Summary Writing and Classroom Discussion
- Conduct a classroom activity of summary writing using the notes prepared from listening carefully to the Per Espen Stoknes’ talk mentioned above. This will be followed by a classroom discussion using a set of questions.
- Homework assignment: Ask your students to write short summaries that cover the 4 points mentioned below, using their prepared notes.
Play the video once more, but this time without any breaks. This will help you fill any gaps that you might have when you watched the video the first time or questions that did not get answered during the discussions. Once done, go over your notes.
Then revise what a summary is. Now,refer your notes and write a summary of the talk. For this video’s length, the summary will be about 600-700 words. It will be split into four parts (parallel to the breaks above), and therefore, will have a minimum of four paragraphs.
Have a (classroom) discussion, using the following set of questions. During this, it is encouraged to make notes again.
- Why do we need more effective communication skills when it comes to climate change?
- What useful strategies does the speaker suggest for effectively communicating about, and engaging with, climate change?
- What is the significance of stories, according to the speaker?
- Do you agree with the strategies that Per Espen Stoknes suggests? Do you think these would be successful in other communication contexts?
- What does this talk tell us about human beings and their minds?
TED talk video, ‘How to Transform Apocalyptic Fatigue into Action on Global Warming’ by Per Espen Stoknes
Video hosted by TED.com