Thursday, 5 September 2019

political narratives

We tell ourselves that we're different:
Jay Doubleyou: exceptionalism today

A lot of this is fantasy:
Jay Doubleyou: brexit, fantasy and boris

And we can write our own stories:
Jay Doubleyou: how history is being rewritten today

For example:

'Welcome to the Monkey House': How Politics Becomes a Reality Show


Donald Trump is a presidential candidate, and, whether you love him or hate him, he makes for great television. At the same time, some of the highest-grossing shows in the U.S. are about the “real world” of politics: House of Cards, Veep, Madame Secretary, The Good Wife, etc. “News” channels like FOX, CNN, and NBC have celebrity guests, colorful personalities, skits, explosive graphics, and all manner of attempts to be “entertaining.” Millennials get their news fix from The Colbert Report, The Daily Show, and Last Week Tonight more than anywhere else. For a while now, it seems, the world of politics has become another lucrative piece of the entertainment industry. 


The real question is: is this all just an act, hiding the reality of what goes on “behind the scenes,” or, is the act the reality? With cameras and smartphones everywhere, with social media and the 24-hr news cycle, is anything behind the scenes? Is there any distinction between politics and political theater? And what about us—the viewers, the consumers—what role do we play in all of this?

Welcome to the Monkey House: Teaching the 2016 Election in a Literature Course - Electric Literature
(PDF) 'Welcome to the Monkey House': How Politics Becomes a Reality Show (Syllabus) | Maximillian Alvarez - Academia.edu

There are some parts of the world which are full of stories:
Jay Doubleyou: a journey through the balkans

But how do we 'frame' stories?
Jay Doubleyou: story telling: creating narratives around climate change
Jay Doubleyou: story-telling: creating narratives around money and debt
Jay Doubleyou: story-telling: the art of framing

And it often becomes a matter of 'propaganda':
Jay Doubleyou: english language media as propaganda in the ukraine
Jay Doubleyou: propaganda, public relations and manufacturing consent
Jay Doubleyou: information wars
Jay Doubleyou: how is world war one seen in different countries

Here's a look at the latest ideas around 'political narratives':

It’s Time to Kill Our Political Narratives

It has become nearly impossible to have a real political discussion. Perhaps you’ve noticed this.
The reason, I think, is that the issues of our day have become scripted into canonical narratives that leave no room to address or, even, to raise the hard questions that do not fit the script. And we have substituted these competing narratives for ideas and arguments.
It is often said that we need to listen more to each other’s stories so that we can see where others are coming from. But I propose that the solution is actually that we do less listening. And that’s because the standard narratives are dead ends that obscure issues. We cannot really avoid these narratives, but familiarity with them allows us to see how they undermine themselves.
It’s Time to Kill Our Political Narratives

STORYTELLING AND POLITICS: HOW HISTORY, MYTHS AND NARRATIVES DRIVE OUR DECISIONS

Mark Laity said narrative has the ability to influence decision making, and logical argument is the least effective method to convince the public of your argument.

Mr Laity is a former BBC defence correspondent and now head of Strategic Communications at NATO’s military headquarters. Using examples from the US gun lobby and the conflict in Ukraine, Mr Laity showed how appeals to shared history can drown out logical argument.

A narrative with historical overtones, an emotive connection and credibility not only convinces people, it frames the points of reference they use to evaluate the decision they are being asked to make.

We are storytelling creatures, Laity said, the proper response to fake news and social media bubbles (“a self-licking lollipop”) is not to despair, but to get better at using facts to tell an emotionally credible story.


Storytelling and Politics: How History, Myths and Narratives Drive Our Decisions | The Political Studies Association (PSA)

And in the news...

In India/Pakistan:
The Dueling Narratives of India’s Kashmir Crackdown - The Atlantic
Kashmir: War of narratives & Diplomacy through Twitter - Global Village Space

In the USA:
Mass Shootings Aren't Becoming More Common–and Evidence Contradicts Stereotypes about the Shooters - Foundation for Economic Education

In the Middle East:
Saudi Arabia and the UAE Fund Academia with Strings Attached – LobeLog

In Eastern Europe:
Bulgaria Scolds Russian Narrative On Soviet Role In Liberating Europe

In China:
Asia Times | Competing narratives on Hong Kong | Article

In Germany:
Five things to know about the AfD surge in German regional elections - The Local
Lingering divide: why east and west Germany are drifting apart | Financial Times

In the UK:

UK has higher level of regional inequality than any other large wealthy country

In November 2018, the fact-checking organisation Fullfact argued that the UK has only average levels of interregional inequality – a misleading narrative that was proliferated by high-profile journalists.

