Uploaded May 2015 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
It’s the spring break and the young undergraduate girl returns home – bringing her boyfriend along. The mother is pleased to see her daughter of course, but a little less so to see the boy. Anyway, she cannot very well chuck him out, but, so long as he stays in her home, he will have to abide by the rule ‘Not under my roof!’; the two young lovers are to sleep in different rooms.
Now while this might be a relief if you have been married for 20 years, it is a little hard if you are in the throes of passion, so the young boy does all he can to manage to get to his girlfriend’s room and evade the mother’s vigilant eye. Will he succeed?
This fantastic ad is perfect for split viewing: you get the students in pairs; you get one of the students to close his/her eyes while the other watches the ad. Then the latter has to explain to the former what happened.
[NB: I do not own the copyright to this video clip. I have uploaded it here for educational purposes].
It’s the spring break and the young undergraduate girl returns home – bringing her boyfriend along. The mother is pleased to see her daughter of course, but a little less so to see the boy. Anyway, she cannot very well chuck him out, but, so long as he stays in her home, he will have to abide by the rule ‘Not under my roof!’; the two young lovers are to sleep in different rooms.
Now while this might be a relief if you have been married for 20 years, it is a little hard if you are in the throes of passion, so the young boy does all he can to manage to get to his girlfriend’s room and evade the mother’s vigilant eye. Will he succeed?
This fantastic ad is perfect for split viewing: you get the students in pairs; you get one of the students to close his/her eyes while the other watches the ad. Then the latter has to explain to the former what happened.
[NB: I do not own the copyright to this video clip. I have uploaded it here for educational purposes].
![Psychology and ELT - Expectations 2
Imagine you are a university student. You are waiting for the first session of ‘Introductory Economics 70’ to begin. Then somebody comes in and says that something has happened to the professor who normally teaches the course, so a stand-in instructor will deliver the lecture. The only thing is that, because the department would like some feedback, the students will be asked to fill in an evaluation form afterwards. By way of introduction, each student is given a slip of paper with some information about this lecturer. Naturally (as this was in fact a Psychology experiment – although students did not know it) there were two versions of this short bio. Here they are. Can you spot the difference?
A: “Mr Long is a graduate student in the Department of Economics and Social Science here at MIT. He has had three semesters of teaching experience in psychology at another college. This is his first semester teaching Ec 70. He is 26 years old, a veteran, and married. People who know him consider him to be a very warm person, industrious, critical, practical and determined”.
B: “Mr Long is a graduate student in the Department of Economics and Social Science here at MIT. He has had three semesters of teaching experience in psychology at another college. This is his first semester teaching Ec 70. He is 26 years old, a veteran, and married. People who know him consider him to be a rather cold person, industrious, critical, practical and determined”.
That’s right. The only difference is two words: ‘very warm’ as opposed to ‘rather cold’. Would that tiny detail make a difference? Watch the great Paul Bloom describe the study and explain why expectations matter so much…
[NB: I do not own the copyright to this video clip. I have uploaded it here for educational purposes]. Psychology and ELT - Expectations 2](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/Nu6BIyHgda4/mqdefault.jpg)
![Ads for ELT - Morning Quickie
[To download a free worksheet (+ KEY + Script) just click here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/0ByC3QwWZuGXdQ1BBRng5d3dJeGM/view?usp=sharing ]
[NB: Teacher discretion is adviced]. Amazing! Lots and lots of language, clear delivery and it’s full of double-entendres – a sure hit with teenagers of all ages! Level: B1+ / Topics: Food – Cooking – Sex. Task 1: How do you prepare the ‘quickie’? Task 2: How many ‘double-entendres’ can you spot? (Task 3: You can give your students the script with gaps, etc. so they can focus on language). Enjoy! :-)
[NB: I do not own the copyright to this audio clip. I have uploaded it here for educational purposes].
SCRIPT
Hi there. Thanks for joining me for a morning quickie. Did you know it only takes 2 minutes to start the day with a smile on your face? And if you’re already doing it at home, now it’s even easier to squeeze one in. It doesn’t matter if you’re going solo or as a couple; you can enjoy a morning quickie just about anywhere. I like the kitchen for the ample counter space and easy clean-up…
Start by beating an egg firmly but gently in a greased bowl. It’s all in the wrist. I like to alternate hands. When it comes to morning quickies, you’d assume the secret ingredient is love. It’s actually bacon. Now – I used to spend a lot of time on my back… - bacon - …but it was taking too long. So I switched to ready-crisped bacon in the microwave.
And now the best part – a Dempster’s English muffin. And remember to toast it first. It’s so much more satisfying when it’s hot! Now we assemble the ingredients. Don’t be afraid to experiment with different positions. For example, my husband likes the cheese on the bottom – I prefer it on top. Ooooh!! I haven’t had a quickie this good since I was in college!
