, or whatever.

PERSONAL ATTRIBUTES

Cat-like reflexes – now you see me, meow you don’t

Possible ESP

Knows when to hold, knows when to fold

Emits pleasant aroma(s)

Horse-like laugh (optional)

Extremely proficient at Mariokart for Super Nintendo

Not bad at “sexy” dancing

29 years old but have the facial hair of a 13 year old

Can eat a LOT at one sitting.  Oh, also, I can moonwalk quite well

EXPERIENCE

I am quite experienced with the McDonald’s menu

One time I rode a horse but it bucked me off.  I was injured and ended up gaining like 30lbs but then I shed that weight like a snakeskin, very fast metabolism.

I have enough knowledge to write an essay on pretty much any subject (without researching it)

Acne lancer

Life coach

EDUCATION

Finished high school by the skin of my teeth (1999)

Spent most of time daydreaming out window but if you hire me things will be different, I swear.

REFERENCE

Eric

Who better to tell  you about me than…. me.

Holla!  4353452345dfdfgd2345                  

Source Material:-     http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/04/18/resume-fail-or-win_n_850353.html
Related:-   http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/11/08/funny-resumes-cover-letters_n_2092762.html

Discussion Questions

With your partner, discuss the following questions. Feel free to ask any follow-on questions you like.

1.     Would you hire someone who claimed to have “cat-like reflexes”, and to be “not bad at sexy dancing” on their resume?

2.     What special talents do you have that you wouldn’t put in your resume?

(for example:- can you chug a beer in 3 seconds, burp the alphabet, or play tunes with your armpit?)

3.     What is the most important part of a resume? 

If you were hiring, what would be the first thing you would look for?

4.     When you write your resume, are you completely honest? 

Do you exaggerate, or even lie about your abilities and experience?

5.     What information about yourself would you try to keep hidden from a potential employer?

Speed Interviews

  You need to hire someone to help you right away!  Think up two or three interview type questions that are designed to assess a person’s character.  You are not interested in their work experience or education or qualifications.  You simply want to determine what sort of personality they have and whether or not you would like to work with that person based on their personality type. 

·      You can ask them about their thoughts, opinions and feelings. 

·      You cannot ask them for facts about their employment history or academic achievements. 

  Think about the type of person you would like to work with and would get along well with.  Once you have come up with some questions, ask them to your classmates.  Take notes.  Based on their answers, decide who you think you would most like to work with.  Afterwards, you may be asked to explain your choice to the rest of the class.

June 24 2015 (Wednesday) Student Chosen Topic

Thank you for the topic! It's a short article, so make sure you understand every word in it. You may have to google some the cereals to really understand them too.

See you in class!

http://www.cbc.ca/m/news/topstories/generals-mills-to-end-use-of-artificial-flavours-colours-in-cereal-1.3122934

Questions

 Do you like cereal? Do you often eat it?

 Do you care about foods that include artificial ingredients?

 Do you think removing all artificial colours and flavours (but still keeping the good taste) from all foods is possible?

Do you ever choose to buy food only because it is natural and has no artificial ingredients?\

Would you pay more money for cereal that was natural?

Why do you think that people have become more concerned about what is in their food?

Is your home culture more or less concerned about food quality compared to what you've seen here?

How do you feel about other products? For example, shoes and clothes made in sweatshops?

June 23 2015 (Tuesday) Discussion

Please read the article and don't forget to have a look at the discussion questions below too. Use a dictionary if necessary.

See you in class!

Matthew

Children should not start school

until age six or seven, experts warn

Children should not start formal school lessons until they are six or seven because of the “profound damage” the current education system is causing, a group of experts has warned.

An early focus on play should be introduced as part of a fundamental overhaul of the system that would bring it more into line with Scandinavian countries, according to 127 experts from academia, teaching, literature and charities.

In a letter to the Telegraph they call for changes to a system that they say focuses too early on formal lessons and the Three Rs from the age of four or five when children should be allowed to play instead.

Sir Al Aynsley-Green, the former Children's Commissioner for England and one of the letter's signatories, told the paper: "If you look at a country like Finland, children don't start formal, full-scale education until they are seven.

"These extra few years, in my view, provide a crucial opportunity, when supported by well trained, well paid and highly educated staff, for children to be children."

Other signatories of the letter include Lord Layard, director of the Well-Being Programme at the London School of Economics, Dr David Whitebread, senior lecturer in psychology of education at Cambridge University, and Catherine Prisk, director of Play England.

The Telegraph said the letter was circulated by the Save Childhood Movement, which will launch its Too Much, Too Soon campaign tomorrow.

It will reportedly call for reforms including play-based schooling for children between three and seven.

Wendy Ellyatt, the founding director of the movement, told the Telegraph: "Despite the fact that 90% of countries in the world prioritise social and emotional learning and start formal schooling at six or seven, in England we seem grimly determined to cling on to the erroneous belief that starting sooner means better results later.

"There is nothing wrong with seeking high educational standards and accountability, but there is surely something very wrong indeed if this comes at the cost of natural development."

But the Department for Education described the ideas as "misguided".