Professor McCann ... urged politicians and the media to gain a stronger understanding of regional science and overcome inaccurate narratives, in order to address this ‘geography of discontent’.

“The dominant media narrative explaining the UK’s geography of discontent – or why Brexit supporters are concentrated in certain areas – has come to focus on inequalities between cities and towns, rather than between regions. This is total nonsense.

“Wide-ranging evidence suggests that the UK almost certainly has the highest level of regional inequality of any large wealthy country in the world. In many ways, the economic geography of the UK is reminiscent of a much poorer country at an earlier stage of economic development.

“Major differences in local productivity are a primary source of the geography of discontent and they are also a challenge to a country’s institutional and governance structures. It is likely that the enormous imbalances within the UK are heavily related to the over-centralised national governance system.

“Significant devolution and decentralisation of power should be a key priority for helping to counter the geography of discontent. It’s essential that those in power use regional science to improve their understanding of regional economic realities and overcome inaccurate national media and political narratives."


University of Sheffield study shows UK has the worst regional inequality
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Tuesday, 3 September 2019

brexit and the culture wars: part two

We have culture wars happening everywhere:
Jay Doubleyou: culture wars
Jay Doubleyou: culture mix: germany

And in particular in the UK:
Jay Doubleyou: brexit and the culture wars

That last posting was from last month... and since then, there's been a lot of comment:
Boris Johnson’s luck might be about to run out | Comment | The Times


Telegraph.co.uk
This is one of the most seismic political realignments in postwar history. The Tories had better be careful
Brexit and the gridlock in Parliament have already transformed our party .... the longer-term culture wars that have crippled the United States.
This is one of the most seismic political realignments in postwar history. The Tories had better be careful


The Guardian
From the Blitz to Brexit: how society changed after the second world war ... (The counter-culture combined with consumerism, described by ...

Culture has become far more important in elections — since 2016 people can no longer be relied upon to vote with their wallets. And where you fall on social questions is far harder to fudge: you are either pro-gay marriage or against it, pro-stop-and-search or against it; pro-hanging or against it. Each decision reveals the deep principles of your party, not just the money available at the time. 
When two tribes go to war, Labour will find it far harder to score | London Evening Standard

Prospect
Britain's Reichstag Fire moment
Then there is the phenomenon of “culture wars,” which can be relied on ... that the death penalty should be brought back in post-Brexit Britain.
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Sunday, 1 September 2019

culture mix: norway

Why are the Scandinavians so good at a lot of things?
Jay Doubleyou: why do scandinavians speak such good english?
Jay Doubleyou: what's the best country?
Jay Doubleyou: in/equality - the pay gap - part 3

The Danes are pretty good:
Jay Doubleyou: hygge
Jay Doubleyou: aero - denmark's sustainable island community

As are the Finns:
Jay Doubleyou: finnish schools are the best
Jay Doubleyou: pointless work, artificial intelligence and the universal basic income

And the Swedes:
Jay Doubleyou: free schools: sweden

And the Norwegians can be pretty proud of themselves too:
Jay Doubleyou: press freedom around the world
Jay Doubleyou: crime and punishment

Here's Norway in the news:
Norway freezes support for Amazon Fund; EU/Brazil trade deal at risk?
Norway elections: Norway on collision course with EU over vow to ditch EEA membership | World | News | Express.co.uk
Norway option is worst of all Brexit outcomes for UK, say EU sources | Politics | The Guardian
Norway Groceries Are Europe's Most Expensive - Life in Norway

And the latest in culture:
naustet stokkøya offers visitors an experience rooted in norwegian culture
Norway Culture Minister Asks Schools to Help students Who Participate in the Climate Strike - The Nordic Page
Inside the Snowy World of Scandinavia's Enduring Indigenous Culture - VICE
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culture mix: germany

Germany, as with many places, is in the middle of fierce debates about its identity:
Jay Doubleyou: culture wars

At least Germany is ready to confront its past honestly:
Jay Doubleyou: in britain we use our history in order to comfort us: this sort of handling of history is dangerous as well as regrettable.
Jay Doubleyou: world war one and poppies
Jay Doubleyou: rewriting history
Jay Doubleyou: the first world war: triumph and pride ... or ... tragedy and sorrow?

