Looking into the future

Are your school days just an in-between phase while waiting for “real life” to start? Do you have a clear vision of what direction you would like your life to take after senior high school? Do you have a dream job in mind, and know how to get there? What are the important things in life for you? Or are you a person who lives in the moment without worrying about tomorrow too much?

Let’s start getting some perspectives to talk and think about these questions by watching this video. While watching, take notes of what you think the message behind the video is.

Alan Watts: Life and music

School talk

The Finnish school system has featured in international press quite a lot in recent years, thanks to our good scores in the OECD PISA tests.

Here is one American teacher’s account of her experiences and observation during her tour of Finnish schools. NB. this teacher observed comprehensive schools, not upper secondary schools like ours! After we have read and studied the article in class, work in groups and talk about these questions.

• Do you find the picture described in this blog post truthful? If yes, why do you think so, explain. Are there any parts of it, where you think the American teacher misunderstood or misinterpreted something in Finland?
• What differences can you spot between the Finnish and American school systems in it?
• How do you feel about the Finnish school system, based on your experiences as a student so far?
• What would you change / improve in Finnish schools?

During a break in Kaarina Upper Secondary School, Finland

NEXT BLOG POST

You will now write a blog post about Finnish schools in general, or your present school. Imagine that you are a journalist who has been assigned to write something interesting, thought provoking and eye opening to foreign readers who are very keen to find out what the “secret of the success of Finnish schools” is. Feel free to choose your topic and approach. Remember to use pictures if at all possible! If you struggle to think of what to write, you can also find inspiration in this collection of articles and videos about Finnish schools (there are several pages of links!). Remember to provide the links to the sources you choose!

This blog post is due to be published by Monday, May 4.

Quite a different picture from a school in Singapore

COURSE 3: Blog post 1

After a brief look at some theories of intelligence, write a post with this title:

YOU ARE WHAT YOU KNOW

Write your response to this title in as much detail as you can. You may agree with the statement or not; either way your answer should be the result of some deep thinking. Why not make use of what you have learned in your philosophy or psychology course, for example! As always, though, you have free hands to make your post from your own personal viewpoint and with your own individual style.

Make a draft in your Google Drive folder by Sunday evening!

Homework for Friday, April 17

          

Continuing on the theme of intelligence, and useful skills for the future, watch this video in which Howard Gardner, himself, briefly explains the skills that he finds important for the future in this time of fast change.

Take careful notes on what he says on the video, plus also revise the vocabulary and information on intelligence that we have studied so far (eg. worksheet from Monday).

You can also prepare for Friday’s class by collecting your list of synonyms, and near synonyms of the adjective ‘intelligence’.

You will be quizzed on all this on Friday!

Homework for Monday, April 13

After trying some simple IQ questions in class, let’s get to know a different theory of intelligence. American psychologist, Howard Gardner wasn’t happy with the old belief that intelligence could be summed up in a single number. Challenging the old theories, Gardner developed his theory of multiple intelligences.

Take this online test to find out your “profile”. Remember to save a screenshot of your results on your laptop, or print it as you will have to be able to discuss your results in class on Monday! It will look like the colourful picture above!

PLUS: also remember to do the video listening in the previous post!

WELCOME TO COURSE 3!

Long time no see, and spring has sprung, and all that jazz 🙂 The topic for COURSE 3 will be: STUDY AND WORK. You can find the course outline here.

We will start the course off with a topic no smaller than INTELLIGENCE. Have a group discussion to start thinking about this fascinating concept:

• What does it mean to be intelligent?
• Can anyone become intelligent with enough effort and hard work, or is it something we are born with (if we are lucky enough)?
• Is it beneficial for a person to be intelligent? What would be the advantages? Could there be problems?
• Have you ever heard about IQ (intelligence quotient), or maybe even taken a test to measure yours?
• Is a high IQ essential to have a good life? What else might be needed?
• Mention some examples of people you consider intelligent? Why did you choose them?
• How do you feel about talking about your own intelligence? Does it make you slightly embarrassed or insecure perhaps? Why – why not?

Maybe, for you, ‘intelligence’ conjured up a “mad professor” picture of Albert Einstein, like this one, painted by a high school student in Tampere.

Let’s be brave and take a simple online IQ test by clicking this link. Just do it as a fun exercise, mainly to practise your English, and to give your brain cells a work out. By no means is it meant to be taken too seriously!

