Uploaded September 2019 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
‘What is your stupid question?’ Hold that thought. Rory Sutherland makes an excellent point here: it makes sense to ask stupid questions because i) the answer is not always immediately obvious and ii) the solution to a problem may be very, very different depending on what that answer is. RS illustrates that perfectly with the (apparently silly) question: ‘Why do people dislike standing up on trains?’
My stupid question is a different one: ‘Why do people attend English classes?’ For many the answer may be ‘To improve my English’ but I would like to argue that for many others there are at least additional reasons: ‘Because I want to meet people’ / ‘Because I want to feel I am not stagnating’ / ‘Because my parents expect me to’.
If these answers are true (and notice that the respondent may well be unaware of this) then simply delivering methodologically sound lessons doesn’t quite cut it. Should we organise more social events? Should we include more interesting content? Should we try to make the lesson an interesting as well as an instructive experience?
Now over to you: What is YOUR stupid question?
‘What is your stupid question?’ Hold that thought. Rory Sutherland makes an excellent point here: it makes sense to ask stupid questions because i) the answer is not always immediately obvious and ii) the solution to a problem may be very, very different depending on what that answer is. RS illustrates that perfectly with the (apparently silly) question: ‘Why do people dislike standing up on trains?’
My stupid question is a different one: ‘Why do people attend English classes?’ For many the answer may be ‘To improve my English’ but I would like to argue that for many others there are at least additional reasons: ‘Because I want to meet people’ / ‘Because I want to feel I am not stagnating’ / ‘Because my parents expect me to’.
If these answers are true (and notice that the respondent may well be unaware of this) then simply delivering methodologically sound lessons doesn’t quite cut it. Should we organise more social events? Should we include more interesting content? Should we try to make the lesson an interesting as well as an instructive experience?
Now over to you: What is YOUR stupid question?
![Ads for ELT - Hands Only CPR 1 [Vinnie]](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/imcFo7bxSU0/mqdefault.jpg "Ads for ELT - Hands Only CPR 1 [Vinnie]
[To get a free worksheet (+KEY, +Script) just click here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/0ByC3QwWZuGXdY2pkQzNCaWQtazQ/view?usp=sharing ]
Tough guy Vinnie shows that there are times in life when it pays to be tough. Like when someone is having a cardiac arrest for instance. A fantastic concept – the incongruity of having someone who looks like a psychopathic thug delivering a pro-social message makes it extremely memorable. Entertaining, excellent listening practice, PLUS students get to learn something which might prove to be a life-saving skill for real life. What more could one ask for?
Level: C1 – C2. Topic: Health / First Aid / Emergencies
[NB: I do not own the copyright to this video clip. I have uploaded it here for educational purposes].
SCRIPT
My name is Vinnie Jones and I’m going to teach you a lesson you’ll never forget. There are times in life when being tough comes in handy. Say some geezer collapses in front of you. What do you do? We need a volunteer that ain’t breathing.
Here’s one I made earlier. First thing you do is you check him over. If he ain’t responsive or he ain’t breathing or he’s making noises like this. (SOUND: serious weezing) then his heart has stopped working and he’s having a cardiac arrest. Look lively. First, call 999. Then you do Hands-only CPR. And no kissing. You only kiss your missus on the lips. Watch. Lock your fingers together, knuckles up. Then push down. Right on the sovereign.
Push down five or six centimetres. That’s about two inches in old money.
Push hard and fast about two times a second, like to the beat of ‘Stayin’ Alive’. Worried you’ll hurt him? Better a cracked rib than him kicking the bucket. Keep this up until the ambulance arrives.
So, don’t forget. Check him over. Call 999. Push hard and fast to ‘Stayin’ Alive. It work’s. Hands-only CPR. It ain’t as hard as it looks.
If you want to come in handy in an emergency, why not sign up for one of our HeartStart courses.")