And they continue to be very aware of how the past can be repeated:
Jay Doubleyou: the wave: lessons in manipulation

And yet the Germans did not invent the modern propaganda machine:
Jay Doubleyou: propaganda, public relations and manufacturing consent

Here's a history of Germany through objects:
Jay Doubleyou: telling stories about the germans on the bbc

Vorsprung durch Technik:
Jay Doubleyou: neets - again
Jay Doubleyou: energy: by 2026 100% of german houses will be zero energy consumers... in the uk it will be under 5%.

However, the Germans have exported a very efficient (over-efficient?) education system:
Jay Doubleyou: we are much more than problem-solvers
Jay Doubleyou: the purpose of education: from china to prussia to the united states

A bit of humour:
Jay Doubleyou: "drunk stupid brits"
Jay Doubleyou: british vs german humour
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Saturday, 31 August 2019

culture mix: japan

Van Gogh was fascinated in Japan:
Vincent Van Gogh's fascination for Japan
Van Gogh Museum - Van Gogh & Japan - trailer | Facebook

But it wasn't just Vincent:
Fascination Japan. Monet · Van Gogh · Klimt on Vimeo

Today we are also fascinated:
[See at 13:30 and 24:00]

Image result for bbc radio 4 moving pictures kimono

BBC Radio 4 - Moving Pictures, Kimono

On the BBC:
BBC - Japan
BBC Four - The Art of Japanese Life, Series 1, Cities, The 'floating world' of Edo

And from Kazuo Ishiguru:
An Artist of the Floating World - Wikipedia

This is modern Japan:
BBC Four - Arena, Kusama: Infinity
BBC Four - Ryan Gander: The Idea of Japan

We need to be careful, though:
Jay Doubleyou: othering
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we are much more than problem-solvers

Problem-solving is a very useful skill:
Jay Doubleyou: scenarios for problem solving
Jay Doubleyou: tinkering school

"The number one skill that employers are seeking today and in the future is complex problem solving":



How to Teach Kids Better Problem Solving | Michael Arnold | TEDxGreenville - YouTube

However:
Jay Doubleyou: Search results for prussian
prussian education system problem solving - Google Search

2017:
What are some alternatives to the Prussian educational system? - Quora

wow:
Mythology that keeps the archaic school system alive - supermemo.guru
SuperMemo Guru - supermemo.guru

prussian education system "problem solving" - Google Search

2016:
No grammar schools, lots of play: the secrets of Europe’s top education system | Education | The Guardian

prussian education system "problem solving" managerial - Google Search

nov 2018:
this is a prussian education system hateblog | Thing of Things

2019:
School is less of an "education" system and more of a "get used to doing shit you don't have any interest in without question for the rest of your life" system. : Showerthoughts
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grammar workshop

GRAMMAR INTRO:

What is 'grammar'?
Grammar - Wikipedia
What is Grammar? | Grammar | EnglishClub

Michael Lewis' book 'The Verb' provides an excellent overview of English grammar - how to understand it, to teach it, to learn it:
The English Verb by Michael Lewis: Book Review - YouTube
Amazon.com: The English Verb: An Exploration of Structure and Meaning (9780906717400): Michael Lewis: Books

Basically, Michael Lewis says that we English teachers have been teaching the verb tenses all wrong.

For one thing, we teach each tense as if it were a series of uses, each unconnected to each other, and then a series of exceptions to each of these uses. This has the effect of just confusing and discouraging our students.

As Michael Lewis says on page 13:

Most student grammars, and textbook syllabuses, are based on a catalogue approach to grammar. Different points are covered one by one in separate paragraphs or units. Each paragraph is independent of the others. There are two difficulties which result from this. 

Firstly, students are given the impression that they are attempting an impossible task; as soon as they have finished one paragraph, or one use of a verb form, they are presented with another, and another, and another… . Rarely, if ever, do they see the parts they are learning as coming together to form a coherent whole. Not surprisingly, such a catalogue approach, giving an impression of impossibility, de-motivates students. 

The second problem is that each paragraph is, in a way, an exception to the previous paragraph. Students may, for example, learn that the present continuous is used for an action going on at the moment of speaking (this is a dangerous half truth…), and then they learn that the present continuous can also be used for the future. Nobody take times to explain that there is a reason for this, and that indeed the two uses are fundamentally the same….

This “catalogue and exceptions” approach must depress students. Instead of encouraging a feeling of progress as they learn more language, it gives them a feeling that the task is becoming more and more impossible.

Random Book and Movie Reviews: The English Verb by Michael Lewis

SOME AND ANY:

Michael Lewis illustrates this at the beginning with a look at the 'rules' of some and any.

