Job Discussion Forums

[gmontilva]

Subjects for discussion in class.
Subjects to talk about.

hello ESL teachers,

let' s gather many topics of high interest to college / high school students so we can use them in our oral English lessons to provide maximum opportunities for discussion and hence promote the development of both linguistic and communication skills.

here is my contribution to start:

"in prosperity our friends know us, in adversity we know our friends"
do you agree with the statement? yes, no, why.

"true friends do not drift apart even after many years of separation".

Merry Christmas in advance to all the ESL people in China.
gabriel.
ps. restraining from writing jokes on this section is appreciated.

[Twisting in the Wind]

"My school: What I like about it; what I don't like about it; and what I would change about it if I could"

Substitute "my girlfriend," "my boyfriend," "my husband/wife," and for a class that feels particularly comfortable with giving opinions "my family" for "my school"

If you're in a masochistic, self-reflective or mischievous mood, use "my teacher"

[dajiang]

Here are a couple I liked, but I obviously haven't used them all.
I did the 'fare-dodging' one, 'Beauty', 'monogamy' and 'punishment'.

� A woman's place is in the home.
� Fare-dodging on a train or bus is ok if you can get away with it.
� Boys and girls should not have equal education.
� A foreign language cannot be taught. It must be learned.
� A country gets the government it deserves.
� A man should have a wife for the family and a mistress for pleasure.
� Murderers should be executed.
� Soft drugs like marijuana should be legalized.
� Beauty is only a matter of taste.
� We are all basically selfish.
� Punishment never has any good effect.
� People work better if they are paid more.
� Committing suicide should be made legal.

Also on Culture:

- What do you think is interesting about your culture?
- Do you know much about your own culture? (Should you?)
- What do people from other countries usually think about your culture?
- Is it polite in your culture to be straightforward and direct when you talk to someone? To whom is it OK and to whom is it not OK?
- What has surprised you when you've met people from other countries?
- What do you like about your culture? (And what don't you like?)
- How do young people in your culture behave differently from older people?
- If you could change one thing about your culture, what would it be?
- What does it mean to be polite in your culture?
- What is considered rude in your culture?
- If a group of people just came to your country from overseas, what advice would you give them?
- What do you think is important when visiting another culture?

and:

- School uniforms?
- eating dogs?
- tobacco and coffee legal drugs?
- pollution: who is responsible people or gov?
- Nonsmoker’s rights are more important than smokers' rights.
- The school should provide VCD players for all the students’ dormitories.
- The legal drinking age should be 14.
- Do you think that most parents influence what university their child will attend?
- What do you consider cheating in a dating relationship?
- Do you think marriage is necessary?

Okay.
That about sums it up for my list.
But that'll get ya through winter at least.

Happy holidays,
DaJiang

[dajiang]

Oh i found a couple more.
These are advanced topics:

- Should you do the job you love or love the job you do?
- Adversity is helpful to a man’s growth
- An easily contented person will be happier than one who is not
- We need to protect the week in competition
- Cooperation is more important than competition
- Morals are more important than interests
- Which is more important for the security of society, laws or morals.
- Violence is not the most efficient way to deal with terrorism
- Which kind of experts does our society need the most, - those who specialize in one field or those who specialize in many fields.
- The level of economy represents the level of civilization
- Which is happier, a person who lives for himself or a person who lives for others
- To have efficiency we do not need to loose equality
- The internet will / will not affect social relationships
- Beauty contests have more advantages than disadvantages
- Tobacco production has more advantages then disadvantages
- The place is more important than the person you are with
- University students should be encouraged to set up their own businesses
- Real kindness is in your heart or behavior
- Peaceful methods cannot solve terrorism
- Spreading liquor culture depends on quality or marketing
- Sectionalism is conquerable or not
- Capital or knowledge is more important in the development of western China
- Process or result is more important in a mans actualization
- Chatting on the internet has more advantages than disadvantages
- Government or customers play the key role in dealing with illegal copies

These by the way were actually brainstormed by the students themselves.
That was an exceptional class though.

Good Luck

[gmontilva]

roger... ? where r u? we look forward to hearing your comments....
regards, alles gute und liebe,
gabriel.

[ChinaMovieMagic]

Check out Alexander's "For & Against" published/translated in China

[Roger]