And if you’re feeling adventurous, try a delicious Dempster’s bagel. I hope you enjoyed your morning quickie as much as I did. Give me 10 minutes, I’ll be ready for another! Ads for ELT - Morning Quickie](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/NxGlUEbOIBQ/mqdefault.jpg)
![Comedy for ELT - Star Wars [Phonecalls]
OK – the first one is good, the second one is simply brilliant! In the first phone call, we have Yoda calling 192 (Directory Enquiries). The bemused operator is asked to find Obi Wan Kenobi’s number… In the second phone call, Obi Wan Kenobi calls the Dorchester Hotel (one of the best in the whole galaxy!). He wants to book a room, but there are a number of things he needs to check first… Enjoy!
NB: The phone calls are real! The actors make a number of calls and record them; then they go through them all, they keep the funniest and they just add the laughter tracks… [You can imagine how the guys at the other end feel… They realise it’s some kind of practical joke, but they cannot very well hang up… :-) ]
[NB: I do not own the copyright to this video clip. I have uploaded it here for educational purposes]. Comedy for ELT - Star Wars [Phonecalls]](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/O1TTFt-zVHE/mqdefault.jpg)
![Comedy for ELT - Frank Dad 2 [Friends]
He is male, he is a father and he is divorced. He is also very frank… So when his son asks him about things, he is only too happy to reply. It’s just that one wonders whether his son might not have been better off not asking questions in the first place… In this clip, Paul is a little upset because he feels socially excluded… Enjoy!
Quite apart from the entertainment value, these little sketches contain very real-life language, including discourse markers and idioms. Taken from the BBC Series ‘The Armstrong and Miller Show’. Level: C1 – C2. Topic: Family / Parents – Children / Friendship / Social Exclusion.
[NB: I do not own the copyright to this video clip. I have uploaded it here for educational purposes].
SCRIPT
D: You’re all right, old fellow?
S: I can’t sleep…
D: Something on your mind?
S: No…
D: Come on Paul, I’m your dad… What did we say? No secrets…
S: Dad….why don’t I have any mates?
D: What?
S: Well, it’s Craig Higson’s birthday this weekend and he’s invited all the boys in my class… except me… Why doesn’t anyone want to be my friend?
D: Well, they don’t mean to hurt your feelings… It’s just you are quite boring. * I mean, I love you cause I’m your dad; but the chances are other people aren’t really going to see the attraction. I mean, don’t get me wrong, I love all the little stories about what happened to drama club, or how mum nearly left the gas on when you went to the shops but, let’s face it, you’ll never get work as an after-dinner speaker… * And that lack of animation or anything interesting to say can have the knock-on effect that you leave very little impression on people… * I mean, if I’m brutally honest, after I’ve dropped you off at your mum’s on a Sunday, well, by Wednesday, even I have trouble remembering what you look like… * Do you want a hot milky drink? I can’t remember… do you take sugar? * Comedy for ELT - Frank Dad 2 [Friends]](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/OFHxvZ3JrOE/mqdefault.jpg)
![Psychology and ELT - Triggers, Habits and Virtuous Cirles
OK – here is a Q for you: How do you get people to eat in a more healthy way? A: Make sure there is always a banana on the table!! But why would this make a difference? The answer is that it serves as a reminder – it triggers thoughts of healthy eating, so naturally you eat less, you are careful with dessert and you go easy on the salt.
Notice two more things: to bring about change, it is important to establish habits. These habits can be something seemingly insignificant, such as replacing sugar with sweetener for instance. The most important point thing is that this leads you to change your perception of yourself – ‘I am a person who takes care of their diet’!
And this leads to the third point; once you start with a simple habit, it is very rare that you will stop there. Your changed self-image with lead you to adopt other habits (such as switching to red wine!) and this will produce a cascade effect! Brilliant!!!
Naturally, we can use the same idea in Education. All we need to do is to get students to adopt a simple habit – to be pro-active in the way they learn English (or anything else come to that…)
[NB: I do not own the copyright to this video clip. I have uploaded it here for educational purposes]. Psychology and ELT - Triggers, Habits and Virtuous Cirles](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/OYK7d96qnUI/mqdefault.jpg)
![Psychology and ELT - Framing I
The great writers had a profound instinctive grasp of human psychology. And Mark Twain was certainly one of them. Here is Professor Dan Ariely relating that incident where Tom Sawyer had to whitewash his aunt’s fence (on a Sunday, too!). There were two options for him: either he could meekly submit to his fate and endure the taunts of his friends, OR he could re-frame the whole experience. ‘It’s not every day a boy gets the chance to paint a fence…’ The Moral: In ambiguous situations the subjective evaluation of an experience depends heavily on the way it is framed. And if you doubt that this applies in real life, just watch the next video (Framing II).
