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ESL forum >
Concerning worksheets > Inappropriate WS
Inappropriate WS
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PhilipR
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Tastybrain, you haven �t seen the ws, so I �ll forgive your lack of knowledge about it. Would you like to see wss where Ss are asked �to find things that make it okay to be a member of the KKK � (quote)? I understand Fletsch when he started the thread. Knowledge of hate groups is not the same asking Ss to find possible justifications for their existence.
To everyone who defends this ws here, maybe you �d like some worksheets asking Ss to find good reasons to gas all Jews, bomb all infidels, nuke the Middle East or stone all mediocre teachers? (pun intended)
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29 Sep 2010
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ELOJOLIE274
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philip, I understand your point of view, however you seem to forget that she downloaded 2 documents - to let the students see both point of view - and I think her intention was not to promote racism but to let her students condemn racism.
please don �t throw stones at me!!!
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29 Sep 2010
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lisette128
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if you want to quote philip, then please do it correctly. not once did i mention that the students should find points that made it alright to be a member of the KKK, the students were supposed to find arguments that the KKK members themselves used to make it alright. it �s a subtle difference, but it is there, I assure you. Points, that as far as I know, can be read on a public page such as wikipedia.. so well, if your pants are that tight, you might judge them as racists as well..
regards, the teacher who lacks knowledge... |
29 Sep 2010
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zailda
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I �m not defending the ws, which I voted to be removed because I didn �t consider it as an ESL resource the way it was. As I previously said, lisette had the intention to discuss the matter and not to defend racism. As I previously said, I �d suggest teachers to be more sensitive when dealing with controversial subjects because some members could feel offended - as happened.
I don �t defend racism, but I openly defend the right everyone has to present any subject they find useful and their religion / moral values / school rules allow them to. We �re not supposed to judge if a subject (a serious one, indeed) is or isn �t appropriate for a teacher to discuss. If we have the chance, we have the right to decide what we are going to discuss in class.
Today I had a lesson with the word "abortion" in my high advanced class and I was supposed to promote a discussion and divide the class into 2 groups and they had to defend both sides. The purpose was not to defend or attack abortion, but make students express and defend opinions and develop their speaking skill.
I �m totally against abortion but since the lesson is in my book I promoted the discussion and gave both sides the opportunity to express and defend their opinions freely and equaly.
My students are adults and most of them still have their own beliefs and as their English teacher I �m not supposed to teach them about moral values, the right and the wrong sides. I �m only supposed to teach English and to help them to make the most of the lessons. And so I did.
If I had "KKK" of the subject of my lesson today, I �d do the same. Ethic for me is not a question of sides. It �s also to respect other people �s rights, even if they �re using their right to be wrong, what they also have.
The ones who think I �m defending kkk should read all the thread again and see what the discussion is all about.
Have a good evening / day. |
30 Sep 2010
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fletsch
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Hi Zailda:
Of course no one could believe that you are defending the KKK. Your posts you made before were unbiased and to the point. Thanks for sharing your opinion and thoughts. I do believe that we all have the right to our own opinions and the right to disagree with others. In this case, I still have my opinion and I am sticking to it 
Have a great weekend everyone - I am off for a week for Chinese National Holiday
Fletsch |
30 Sep 2010
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douglas
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"The fact is that censorship always defeats its own purpose, for it creates, in the end, the kind of society that is incapable of exercising real discretion.�
Henry Steele Commager (American historian)
I, having no fear of becoming biased by trying to "know my enemy", could see using Lisette�s approach with a mature, adult class. It generates excellent discussion, is an emotuonal theme that causes the students to draw there language skills directly from their brains without first contemplating "am I saying this right". As an "educated" person, it concerns me more that people would want to deny me exposure to an "evil" subject in order to protect(?) me. In my opinion this leads to ignorance and conclusions based on feeling not fact.
I feel as though I am sitting in a modern day Salem here--if she is heavier than a duck we must burn her.
Douglas |
30 Sep 2010
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zailda
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I remember a person who uploaded a ws with several pictures of well-known people for students to name and it caused an enormous discussion because Hitler was among the ones students had to recognize.
Do we want to deny history? Do we want just ignore facts we are not proud of and pretend they didn �t exist? Every time we involve the students feelings in a discussion we get the best results because the students are eager to express their opinion and they speak freely without fearing mistakes.
It �s so hard to encourage shy students to talk and a controversial theme may envolve them emotionally and they won �t refuse participating.
Adults need more encouragement than children in order to get used to English. Do we really think they �ll engage in discussions about "the importance of red in modern fashion?" or "do you believe in St. Nick"? And adults also have their beliefs, which we can barely have any influence in. |
30 Sep 2010
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