This dictionary simply gives a definition:
SOME | meaning in the Cambridge English Dictionary
ANY | meaning in the Cambridge English Dictionary

And it's a problem when it comes to translation - for example:
some | translate English to German: Cambridge Dictionary
any | translate English to German: Cambridge Dictionary
some | translate English to Spanish: Cambridge Dictionary
any | translate English to Spanish: Cambridge Dictionary
some pronoun, quantifier | translate English to Polish: Cambridge Dictionary
any pronoun, determiner | translate English to Polish: Cambridge Dictionary

Look at how this English-English dictionary features them and it's all about USE:
some_1 determiner - Definition, pictures, pronunciation and usage notes | Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary at OxfordLearnersDictionaries.com
any_1 determiner - Definition, pictures, pronunciation and usage notes | Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary at OxfordLearnersDictionaries.com

So, which activities would we do to learn 'some' and 'any'?
(1) Some and Any Fruit Game (How To Teach Some and Any) - YouTube
How to use Some and Any | Learn English

PREPOSITIONS AND ARTICLES:

It's all about chunks:

Following the pattern that most course books take, i.e., dealing with prepositions in manageable chunks, is not a bad way to go. Teaching prepositions of time, place and movement, for instance, at different times, will enable learners to build up their knowledge of prepositions slowly and steadily. Doing so will be much more effective than, say, trying to teach every use of 'in' at the same time.
How to help learners of English understand prepositions | British Council

Sure, we can give students rules to apply, such as; use on with days of the week; in for months and years; at for specific times and holidays, but as native English speakers we do not grow up learning these rules, or even thinking about what preposition to use. Ask an English speaking child, “Where is your mother?” They will know to say at home instead of in home or on home. This is not instinctive; it has been acquired through hearing and mimicking, which is not the same way that students learn the language. Children learn languages in chunks and phrases so English learners should do the same.
Learn prepositions easily

You can also say it's all about phrases:
Prepositional phrases (video) | Khan Academy

Or collocation:
Grammar and vocabulary: teaching students collocations | Onestopenglish
Fun classroom practice of collocations - UsingEnglish.com

DRILLING:

From 5 minutes into this BBC radio programme, we can see 'chunking' at work:
The Documentary - The Superlinguists - How to learn a language - BBC Sounds
Jay Doubleyou: how to learn a language from 'superlinguists'

It's the music which helps us to remember 'chunks', or complete phrases:
Jazz chants | Onestopenglish

For example:
> I've always cooked my pasta with the lid on
> She's never played the cello with her father
> They've normally done the washing by bed time

PERFECT ASPECT:

It's all very confusing:
timeline present perfect - Google Search

Michael Lewis shows it's about finding a defining principle:

Each verb tense represents a different subjective view of time, and all of the different uses of a particular verb tense can be connected back to this same view.
For example, the present perfect can be used in a number of different situations, as listed above, but all the usages have a unifying characteristic—each use indicates that the speaker is looking back at a past event from the perspective of the present.
Once this is understood, the series of “rules” which we English teachers give about the present perfect are not really “rules”, but simply hints to help the student identify in which situations the present perfect is likely to be used.

Random Book and Movie Reviews: The English Verb by Michael Lewis

You can see it being used here:
Jay Doubleyou: goldilocks and the three bears > a story to tell the difference between present perfect simple and continuous

And here:
Jay Doubleyou: present perfect for experiences

SENTENCE STRUCTURE:

Rinvolucri's Grammar Games is full of fun ways to deal with syntax:
Grammar Games : Mario Rinvolucri : 9780521277730
Grammar Games, Mario Rinvolucri

And:
More Grammar Games | Mario Rinvolucri and Paul Davis
4549394-English-Teaching-ResourcesMore-Grammar-Games.pdf

Whereas this is a little boring but useful:
(1) Learn English Grammar: The Sentence - YouTube

It's actually rather difficult:
Jay Doubleyou: word order

INDUCTIVE OR DEDUCTIVE:

deductive approach involves the learners being given a general rule, which is then applied to specific language examples and honed through practice exercises. An inductive approach involves the learners detecting, or noticing, patterns and working out a 'rule' for themselves before they practise the language

Inductive and deductive grammar teaching: what is it, and does it work? - Oxford University Press
(1) How to Teach an Inductive Learning Lesson - YouTube

NOTICING:

Finally, we just need to see how it works:
How to get the most out of English texts | Antimoon
Is “pause and think” worth it? « The Antimoon Blog
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