Politics

14 Oct The History and pros and cons of changing the clocks

Posted at 12:16h in B1 - Intermediate, CNBC International, Partial Lesson Plan, Politics, Popular Culture

The end of March signals the beginning of Daylight Saving Time - the method of moving clocks forward during warmer months so that darkness falls at a later time. It affects more than one billion people but several nations have proposed scrapping it, including the...

06 Oct to see Germany’s future, look at its cars

Posted at 19:38h in B2 - Upper-intermediate, Business, Complete Lesson Plan, Economics, Politics, Technology, The Economist

This video lesson is not for everyone as it’s very ‘businessy’ with a strong focus on changes in Germany particularly with the German elections in mind (Sept 2021). That being said, I suspect many elements of the video will remain ‘evergreen’ for many years to...

06 Oct Corruption is legal in America

Posted at 11:48h in B2 - Upper-intermediate, Business, Economics, North America, Partial Lesson Plan, Politics

For this powerful video on lobbying, you can “compare and contrast” with life in Europe and the influence of Big Corps here. ...

06 Oct China’s economy: What’s its weak spot?

Posted at 11:32h in B2 - Upper-intermediate, Business, Complete Lesson Plan, Economics, Politics, The Economist

This lesson examines whether the changing demographics and hangover of Chinas ‘one-child per family’ person are going to stop it from becoming the superpower of the world. ...

06 Oct China’s trillion-dolar investment in infrastructure: The making of a superpower

Posted at 11:22h in B2 - Upper-intermediate, Business, Economics, Partial Lesson Plan, Politics, Vox

China's Belt and Road Initiative is the most ambitious infrastructure project in modern history. It spans over 60 countries and will cost over a trillion dollars. The plan is to make it easier for the world to trade with China, by funding roads, railways, pipelines,...

03 Jun Degrowth: Is it time to live better with less

Posted at 20:20h in A2 - Pre-intermediate, B1 - Intermediate, Business, CNBC International, Complete Lesson Plan, Economics, Politics

This lesson is based on the concept of “degrowth” which questions the role of GDP as an indicator of a country’s economic welfare and “progress”. It’s well explained, as they normally are on the CNBC Channel, and great for exploring or linking to several related topics...

28 May Monaco: The history and pulling power of the second smallest country in the world

Posted at 19:42h in B2 - Upper-intermediate, Business, C1 - Advanced, Complete Lesson Plan, Politics, Sport, Vox

This lesson is based on and around the history of Monaco and its Formula One circuit. It explores the history of this tiny, yet powerful, state and explores how its Grand Prix became one of the most prestigious motor races in the world. ...

21 May Why Does China Care So Much About The Moon?

Posted at 16:51h in A2 - Pre-intermediate, Business, Complete Lesson Plan, North America, Politics, Polymatter, Technology

This lesson is based around the latest space race kicked off by China recently landing on the far side of the moon. The narrator at this Youtube video channel, PollyMatter, speaks particularly slowly and clearly so should be good for intermediate students while still being a good one for...

01 Mar Why Putin wants Alexei Navalny dead

Posted at 19:29h in Business, C1 - Advanced, Complete Lesson Plan, North America, Politics, Problem Solving, Vox

This video takes a look at ‘why’ Putin had Alexei Navalny poisoned and how Putin has positioned himself to be a modern-day Tzar and powermonger. As you might suspect, this topic is for the more worldly-wise advanced level student but, saying that, personally I knew very...

17 Feb How to make a republic bananas

Posted at 15:28h in British, Business, C1 - Advanced, Complete Lesson Plan, Management, Politics, Psychology

This video is full of facts and plot-twists and so is a particularly interesting watch. It focuses on how the United Fruit Company managed to manipulate the American and Guatemalan governments and CIA, create a coup al in the name of low prices. Topic-wise, It...