Sunday 22 September 2013

Shall we talk about it?

Last week many shattering events took place in Greece. A young man was stabbed to death by a member of Golden Dawn ( the extreme right party), demonstrations and scuffles with the police took place in many Greek cities, citizens all over Europe demonstrated against racism and Neonazism. Last but not least, a Sunday newspaper published a photo of the dead man on the crime scene in its front page provoking new protestations.
During our studies in ELT or in seminars we hear that we should leave our worries, concerns outside the classroom. Can it be so, though ?
We live in a social environment, events and changes affect us unless we want to be indiffirent. I believe that we should get the opportunity and talk about them. Share thoughts and feelings adjusting the topic to the level of the learners. People,especially teenagers and young adults, want to express themselves. However, we must be careful and sensitive about our students' beliefs and opinions. We should make sure that one's attitude does not insult others or violate their rights.
I know it is a delicate matter but I am confident that it is useful and meaningful to analyse current affairs, see them from different perspectives, give our students the chance to get involved. Motivation is the key to communication and learners perform better when they can relate themselves to the context of the topic.

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