Uploaded September 2014 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
[To get a free worksheet (+KEY, +Script) just click here: drive.google.com/file/d/0ByC3QwWZuGXdOEFDQUc3S21NVHc/view?usp=sharing ]
Fantastic! Comedian Jack Douglas makes fun of all the hype surrounding each and every new Apple product. In addition, he also points out a number of things about this new gadget which the manufacturers never take the trouble to tell us. One could start a lesson with an authentic Apple Watch ad, have a debate about its usefulness and then round everything off with this short clip. The perfect ‘dessert’ to a lesson on Technology.
Level: B2 – C1 Topics: Technology / Shopping / Advertising / Consumerism / Gadgets
[NB: I do not own the copyright to this video clip. I have uploaded it here for educational purposes].
SCRIPT
The ipod. The iphone. The ipad. And now – the iwatch… AppleWatch! The Apple… Watch. (Damn,I’m never going to get used to that…)
The AppleWatch stands for a ‘Pleasantly Plump Little Electronic Watch – Android’s Terrible Come Here’. It does so many cool little thingies… You can share your heartbeat…for some reason… You can try looking at pictures on an 1-inch screen… You can buy… 5 in a row and watch them dance. You can thumb something down – or up. You can even set the date – just like a regular watch. Oh! It’s got maps on it! Kinda like… the phone you already have… Can it tell time? Yes! Do you have to charge it every night? Yes! – Just like a regular watch.
Sending a mogsie has never been more complicated. You can draw and send pictures to your… to your friends; we don’t know how to turn off dick-pics though I mean that’s – it’s gonna happen. That’ll be a feature that’ll come in the iWatch 2 – Apple… AppleWatch 2 (I’m never going to be able to say that…)
Now you can watch YouTube videos right on your watch! (‘Hey, man, can you like move?’ – ‘Shut up, man!’) It also comes with ApplePay, so you can use your watch like a credit card. And trust us: Apple will keep your banking information very secure – just as all those nude pics…
Now, a lot of people think that AppleWatch requires an iPhone… and they’re right! If you have an iPhone 4S or lower, it won’t work. If you have an Android phone, get the …. out! If you have a Windows phone …. Just kidding…
The AppleWatch also comes with a brand-new U2 album. We’re sorry…
You are going to spend hours trying to figure out how to work that crowny, dially thingy… because let me tell you – that screen is tiny – teeny tiny! I mean, if you’re over the age of 50, I don’t know what to tell you…
It’s the new Apple iWatch – App… AppleWatch. You didn’t really ask for it, so here you go.
[To get a free worksheet (+KEY, +Script) just click here: drive.google.com/file/d/0ByC3QwWZuGXdOEFDQUc3S21NVHc/view?usp=sharing ]
Fantastic! Comedian Jack Douglas makes fun of all the hype surrounding each and every new Apple product. In addition, he also points out a number of things about this new gadget which the manufacturers never take the trouble to tell us. One could start a lesson with an authentic Apple Watch ad, have a debate about its usefulness and then round everything off with this short clip. The perfect ‘dessert’ to a lesson on Technology.
Level: B2 – C1 Topics: Technology / Shopping / Advertising / Consumerism / Gadgets
[NB: I do not own the copyright to this video clip. I have uploaded it here for educational purposes].
SCRIPT
The ipod. The iphone. The ipad. And now – the iwatch… AppleWatch! The Apple… Watch. (Damn,I’m never going to get used to that…)
The AppleWatch stands for a ‘Pleasantly Plump Little Electronic Watch – Android’s Terrible Come Here’. It does so many cool little thingies… You can share your heartbeat…for some reason… You can try looking at pictures on an 1-inch screen… You can buy… 5 in a row and watch them dance. You can thumb something down – or up. You can even set the date – just like a regular watch. Oh! It’s got maps on it! Kinda like… the phone you already have… Can it tell time? Yes! Do you have to charge it every night? Yes! – Just like a regular watch.
Sending a mogsie has never been more complicated. You can draw and send pictures to your… to your friends; we don’t know how to turn off dick-pics though I mean that’s – it’s gonna happen. That’ll be a feature that’ll come in the iWatch 2 – Apple… AppleWatch 2 (I’m never going to be able to say that…)
Now you can watch YouTube videos right on your watch! (‘Hey, man, can you like move?’ – ‘Shut up, man!’) It also comes with ApplePay, so you can use your watch like a credit card. And trust us: Apple will keep your banking information very secure – just as all those nude pics…
Now, a lot of people think that AppleWatch requires an iPhone… and they’re right! If you have an iPhone 4S or lower, it won’t work. If you have an Android phone, get the …. out! If you have a Windows phone …. Just kidding…
The AppleWatch also comes with a brand-new U2 album. We’re sorry…
You are going to spend hours trying to figure out how to work that crowny, dially thingy… because let me tell you – that screen is tiny – teeny tiny! I mean, if you’re over the age of 50, I don’t know what to tell you…
It’s the new Apple iWatch – App… AppleWatch. You didn’t really ask for it, so here you go.
