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GLOBAL CITIZENS & DEBATE

Based on attitudes and values, students develop
their self-identity as global citizens.

1 GLOBAL CITIZENS
Developing empathy INTERCULTURALITY

1 Read the title of the article and the introduction. Think of one way of developing
empathy. Listen and read to find out if this way is mentioned in the article.
Showing empathy involves being able to recognise, understand and share another
person’s point of view, thoughts and feelings. Learning empathy, especially intercultural
empathy, is an important life skill that everyone should try to develop. How can we do
this? Well, there are several ways.
Learn about other cultures. This is crucial Learn to express our own feelings. If we
for developing intercultural empathy. We can do this in a calm and reasonable way,
can use books or the Internet, but the best then others may be more likely to share their
way is to talk directly to someone from feelings with us. After all, no one wants to
another culture and ask them to share their pour their heart out to a cold fish.
knowledge and experiences with us. Practise active listening. This means
Think about our own cultural heritage. It listening with the aim of really hearing what
is important to examine our attitude the other person is saying and trying to
towards what we consider ‘normal’. For learn about their experience and understand
example, the clothes we find acceptable to their point of view without commenting on
wear, the food we like to eat, how we feel everything they say.
about work, marriage, money and other aspects Don’t confuse empathy with sympathy.
of life. By reflecting on our own experiences, Empathy is not about feeling pity for a
we can understand what prejudices we may person, it is understanding how they feel and
have developed towards other ways of life. how they experience the world.
Always reserve judgement. Although All in all, empathy is a particularly important
judging other people is natural, think twice life skill. It helps us to become global citizens
before you form an opinion about them. who understand the world and our place in it,
The phrase cold Instead, try to put yourself in their shoes and to work towards equality for everyone.
fish was first to understand them and their actions better.
used by William
Shakespeare in Step-by-step guidance on how to
The Winter’s Tale.
2 Read the article again and match the empathetic responses (A-F) to the tips given in organise a debate within different themes
the text (1-6). Then explain the words/phrases in bold.
A “It sounds like you are feeling disappointed.”
B “I’ve always wondered why we Brits have such a dry sense of humour.”
crucial = very C “I feel a bit upset about what you just said.”
important
prejudice = an opinion D “I’d love to hear all about life in your village.”
formed without E “If that happened to me, I would feel frustrated too.”
knowing sb or sth F “Well, I’m not sure why he did that. Perhaps he’s going through a tough time.” interpret explicit/implicit information/points of views; decode key words/ideas;
well interact/participate in discussion; relate to what one reads; develop critical thinking
reserve judgement = CritiCal thinking Do any of these examples apply in a school environment?
to not form an 3 Discuss with your partner. DEBATE
opinion too quickly 1
comment = to express Read the situations below. How would you show empathy? What would you say to the
an opinion 4 person? Discuss in pairs.
equality = having the
same rights and • A classmate who has just moved to your country does not understand the rules of a
opportunities game. A debate is an activity in which two opposing teams make speeches to present and
• A classmate is wearing a piece of clothing related to their culture and another student support their arguments on a specific topic and disagree with the arguments of the other
made fun of it. team. The topic about which the two teams argue is called a motion.
52 1 A world of mAny lAnguAges
1 Read the debate motion below and then watch a speaker present their
arguments. Is the speaker taking a position FOR or AGAINST the motion?
Social media has improved communication between teens.
2 Watch the video again and make notes.
main arguments: social media… supporting arguments
The best way to organise 1 allows for global communication.
Astonishing facts, that make learning a speech is to break it into 2 is a tool for creativity. 1 2
three main arguments.
more interesting Then, present each 3 can offer teens a support network. 3
argument and support it
with reasons and 3 a) Read the extracts from speeches in which the speakers present their arguments
examples (supporting
for/against the motion in Ex. 1. Are their arguments well-presented? Are they
arguments).
supported with reasons and examples? Explain why/why not.
A From our point of view, social media can affect teens’ self-esteem. For instance,
there is a lot of online bullying and trolling on social media. This can make teens
lose their self-confidence and, in extreme cases, can make them depressed.
B In my opinion, social media is extremely beneficial! It helps teens communicate
with each other and make new friends no matter where they are in the world.
At the same time, there are so many platforms to choose from.
C To my mind, teens post too much personal information online. So, parents
have to monitor their kids’ email accounts, use parental controls, check
who they are texting and what they are posting on social media.
D We firmly believe that it’s better to be safe than sorry. For instance, parents and teachers
could discuss issues like digital safety, cyberbullying and keeping personal information
private with teens. Educating teens means keeping them safe in the digital world.
b) Underline the phrases the speakers used to introduce their main point and their
supporting arguments.
Guided projects for
debates with useful language 4 You have been asked to make the speech against the motion in Ex. 1. Plan your speech,
thinking of the three main points you wish to make and its supporting arguments. You
can use phrases from the Useful Language box below.
Presenting arguments Supporting arguments Summarising
We/I think/believe that … because …/In my For instance,/example, …/Let me give you To sum up, it is my firm belief that …/To
opinion,/From my point of view, …/My view/ some examples./According to research by
recap the main points, …/To summarise
opinion/belief is that …/I have no doubt that …,/Recent research shows that …/ my position in this debate, …/In summary,
…/I am sure/I am certain that …/This brings Scientists claim that … we want to point out that …/Let me
me to my second/third point, … conclude by saying that…
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