The Economist

08 Feb Are Brain Implants The Future Of Computing?

Posted at 23:40h in B2 - Upper-intermediate, Business, Non Guided, Partial Lesson Plan, Science, Technology, The Economist

The video describes the current state of brain-computer interfaces (BCIs) and their potential to revolutionize the way people interact with technology. BCIs are devices that allow the brain to communicate directly with computers, allowing people to control things just by thinking about it....

30 Abr Gene Editing: The Pros and Cons

Posted at 11:45h in C1 - Advanced, Partial Lesson Plan, Science, Technology, The Economist

From combating climate change to curing disease, to creating designer babies, gene-editing technologies have the potential to transform lives. What risks do they pose?...

29 Nov How could veganism change the world?

Posted at 14:17h in B1 - Intermediate, British, Business, Complete Lesson Plan, Environment, Popular Culture, Problem Solving, The Economist

By 2050 the world's population could approach 10 billion - and around 60% more food could be needed to feed everyone. The environmental impacts of the food system are daunting its responsible for about a quarter of all greenhouse gas emissions and uses about 70%...

24 Nov Fashion’s Naked Truths

Posted at 17:53h in B1 - Intermediate, Business, Complete Lesson Plan, Economics, Environment, Fashion, The Economist

Fashion is one of the fastest-growing industries on the planet. Around the world eighty billion new pieces of clothing are sold every year - 400% more than just forty years ago. Americans alone are buying five times more garments than in 1980. Now a $1.3...

16 Nov The future of shopping: what’s in store?

Posted at 13:15h in B1 - Intermediate, Business, Partial Lesson Plan, Psychology, Technology, The Economist

The pandemic has upended the way people buy—online retail has soared as high-street shops and malls close. Brands are now racing to exploit one of the most important weapons in the battle for buyers: their customers’ data....

12 Nov to see Germany’s future, look at its cars – guided video

Posted at 07:09h in B2 - Upper-intermediate, Complete Lesson Plan, Guided, Management, Politics, Technology, The Economist

Germany's carmakers face the same challenges as its new leaders: a need to innovate, tackle climate change and reassess its trade relationship with China. How this world-renowned motor industry navigates the road ahead could tell a lot about Germany’s future....

18 Oct Could digital currencies put banks out of business?

Posted at 12:44h in B2 - Upper-intermediate, Business, Economics, Partial Lesson Plan, Technology, The Economist

Cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin have been billed as a major disruptor to finance. But digital currencies issued by governments might be even more radical—they may even threaten the future of traditional banking. ...

18 Oct How is China “Making” Athletes for the Olympics?

Posted at 12:15h in A2 - Pre-intermediate, British, Management, Partial Lesson Plan, Popular Culture, Sport, The Economist

With 400,000 children in special Olympic schools, China has the biggest mass recruitment and training programme in the world. This lesson plan has not been developed but you can follow a simple “listen, summarise, compare and contrast” formula....

14 Oct How will covid-19 change travel?

Posted at 12:41h in B1 - Intermediate, Business, Partial Lesson Plan, Popular Culture, The Economist

The covid-19 pandemic has devastated the travel industry. But as vaccines are rolled out and global travel slowly picks up, how will the industry evolve, and will holidays ever be the same again?...

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...