![Psychology and ELT - The Forer Effect 2
This activity is simply amazing and I have had excellent feedback every time I have used it. The first part of this audio clip contains the instructions. Students are asked to imagine they are walking in the woods. They are then asked to make brief notes of what the scene is like and to describe various items. This is supposed to reveal something about their inner self.
In the second part, we have a short recording from a phone-in radio programme. The listener tells the host about how he imagined the whole experience and the host tries to analyse his personality on the basis of his responses. The way he does this is a perfect illustration of the Forer Effect. Students (in pairs) can take it in turns to do the same for their partner. There are a number of variations of this idea which can be found on the internet if one googles Personality A Walk in the Woods.
[NB: I do not own the copyright to this video clip. I have uploaded it here for educational purposes]. Psychology and ELT - The Forer Effect 2](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/ZFNnZdkDoEo/mqdefault.jpg)
![Ads for ELT - Rush Less Fell More
It’s not easy to hit your target with a bow and arrow these days… Even if you are as expert an archer as Cupid. Yes, Legolas might have done slightly better, but the fact remains that hitting a moving target is not easy. The good thing is that Cupid is not prepared to give up so easily… Enjoy! 😊
[NB: I do not own the copyright to this video clip. I have only uploaded it here for educational purposes]. Ads for ELT - Rush Less Fell More](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/ZTqj7lkizRQ/mqdefault.jpg)
![Psychology and ELT - Body Language
Why are some TED talks so hugely popular and others are not? Sure, content does count, but there appears to be another factor as well which plays a huge role. Body language. Watch Vanessa Van Edwards talk about her findings.
[NB: I do not own the copyright to this video clip. I have uploaded it here for educational purposes]. Psychology and ELT - Body Language](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/ZUq64IY9Xpg/mqdefault.jpg)


![Comedy for ELT - The Chase
An excellent little clip and a brilliant parody of action movies. Ideal for split-viewing; you get some of the students to watch it and then describe to the others what happens. Taken from the brilliant BBC series ‘Alas Smith and Jones’.
[NB: I do not own the copyright to this video clip. I have uploaded it here for educational purposes]. Comedy for ELT - The Chase](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/a0BEGX2d4eM/mqdefault.jpg)
![Psychology and ELT - Ownership
How do you get people to (re)connect with an idea / a product / a brand / an organisation / a cause? One way is to tell them how great these are. Another (and much better way) is to get THEM to do the ‘advertising’ for you! In this fantastic Case Study, McDonald’s managed to (re)connect with its fans (and many, many more people in the process) by asking them to design their own burger. Who would decide which one would qualify for the McDonald’s menu? Why, the people themselves of course! And did it work? Well, just watch the clip…
So – can we learn from the masters? Could we perhaps use the idea of ownership and involvement to get people to like their course / school / workplace / teaching association more? It’s up to us. [The key is for us to realise that we need to move from a ‘Tell and Sell’ to a ‘Participate and Play’ approach (Ferrier: ‘The Advertising Effect’ – p. 181)]
[NB: I do not own the copyright to this video clip. I have uploaded it here for educational purposes]. Psychology and ELT - Ownership](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/aGQMnOmMVlU/mqdefault.jpg)
![Ads for ELT - Whodunnit
Here is a step-by-step guide for an amazing activity you can do with your students:
• Students work in pairs.
• Play the video clip in class [up to 0:53] and ask students to make a note of the suspects, what each of them says and how the detective manages to identify the culprit.
• Ask the students whether they noticed anything that had changed while the detective was talking (chances are the answer is going to be ‘No’).
• Play the clip again – up to 0:53. This time students are likely to spot 2-3 changes.
• Play the clip until the end.
• Students have to make quick notes of all the changes they see. They then try to write them down using their notes and what they remember.
• Pairs score 1 point for each of the 21 changes they manage to recall properly.
• [Alternatively – to help students practice reading – you can show the students a passage describing all the changes; in the passage, make sure you include a number of mistakes (e.g. ‘a stuffed polar bear’ – instead of ‘a stuffed black bear’). Students will have to use their notes and memory to spot the mistakes].
In terms of motivation, few activities can match this one. Unless they have seen something similar in the past, students are simply stunned!
[NB: I do not own the copyright to this video clip. I have uploaded it here for educational purposes]. Ads for ELT - Whodunnit](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/ao-v31eI3Pw/mqdefault.jpg)
![Human Nature - Israelis and Palestinians
Watch this fantastic short clip by the great (Israeli) Daniel Kahneman to see what insights Psychology can offer into the conflict between Israelis and Palestinians.
