Identity Cards

 

1. How many different types of card do you use in your daily life? Do they make things easier or more difficult?

2. Do people in your country have to have identity cards? If so, when were they introduced?

3. In what ways are identity cards a good idea?

4. What personal details do you think should not be stored on personal identity documents?

5. Identity cards may be introduced in Britain soon. Some members of the public object strongly to this. What do you think their reasons are?

6. If you have an identity card, is it worded uniquely in your language, or does it also have translations? Does anyone object to the translations?

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7. Read article here: Identity Card Reading

8. What is your reaction? Do you understand the Académie Française's desire to protect the French language? If not, what is driving the demand for all-French wording on official travel documents?

9. Clément Beaune, France's European Affairs Minister, said 'We are going to stop the decline of the French language.' How do you know if a language is in decline? What criteria could you use to judge that?

10. Is there a sentiment in your country that your language is being menaced by foreign languages? Who expresses this sentiment? Is there an institution like the Académie Française designed to protect the language? What measures has it taken? If not, would you like to see such an institution created?

11. Can you think of any examples of people from your country using foreign words even though a perfectly good native word already exists? Do you know any foreign words that English has borrowed?

12. According to UNESCO, 230 languages went extinct between 1950 and 2010. Does this lend support to the idea of protecting languages? Is a language's importance related to the number of speakers it has, or the concepts it can describe?

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Situation

You are writer and musician Etienne Liebig (see article). You have been invited to take part in a radio discussion on language in the 21st century. Make your viewpoint known and answer the host's (your teacher) questions.

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Discuss quotes

"I am absolutely opposed to a national ID card. This is a total contradiction of what a free society is all about. The purpose of government is to protect the secrecy and the privacy of all individuals, not the secrecy of government. We don't need a national ID card."

--- Ron Paul

"Nations which don't find their national identities will be preyed upon by other nations."

--- Mustafa Kemal Ataturk

“Teachers are powerful enough to kill indigenous languages: they are not powerful enough to bring them back to life.”

― Andrew Dalby

"He who knows no foreign languages knows nothing of his own."

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

Student Handout PDF: Identity Card

Photo: Jackmac34

Systems Of Government: Two Cows

1. What different types of government do you know (capitalism, socialism, etc.)? 

2. What are the differences between socialism, communism, capitalism, and fascism and their approach to economic activity?

3. Have you ever considered living in a country that has a different social system?

4. What do you appreciate most about doing business in your country?

5. How do Americans, French people, and Italians differ in their approach to business?

Read infographic here: Two Cows Reading

6. What is your reaction? Which illustration was funniest? Did the illustrations for America, France, and Italy conform to your ideas on their approach to business?

7. Stereotypes often have a grain of truth in them. Choose 3 or 4 illustrations from the infographic and say what that grain of truth is for each e.g. 'British cows are mad because of the feeding scandal that lead to 'mad cow disease'.

8. Not every country is mentioned - what would be the outcomes for the following corporations: Canadian, Israeli, Russian, Irish, Finnish, one of your choice? 

9. Would a government run with algorithms, A.I., and statistics be better or worse than the types of government mentioned in the infographic?

10. In an ideal government, what should a good citizen provide to their government and what should that government provide that good citizen?

11. Is hierarchy necessary for all successful human societies?

12. Could societies exist without a way to transfer value (i.e. without money or a barter system)?

13. Do you think people’s political views change over their lifetime?

14. If you were to start your own farm/small business, where would you do it?

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Situation

You are a journalist. You are interviewing a famous author (your teacher) whose new book focuses on changes in political belief with the passing of time. Ask them about the concept of becoming more conservative as we age.

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Discuss quotes

“I imagine hell like this: Italian punctuality, German humour and English wine.” 

― Peter Ustinov

“Until the lion learns how to write, every story will glorify the hunter.” 

― J. Nozipo Maraire

“A stereotype is not a stereotype if it's true.” 

― Ron DeLegge II

"What is not good for the beehive, cannot be good for the bees."

- Marcus Aurelius, Meditations

"The danger of the past was that men became slaves. The danger of the future is that men may become robots."

- Erich Fromm

"Under capitalism, man exploits man. Under communism, it's just the opposite."

John Kenneth Galbraith

Student Handout PDF: Two Cows

Portuguese Lessons

 

1. Have you ever been to Portugal? What do you know of the country?

2. What measures have schools in your country put in place to make schools safe places during this pandemic?

3. Do you know anyone who has switched from face-to-face teaching to online learning? What has been their experience? Has the change from classroom to online been done in an orderly manner?

4. Are you happy with state schools? Have you ever considered using private education? Are there any reasons why you would/wouldn't?

Read the article here up to/including the 16th paragraph:

Portuguese Lessons Reading

5. What is your reaction to the article? Which of the following are closest to your point of view?

a) "We're in the middle of a pandemic - lots of institutions are under pressure, and we're bound to get the occasional strange decision. It's nothing to worry about."

b) "Typical Lefties, instead of allowing some to thrive, everyone must be brought down to the same poor standards."

c) "The Portuguese government should ensure that state schools improve their online programmes."

6. Do you think that state-school pupils will benefit from this ban on private online tuition? Is Antonio Costa's heart in the right place, in that he wants to protect families who can't afford private education? Or is his government blinded by ideology? Which of the following phrases sums up their position best/worst: 

"If I can't have it, neither can you", "we're all in this together", "cut down the tall poppies", "we should have a level playing field"?

7. Private schools typically outperform state schools in the UK.  Occasionally, private schools will help state schools and provide support such as course materials or mentoring younger teachers. But this support is purely optional and probably only happens if school headmasters know each other. Is this a satisfactory state of affairs? Should the state provide everything at a universally high standard for education?

8. If you have children of your own, would you ever consider educating them yourself?

9. Isn't technology the solution to inequality in education? Shouldn't having the internet as a teacher be the ideal way of ensuring that everyone has equal provision?

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Situation

You are the Portuguese parent who has created the petition against this ban (paragraph 9). The local newspaper has sent a journalist to ask you about your campaign. Answer their questions.

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Discuss quotes

"People of my generation in Portugal fell into the magic potion of political ideas. What was very funny about this revolution was that it did not bring wealth to the Portuguese. But it brought language, ideas. You'd go to the fish market, and all the women who were selling fish would call each other fascist, or communist."     

--- Maria De Medeiros

"Levellers wish to level down as far as themselves; but they cannot bear levelling up to themselves."

--- Samuel Johnson

"Broadband access is the great equalizer, leveling the playing field so that every willing and able person, no matter their station in life, has access to the information and tools necessary to achieve the American Dream."

--- Michael K. Powell

“I am, at the Federal level, libertarian; at the state level, Republican; at the local level, Democrat; and at the family and friends level, a socialist. If that saying doesn’t convince you of the fatuousness of left vs. right labels, nothing will.”

― Nassim Nicholas Taleb

"I never let education interfere with my learning."

---- Mark Twain

Student Handout PDF: Portuguese Lessons