Interesting conference about sustainable development - Tuesday 24th April

Both in English classes and Global profil we've been learning about the UN sustainable development goals - Agenda 2030. In our "Better tomorrow" project, we presented ideas on how to realise these ambitious goals.

Now, Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI) are organising an exciting conference on this theme.

It'll take place in Stockholm at Meeting Room, Alströmergatan 20, 112 47 Kungsholmen

SEI have planned a full program with over 16 speakers from 4 continents. Read more here: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/sei-science-forum-2018-innovating-for-a-sustainable-future-tickets-43834457041

A few of us have already got our tickets - it'd be great if you could join us!

Canine tales

We're looking at the canine community of Chernobyl, inspired by this video:


We've also read this article in the Guardian:

Julie McDowal, "Meet the dogs of Chernobyl – the abandoned pets that formed their own canine community" The Guardian Monday 5th February 2018

We have a worksheet too.

Then we're writing stories about dogs to both tell to the class and post on the wall. The first step is to add or claim a dog in this presentation: Canine stories

You can then write a dog story by hand or on a computer and share it with your teacher.

A Better Tomorrow - 7th Feb 2018 10:30-11:45

Think of a specific situation in our world that could be improved with the help of technology and/or good policy decisions so that the next generation can have a better future.


Create a short talk (like the space expo talks) in which you describe the current situation and then describe the technology and/or policies that could mitigate this problem.

You could look at electricity generation, lung cancer, homelessness, education, employment, shopping, farming, household pets, batteries, death... whatever you feel passionate about. If you need inspiration, look at the 17 sustainable development goals of Agenda 2030. 

This should be a "Yellow and Green hat" talk: optimistic and creative in solving problems. But don't neglect the other "thinking hats" - include statistics, hard facts, emotions and risk awareness.

Share your presentation/manuscript from the outset so your teacher can see your progress. If doing group work, take extra care to work in one (1) Google document and share all that you do. Good communication with your classmates and teachers is essential for this to work.

Asymmetrical updating - Tues 16th January 2018, 16:30-18:00

Stockholm School of Economics (Handelshögskola)

Optimistic bias, brains and climate change

The human brain finds good news more credible than bad news, so that we are more willing to believe that we are healthier, smarter and more beautiful than we thought before.

Asymmetrical updating plays a large role in politics; it bears on people's beliefs about climate change, immigration, and political candidates. It also tells us a great deal about consumption patterns – and about how to influence people.

Come and listen to Cass R. Sunstein, a professor at Harvard Law School, who was an advisor to US President Barack Obama. He is one of the most-cited legal scholars worldwide, a prolific writer and the author, most recently, of: #Republic: divided democracy in the age of social media, Impeachment: A Citizen’s Guide and The economics of nudge.

Register for a free ticket here: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/harvard-prof-cass-sunstein-on-optimistic-bias-brains-and-climate-change-registration-41037746003?aff=es2

Directions and other useful info here: Optimistic bias, brains and climate change

Here's a short video featuring Cass Sunstein to give you an idea of what he's like:

Self-assessment tool

Make your own copy of this document and share it with your teacher (me!!!):

CEFR checklist (sv)

While we have individual appraisal meetings, there's some crime work going on. Here's one of the reading exercises:

Shoplifter fake baby scam

Public speaking

Right now we're preparing to give "lightning talks" related to space.

Most students are nervous about public speaking, and here's a test to see what might be causing that:
https://hbr.org/2016/11/assessment-whats-feeding-your-fear-of-public-speaking

I'm encouraging the use of Edward de Bono's 6 Thinking Hats as a way to improve the quality and appeal of talks:

White hat: Give information - "The facts, just the facts."

Yellow hat: A bright and optimistic attitude, exploring the positives, demonstrating value and benefit.

Black Hat: Exercise judgement - spot the difficulties and dangers; where things might go wrong. Probably the most powerful and useful of the Hats but a problem if overused.

Red Hat: When using this hat you can express emotions and feelings and share fears, likes, dislikes, loves, and hates.

Green Hat: Focus on creativity; the possibilities, alternatives, and new ideas. It's an opportunity to express new concepts and new perceptions.

Blue Hat: Manage the thinking process and bring everything in your presentation together.

When it comes to creating slides, why not try the Takahashi method? Masayoshi Takahashi came up with this method as a way to reduce his own nervousness and help him focus when speaking in public. It's very simple: you can have as many slides as you like, but each one can only contain up to 2 words - preferably simple and short words.

The lightning talk requires great discipline. Every bit of the talk must pass the "so what?" test. Here's an example:

Sputnik 1 was launched in 1957.

So what?

It was the first human made object to be put into space.

So what?

It was the start of the "space age" in which countries raced to explore space,
the USA created NASA and scientists gained access to new ways to study the earth.

Ok...

So now you can create a single sentence, summing up that "so what" conversation:

In 1957, as Sputnik 1 circled the earth, the space age was born,
opening up new ways to learn about the universe and our own planet.