Looking at the issue from the point of view of Israel, Professor Kahneman says that peace is difficult – very difficult. Here is why:
- Power imbalance [1:07]: A power imbalance makes the powerful look down on the powerless (indeed, according to N. Epley (Epley 2014, Ch. 3), it often leads us to dehumanize our powerless adversaries), they are less empathetic, prone to contempt and they have a sense of entitlement. Israel is by far the more powerful party.
- Habituation [2:53]: We very easily ‘habituate’ to a certain state of affairs – thinking that it is going to last forever. Israel enjoys a number of privileges it would have to give up in order to attain peace. It is very hard to do that.
- Loss aversion [4:45]: Losses (esp certain and immediate losses) loom larger than benefits (esp uncertain, future benefits). If Israel struck a deal now, it would have to give up a number of things (not least territory it has occupied, not to mention the settlements) and hope that this might translate into peace and good-neighbourliness in the future.
- The right to self-defence [6:20]: Whenever there is a conflict, we perceive ourselves as the injured party, simply responding to aggression, insults etc. It is never the other way round. Not once has any of the two sides admitted that they were the initiators.
- Disproportional retaliation: Another great Jew (E. Aronson) quotes research showing that it is all but impossible to restrain our tendency for excessive retaliation (Aronson & Tavris 2007 – p. 192). Time and again, our brain magnifies the other party’s offences and our own deeds seem insignificant by comparison.
- Attribution [7:38]: We act in the way we act because of the circumstances; the other side however acts the way they do because of their nature – because they cannot help it (e.g. ‘Because they are anti-semites’ etc. – Palestinians also perceive Israelis as racists). This is such a common phenomenon, there is a special term for it: the Fundamental Attribution Error.
- Mistrust [8:05]: Psychologically, we don’t mind so much if we miss an opportunity (e.g. to achieve peace). We do mind an awful lot however if we choose to trust the other party, we take a step towards reconciliation (e.g. by dismantling a settlement or releasing prisoners) and then we feel that this is turned against us (instead of appreciated).
So – what is to be done? Professor Kahneman says there is little hope in trusting that there will be a gradual change of attitudes among the Israeli people (or the Palestinians come to that). What is needed here is leadership – someone who will help steer the nation in the direction of peace. Will the Israelis manage this? The best answer perhaps is a Hebrew word from the Old Testament: ‘timshel’ ( = thou mayest).
[NB: I do not own the copyright to this video clip. I have uploaded it here for educational purposes]. Human Nature - Israelis and Palestinians](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/bCPUT492_c4/mqdefault.jpg)
![Comedy for ELT - School Answering Machine
Would it not be great if we could tell people EXACTLY what we think for a change? The teachers at this particular school apparently had had enough of spoilt children and spoilt parents and so they recorded a, shall we say, rather frank message for the school answering machine... Level: B2 - C1 Topic: Education.
[NB: I do not own the copyright to this audio clip. I have uploaded it here for educational purposes].
SCRIPT
Hello. Youve reached the automated answering service of your school. In order to assist you in connecting to the right staff member please listen to all the options before making a selection.
- To lie about why your child is absent, press 1.
- To make excuses for why your child did not do his homework, press 2.
- To complain about what we do, press 3.
- To swear at staff members, press 4.
- To ask why you didnt get information that has already been enclosed in your newsletter and several fliers which have been mailed to you, press 5.
- If you want us to raise your child, press 6.
- If you want to reach out and touch, slap or hit someone, press 7.
- To request another teacher (for the third time this year), press 8.
- To complain about bus transportation, press 9.
- To complain about school lunches, press 0.
If you realize this is the real world and your child must be accountable and responsible for his or her own behaviour, classwork and homework and that its not the teachers fault for your childs lack of effort, hang up and have a nice day!
Thank you for your interest in public education. Comedy for ELT - School Answering Machine](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/bS1dcGCvojs/mqdefault.jpg)
![Psychology and ELT - Distancing
What’s the idea here? All these people waiting for the new Apple – surely that can’t be good for Samsung? Surely the message here is ‘If so many people swear by the new Apple i-Phone, it’s got to be good!’ right? [Social Proof!] And yet…. if we watch the ad, it turns out that those waiting are actually ‘old fogies’; the young generation have moved on – they are using Samsung. Here is the kicker: the few young people in the queue are actually saving a spot for their parents!!! What self-respecting teenager would like to look like their father/mother?!? [Moral: If you want people to avoid something like the plague, just show them that a group they want to dissociate themselves with actually have it / do it. Brilliant!] Psychology and ELT - Distancing](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/cLMFqW7HTzI/mqdefault.jpg)