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VIDEO TASK

Have a look at this video: Is IQ a Good Measure of Intelligence? that discusses IQ tests and their purpose and relevance to measuring people’s intelligence. Take notes to answer the questions below:

1. According to Laci, what does IQ actually measure?
2. What do these numbers tell about a person’s intelligence: 70, 100 ja 130?
3. How did Laci, herself, do in the Mensa IQ test?
4. How does Laci feel about tests like these?
5. What does she tell about the Canadian research – who were examined, how and what did the researchers find out?
6. In what context are ‘smoking’ and ‘gaming’ mentioned?
7. What other factors make IQ tests rather limited?
8. How do researchers want us to change our understanding of intelligence?

Finishing course 2

Let’s finish with thinking about influential people, and what might make teenagers qualify as the most influential people in the world.

1. Talk about these questions in small groups

• How would you define ‘an influential person’ – what does it take? Find some example definition online, and also formulate your own one.
• Think of good examples of influential people, in your opinion.
• Who have been the most influential people in your own lives?

2. Read through this Time magazine list of ‘the 25 Most Influential Teens of 2014’. In groups, pick your favourite out of the list, and prepare good reasons for your choice.

Photo credit: Influential! Engaging! Intriguing! by Quinn Dombrowski on Flickr

HOLIDAY HOMEWORK: Travel writing drafts

“To my mind, the greatest reward and luxury of travel is to be able to experience everyday things as if for the first time, to be in a position in which almost nothing is so familiar it is taken for granted.” – Bill Bryson

Christmas 2011 – Reunion Island in the Indian Ocean

Ho, ho, ho – hope you are all having Happy Holidays, time to relax and take it easy. Don’t forget to find the time, though, to write your travelling post draft. Here are some guidelines to follow:

You can interpret the theme of travelling any way you like. Write about your thoughts on the history travel, or your prediction about the future. Write about your thoughts about travelling in general – why are so many people keen on it, what does it give us, what possible drawbacks are there? Write about your dream destinations for the future, or a trip you have already experienced. If you choose this option, especially remember the following:

• Pick any trip (anywhere in the world or in Finland) that you’d like to go on, or that has made a lasting impression on you.
• Use all your senses (sight, sound, smell, taste, touch) to describe the trip. Remember to bring variety to your writing.
• Don’t just list what you did there, also describe the place and your sentiments in detail!
• Remember to use adjectives!
• Use ‘there was/were’ when describing a place, ‘it was’ when describing the weather.
• Try to think of special observations to share – about the place, people and life there, sights and food, for example.
• Any strange/surprising/funny incidents and anecdotes usually also catch readers’ attention.
• Give your post a catchy title!
• Add some of your photos, preferably. Or if you use online photos, follow these copyright guidelines.

DEADLINE: Drafts ready in your Google folder by Sunday evening, January 4, 2015.

Travelling is the spice of life

In this dark season, most Finns are dreaming about travelling, going away – preferably to a sunny and warm place. Not being able to travel anywhere just yet, we shared some travel stories, and collected all the countries that this group of students have visited so far. Quite a well-travelled bunch, I would say!

Visited 37 countries (16.4 %) – Create your own visited countries map

One of my most memorable travelling experiences is a month-long road trip across the USA – all the way from the east coast to Santa Monica beach on the west coast, and back again, taking a different route both ways. For quite a long stretch, we followed the famous, historical Route66.

PHOTO CREDIT: Mojave Desert Route 66 by Tony Hisgett on Flickr

CLASS ACTIVITIES FOR MONDAY

1. TAKE A USA STATES QUIZ

Now let’s check how well you know the location of all the 50 American states by trying this online quiz. NO CHEATING! Remember your result the next time you feel like criticising Americans for being ignorant about the map of Europe!

2. TRAVEL PHOTOGRAPHY

In groups, go through these breathtaking National Geography travel photos from 2013. Choose your favourite. Prepare a detailed description of your chosen photo – what can be seen in it, using expressions ‘it is…’ and ‘there is/there are..’. Also give well argued reasons for choosing this particular photo over all the others.

Writing task

After scratching the surface of ‘independence’ a little bit in class, think about it more thoroughly, to write your next blog post on this theme.

Stylised Finnish flag, student creation at school in 2013

Independence can be approached from a national, country level, or alternatively from a personal young person’s point of view of growing up towards an independent adult life. What does it mean to you? Dig deeper than the obvious, superficial ideas that first come to mind. For example, how does independence balance with interdependence globally, to look after our joint earth together?

Write A DRAFT in your Google Drive folder for Monday. It can be personal, or about the Finnish Independence Day we have just celebrated, and thoughts that it evokes in you. Here is one Finnish article and another one that may give you some points of reference and food for thought.