behaviour | ESL Conversation Lessons

Why do humans treat their pets like human beings?

Why do humans treat their pets like human beings? Yep, I’m guilty of that sometimes. And why wouldn’t I? Sometimes my dog is nicer to me that my children are. This phenomena is called anthropomorphism and there are many reasons we do this.

Somehow the relationship with a pet is a more intuitive and perceptually deeper. Since they don’t have words to tell us what they really think , we use empathy to ‘read’ them. And since animals are very good at picking up our vibes, it feels like they understand us better than our human counter parts.

I think it is normal to appreciate this, but do you think that showering them with treats and love and affection is good for them? It is also normal to want to give our pets a good life, but what should that really look like?

Pre discussion

What do pets bring to our lives?
How would you describe a healthy pet-owner relationship?
Some vocabulary:
- pampered
- appealling
- mischievous
- bond and bonding
- alleviate stress
- Behaviour

Video and Article: New York Times Why Humans Treat Their Dogs Like People

Discussion

Do a Mind Map of the main points of the video
Who is Tinker Bell?
Why does Annie Grossman think anthropomorphizing animals is problematic?
What did B.F. Skinner do to help us understand behaviour?
Is anthropomorphizing animals a northern hemisphere phenomena? How do you view animals in your culture?

Bitmoji Image

When you speak, do people listen?

When you speak, do you think people listen to you? Do you think they understand–that they hear you? Ever watch a speech by former President Barak Obama? I just can’t stop listening. However, when my husband gives me the run down of the daily news, most times I totally tune out.

Why is that? According to Julian Treasure, there are many different aspects to a successful speaker ranging from tone of voice to subject matter. His TED talk presents some of the communication approaches that shut people down and those that open people up.

It is a talk that explores both the behavioural and mechanical aspects of speaking that I find rather interesting. Perhaps you and your students will too.

Pre discussion

Name some of the people you love to listen to
Why do you like them?
Name some people you tend to tune out of.

The Video: TED Julian Treasure: How to speak so that people want to listen

What are some of the behaviours or approaches that make listeners tune out?
What are some of the tools in Treasure’s tool box?
Do a little analysis of yourself. Which behaviours do you have that may put your listeners off?
Do you use/have some of Treasure’s tools already?
What could you adopt that may enhance your speaking without making yourself seem unnatural?
Do you have any anecdotes of good and bad speakers (e.g. teachers, parents, bosses, etc…)

Legends Only

Are you a procrastinator or a planner?

Are you a procrastinator or a planner? That is the question. Personally I am a planner. I get a sense of what needs to be done, break it down into task and plan it out so that I can do it before the deadline. I think that is largely due to the fact that being dyslexic, I need time to review. But that is certainly not true for everyone. In fact, Miles Bess exposes that up to 95% of people consider themselves to be procrastinators. That’s huge! I had no idea.

So let’s talk about this…

Pre discussion

Do you wait t’ill the late minute to do things or do you plan ahead?
What benefits do you get out of being one or the other?

The Video: PBS Above the Noise: Can Procrastination Be a Good Thing?

Questions

Why do you think so many people procrastinate?
What are the pros and cons of procrastination?
What famous people or documents were made last minute?
Can you explain ‘task-driven’ and ‘deadline driven’
What are some of your procrastination ‘go-to’s’ (e.g. video games, eating, shopping, etc.)
What advice would you give the procrastinator?
What advice would you give the planner?

Hope you have fun with this lesson…