Tag: video

Why Do We Sigh?

B2 – Upper Intermediate

Whenever we think of sighing, we think of negative emotions such as frustration or dissatisfaction in something or someone. But is this true? Or is there another reason to why we sigh?

Let’s watch this video to find out more about sighing.

Discussion Questions:

  1. Have you ever noticed that you sigh involuntarily? How does this affect the way you interact with other people?
  2. Did you know sighing makes you feel relieved or have you always associated it with negative emotions?
  3. Have you ever assumed wrongly about anyone because they sighed? Talk about that instance.
  4. How do you normally express your resignation and frustration?
  5. How do you achieve instant relief amidst negative emotions?

A Wake-Up Call

B2 – Upper Intermediate

Change is a constant thing in life and sometimes, it is necessary in order for the situation not to get worse. There are signs that we have to change the way we do things and it is not bad at all to listen to these signs.

Let’s listen to the audio and find out more about this realization.

Discussion Questions:

  1. Have you ever had a wake-up call? Did you heed the warning?
  2. What is one thing you’d like to change in your life at the moment? How do you plan to achieve it?
  3. Can you think of a major event in your country that served as a wake-up call?

Social Loafing

B2 – Upper Intermediate

Generally, when a greater number of people work on a group task, the less effort any one member of the group will work towards accomplishing the goal. This phenomenon is called social loafing. It has been widely studied and identified to know what causes it and to find solutions to its negative effects.

Watch the video to know more about social loafing and how to prevent it and be able to answer the questions below.

Discussion Questions:

  1. What are the causes and effects of social loafing?
  2. Have you been engaged in social loafing before? What happened? Share some of your experiences.
  3. What are some ways on how to avoid this in the workplace?
  4. In which setup do you work better, working alone or with a team? Explain why.

How Does the Stock Market Work?

B2 – Upper Intermediate

In a nutshell, the stock market helps companies raise money to fund operations by selling shares of stock. It creates and sustains wealth for individual investors.

Watch the video to know more about how the stock market works.

Discussion Questions:

  1. What is your investing strategy?
  2. Do you invest in the stock market? How has your portfolio performed in the last five years?
  3. How can you prevent losses while trading in stock markets?
  4. When is the right time to invest? Why?

The First Supervised Illegal Drug Injection Site

B2 – Upper Intermediate

In the fight against opioid addiction in the country, the first supervised drug injection center of America has just been opened in New York. Hopefully, this will be the beginning of the establishment of many more centers such as this to help curb the record overdoses in the country.

Watch the video and read the article about the first supervised illegal drug injection site in New York.

https://www.euronews.com/next/2022/02/22/amid-the-ongoing-opioid-crisis-america-s-first-safe-injection-site-has-just-opened-in-new-

Discussion Questions:

  1. What do you think of injection centers such as this?
  2. Do you think that the centre will attract more drug users to the area? Explain your opinion.
  3. How does substance abuse impact a person’s life?
  4. How big is the problem of addition in your city/country? Why do you think this is?
  5. What else can be done to help address the problem with addiction?

Working from Home Tips to Stay Motivated and Productive

B2 – Upper Intermediate

Due to the pandemic, a lot of people were constrained from going to the office and obligated to start doing work remotely.

Surely, there a lot of pros in working from home but there are cons as well. But regardless of these things, the question is, are we making the most out of this new work setup?

Here are some tips which could help ensure we get the best results while working in our homes.

Discussion Questions:

  1. What are the tips to stay motivated while working from home according to the video?
  2. Which among the tips do you apply personally?
  3. What are the pros and cons of working remotely?
  4. Do you prefer working in the office or at home? Why?
  5. How long have you been working from home? How did you adjust to this work style at first?
  6. Give your personal tips on how to be productive while working remotely.

Middle Ground Fallacy

B2 – Upper Intermediate

We have grown to believe that moderation in all things is the key to a good life. We tend to think that when we are in between two seemingly equal choices, we have to compromise and choose the middle ground. This way of thinking, however, has resulted to countless injustices in the world.

Let’s watch the video and learn more about the middle ground fallacy.

Discussion Questions:

  1. What is the middle ground fallacy? Share your thoughts on it.
  2. Aside from slavery, can you give other historical events wherein it was used?
  3. Do you agree that a compromise between one action/idea that is morally indefensible and one that is not is still wrong? Explain your stand.
  4. Have you fallen prey to this fallacy? Share that instance.

The Buy Nothing Project

B2 – Upper Intermediate

Buy Nothing is a nonprofit organization that not only helps people save money but also reduce the clutter in their homes. This idea is based on gift-giving. The members of this group barter or offer their old stuff as a gift. The main payment for getting this free stuff is saying “Thank you” a a sign of appreciation.

Watch the video and read the transcript to know more about it and be able to discuss the questions that follow.

https://www.fox5ny.com/news/what-is-the-buy-nothing-project

Discussion Questions:

  1. What do you think of this organization? Is there a similar group like this in your community?
  2. What are the pros and and cons of this type of organization?
  3. Would you like to be a member of this organization? Why or why not?
  4. What do you usually do with your old stuff or other things that you don’t need anymore?
  5. How long can you go without buying anything? Why is that?

Why Is It So Hard to Cure Cancer?

B2 – Upper Intermediate

The difficulty in treating cancer is that it’s not a single disease, but rather a group of diseases. Sometimes a drug works well at first but later on, the cancer becomes resistant and continues to grow because the cancer cells have mutated or changed genetically.

Watch the video to know more about why some cancer patients most often do not survive even with new medical advances that are coming along the line.

Discussion Questions:

  1. Would a clinical trial be right for cancer patients? Elaborate.
  2. When should cancer patients consider having hospice care?
  3. When should you get tested for cancer?
  4. Do you think the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and pharmaceutical companies are blocking or witholding new cancer treatments from the public? Explain your opinion.
  5. What are some treatments for cancer do you know of? Explain them and their rate of efficacy.

Should We Have Let Pandas Go Extinct?

B2 – Upper Intermediate

Pandas are no longer endangered now but that begs the question, should we really have focused on saving them?

Pandas are not very crucial to the environment and it takes a lot of money to save them but we still did because of how cute they look.

Instead of helping pandas, we could have helped other species that are more crucial to the environment and cost less to save.

Watch the video and be ready to answer the questions that follow.

Discussion Questions:

  1. In your opinion, was it necessary to save pandas? Explain your stand.
  2. Do you think that because pandas are no longer endangered now, we won’t make the same mistake again, and help other species that are more cost effective to save and vital to the environment?
  3. If you were able to decide where money goes in saving endangered animals, would you have chosen pandas? Why or why not?
  4. Imagine a world without pandas.
  5. What are some endangered species in your country and what has the government done in order to save them?