A new trimester means a new crop of teenagers for me to teach/fear. And with it, the promise of recycling old lesson plans. But, like the stand up who bores of her act, or the chef who refuses to make another soufflé, I wanted to spice up my tried-and-true games and exercises.
Sooo I googled searched "conversation topics advanced ESL." I stumbled upon a document that asks several lofty, thought provoking questions about human existence and the future of our planet. "Will we be happier in the future? Why or why not?" "Can someone be happy professionally, and also have a fulfilling family life?" They're questions often posed by the SyFy and Lifetime networks respectively.
I chose a simple one for my class of 16-year-olds. "What are the five most important decisions in a person's life?" It's easy to understand but also thought provoking. And it allows me to conduct a mini-experiment by breaking up the groups into boys and girls and seeing where they differ.
So far I haven't had any significant differences in gender but I did have one group of boys who really "told it how it is." This is their ranking of major life decisions:
1. Having a family or not (and who with).
2. What to study.
These two are most often up there.
3. Following the political/religious alliances of your family or not
This one really surprised me. That's a lot of introspection for a teenager.
4. Choosing your friends.
Very important in my opinion. Often overlooked by groups.
5. Whether you cheat on your wife or not.
That last one was said with complete sincerity. Do with that what you will.
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