A spokesman for Education Secretary Michael Gove said: "These people represent the powerful and badly misguided lobby who are responsible for the devaluation of exams and the culture of low expectations in state schools.

"We need a system that aims to prepare pupils to solve hard problems in calculus or be a poet or engineer - a system freed from the grip of those who bleat bogus pop-psychology about 'self image', which is an excuse for not teaching poor children how to add up."

DAVID WILCOCK – The Independent - THURSDAY 12 SEPTEMBER 2013

Article from The Independent

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/education/education-news/children-should-not-start-school-until-age-six-or-seven-experts-warn-8811004.html

http://www.ukgovernmentonline.co.uk/children-should-start-school-until-seven-education-experts-g734879849?language=en

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/education/educationnews/10302249/Start-schooling-later-than-age-five-say-experts.html

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2418281/Children-start-school-age-seven-say-education-experts.html

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-24058227

Pink Floyd - Another Brick in the Wall - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xhgE5bfcFTU

Discussion Questions

With your partner, discuss the following questions. Feel free to ask any follow-on questions you like.

1.    At what age do you think children should begin formal education? Why?

2.    Do you think the experts might be right? Does early education damage children?

3.    Did you spend a lot of time studying when you were very young? Did you have plenty of free time to play?

4.    What games did you play when you were 5 or 6 years old?

5.    Do you remember your first day of school? What was it like?

6.    Did you enjoy school? What were the best and worst aspects of your school days?

7.    What are some of your best memories from school?

8.    Are you satisfied with the education you received?

9.    Would you like to go back to school and do it again? If you could go back, what would you do differently?

June 17 2015 Student Discussion Blog

Thanks, Kanami!

Here is the topic and the questions.

http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2015/06/10/best-life-lessons_n_7494264.html?utm_hp_ref=canada-living

-Do you have a lesson you learned after leaving school? What is it? Who told the lesson?

-What are the differences between before and after leaving school?

-What is the best lesson have you ever learned?

We will also discuss each point of advice to see if you agree, disagree, or if you have experience that adds to the advice.

Thanks again,

Matthew

Thursday, June 19th Blog Discussion

Here is the topic for Thursday, June 18th.

Parents, children, and money is the topic for today. Think about how you interact with your parents when money is involved.

Children Visit When Parents Have Money, Study Shows

Read the following and be prepared to summarize it in class. Look up any vocabulary you don’t know.

There's a saying in Korea that your sons and daughters will come visit you when you have money. Now a research team headed by Prof. Jeong Jae-gi of Soongsil University has found that there actually is some correlation between how often children visit and how much money the parents have.

Prof. Jeong studied 158 parents who were at least 60 years old to see how their personal factors -- income, education level, age, gender, and marital status -- affected the number of visits their children made. His results, which he announced to the Population Association of Korea, showed that income was the only factor that had a direct influence on the visits.

According to the study, for each one percent rise in parental income, the possibility that the parents would meet with their children more than once a week went up 2.07 times. However, of the 27 OECD member states that were studied, 14 of them showed no such correlation. There were weak connections in countries like Australia, Spain, and Poland, but they are negligible, said Prof. Jeong.

Of all the OECD countries, only Korea showed a strong link between parental income and the frequency of visits. When asked who they would turn to in a financial emergency, 51.9 percent of Koreans said either their families or relatives.

The financial dependency of Koreans on their kin was more than 10 percent higher than the average of the other 26 countries in the study. “Unlike the common belief, Koreans rely on their families and relatives when they are under financial strain much more so than when they're undergoing mental distress,” Prof. Jeong concluded.

englishnews@chosun.com / Dec. 11, 2007 09:17 KST

http://english.chosun.com/site/data/html_dir/2007/12/11/2007121161016.html

Discussion Questions

With your partner, discuss the following questions. Feel free to ask any follow-on questions you like.

1.     Who do you turn to first when you need help?  What about money?

2.     Do you often need support from your parents or are you independent?

3.     Do you agree that many Koreans are too dependent on their families?

4.     How much influence or control do your parents have over your life?

5.     Do you/will you give your children money whenever they ask for it?

Hi Mom!  I need some money. 

Role play- (for 2-4 students)

You and your partner(s) will act out a scenario in which a grown-up son or daughter is visiting his/her/their parent(s) and wants to borrow some money. 

The Son/daughter rarely visits his/her parents and usually only does so when he/she needs help.  He/she has a habit of borrowing money and has a track record of being irresponsible and careless with it.

The parents are tired of seeing their children waste their money and are reluctant to give them any more.  They are also annoyed at the infrequency of their children’s visits.

The teacher will assign you a role to act out.

Son/daughter- your objective is to try to get as much money from your parents as you possibly can by any means possible.  The money can be for any purpose and you must try to persuade your parents that they have to give it to you.  You can beg, cry, lie, exaggerate, make promises and use emotional blackmail if you have to.  Don’t take no for an answer.

Parent- you are reluctant to part with any more of your hard earned cash.  You want your children to be more responsible and stop coming to you every time they want something.   You are wealthy and you can afford to give him/her the money, but you will only do so if you feel that they really need it or are going to use it wisely.  You want to keep as much of your money as you can for yourself.  Don’t give in to them without a fight.