[NB: I do not own the copyright to this video clip. I have uploaded it here for educational purposes]. Psychology and ELT - Framing I](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/P6e_jgoFPzM/mqdefault.jpg)
![Psychology and ELT - Short Term Goals
Q: How do you get people to improve their performance in whatever it is they might be doing? A: Simply get them to set themselves a short-term goal and write it down. According to Professor Jonah Berger, it helps focus our efforts.
So what this means is that it is fine to sit down to do a listening task or a gap-filling activity say, but it is much better if before starting we tell ourselves: ‘I am going to get at least 7 out of the 10 questions right’ or ‘I am aiming for filling in 15 out of the 20 gaps correctly’. The ratio of effort expended in this small tweak in relation to the benefits is simply huge!
[NB: I do not own the copyright to this video clip. I have uploaded it here for educational purposes]. Psychology and ELT - Short Term Goals](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/PBAfx-iWr74/mqdefault.jpg)
![Comedy for ELT - Frank Dad 4 [Birds and Bees]
He is male, he is a father and he is divorced. He is also very frank… So when his son asks him about things, he is only too happy to reply. It’s just that one wonders whether his son might not have been better off not asking questions in the first place… In this clip, Paul asks his dad how he came into this world… Enjoy! :-)
Quite apart from the entertainment value, these little sketches contain very real-life language, including discourse markers and idioms. Taken from the BBC Series ‘The Armstrong and Miller Show’. Level: C1 – C2. Topic: Family / Parents – Children / Marriage / Sex.
[NB: I do not own the copyright to this video clip. I have uploaded it here for educational purposes].
SCRIPT
D: How are your dippers?
S: They’re great! Can I have some more ketchup?
D: Oh, go on then…
S: Dad, where do I come from?
D: Ipswich. *
S: No, I mean… How did I get born?
D: Oh, right… Well, I met your mum at work. We bumped into each other in a corridor – literally. Then we had a few dates, got to know each other and found out we got on really well. And then eventually, we fell in love and got married and, yeah I know, icky stuff… And then in November 1994, your mum got drunk and had sex with two builders. * And nine months later, out you popped… I’m not sure which of the builders is your real dad… * I’m guessing it’s not the Chinese one… * Right! Choc ices?!? * Comedy for ELT - Frank Dad 4 [Birds and Bees]](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/PDrLKAByJrM/mqdefault.jpg)
![Human Sexuality - What gay men can teach us
It was the great Don Symons who first gave us this tip: ‘If you want to understand Male and Female sexuality, look at gay people’. The reason is that heterosexual people are constrained by the preferences of the opposite sex and that distorts our understanding of what they are really like. This is not the case with gay men and lesbians. So – what have studies shown about gay men? i) They are far more promiscuous than lesbians; ii) they have a higher libido; iii) they are more visual; iv) they are more active in seeking sex; v) they use pornography more; vi) they seek more casual sex. Notice the similarities that Dr Gaddam points out here: it is funny that one should fantasise about being cheated on, right? (Women do not share this fantasy). Why does that happen? Well, you’ll have to read the book (‘A Billion Wicked Thoughts’ – it’s excellent!)
[NB: I do not own the copyright to this video clip. I have uploaded it here for educational purposes]. Human Sexuality - What gay men can teach us](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/PRUXLqrxrnc/mqdefault.jpg)
![Human Nature - Happiness and the Workplace [3]
Some fascinating insights on happiness by Tony Hsieh. The important bits are the four elements that contribute to happiness (Perceived Control – Perceived Progress – Connectedness – Vision/Meaning [0:09]), and the 3 types of happiness(Pleasure – Engagement - Meaning [1:27] – see also Seligman). Another interesting thing is how little tweaks can significantly contribute to people’s levels of happiness. Needless to say, all these things have serious implications for Educators, not only in terms of creating schools that keep teachers happy, but also in applying these principles in the classroom.
[NB: I do not own the copyright to this video clip. I have uploaded it here for educational purposes]. Human Nature - Happiness and the Workplace [3]](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/Pf-e92b8Sf0/mqdefault.jpg)
![Comedy for ELT - Just a Minute
[Warning: Do NOT use in class, unless you have a back-up job! :-) ] A cat, Monica Lewinski and socks how are they all connected?!? Find out in this very short, hilarious clip. Just a Minute is a BBC Radio 4 game that has been going on since 1967! The idea (a great one for developing fluency by the way) is that participants have to speak on a given topic for 60 seconds without hesitation, repetition or deviation. Here, Graham Norton is asked to talk about Socks... :-)
[NB: I do not own the copyright to this audio clip. I have uploaded it here for educational purposes]. Comedy for ELT - Just a Minute](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/PqeAmm772aQ/mqdefault.jpg)