Language of Defenses (April 22, 2018 by Anne Curzan)

Well, since I have been really busy, I just would like to share some texts with you guys. This one may be interesting for those who like reading about Ph.D programs and the like.

I hope you enjoy it! 

At a recent dissertation defense at the University of Michigan, a colleague and I were musing about the ways the word defense is a misnomer for much of what happens at these events in our Ph.D. program. I’ve been thinking back on this conversation this weekend as I fly back from Sweden, where I was honored to have the opportunity to be the faculty opponent for a thesis defense at Uppsala University.

Now if defense sounds oppositional in nature, what about opponent?

At some level the word defense usefully suggests that a Ph.D. candidate is being asked to explain and justify their work — theoretical approaches, methods, conclusions drawn from analysis, and the like. The event is designed to demonstrate a candidate’s ability to talk about their research, including responding to questions they may not have anticipated.

That said, as a dissertation committee member, I do not see my job in this venue as trying to “attack” a Ph.D. candidate’s work, such that they would need to “defend” it from my criticisms. I want to allow a candidate to be as smart and creative as possible in this setting and to stretch their thinking in new ways, with the full committee there and fully engaged in their work for two hours.  A great defense, to me, is when a candidate comes to a new understanding or insight as part of the conversation, building on what is already written down in the dissertation.

This is not to say that I will not raise concerns at a defense if I have them, but I do so in the spirit of trying to help the candidate think through the issue — perhaps in collaboration with the other members of the committee — in order to strengthen the work. I do expect the candidate to be able to talk through a problem I might raise, but not necessarily to solve it on the spot. A defense, it seems to me, should model rigorous scholarly conversation where everyone at the table is invested in making the work better, not shooting it down. A candidate who is feeling defensive will struggle more to participate fully and thoughtfully in this conversation.

Of course there is an assumption underlying my approach: that I would not allow a dissertation to reach the stage of the defense if I was concerned it couldn’t pass. I don’t think this makes the defense less rigorous — or, frankly, less scary for the candidate. It is still a public event (at least in our program, and I am a strong advocate for public defenses) where colleagues, friends, and family are going to watch a candidate respond to challenging questions from experienced faculty. For all of us who suffer from impostor syndrome (I count myself squarely in these ranks — and have throughout my career), the defense seems like yet another high-stakes moment when one could be exposed. The drive to prepare, the nerves, and the adrenaline do not, for most of us, rest on the question of whether we as a candidate are going to pass or fail the defense in the administrative sense.

I will admit I was then a little thrown off to be called a faculty opponent for the defense in Uppsala. I admire the protocol of bringing in an outside scholar who has not worked with the candidate in writing the dissertation to engage with the candidate about the work and provide the committee with an evaluation. The process, in this way, captures the spirit of peer review for academic work. It is also an impressive investment in a Ph.D. candidate’s work. But did I know what it meant to be the “opponent”? After the invitation, I asked lots of questions about the expectations. While I wanted to make sure that I would meet their standards for a defense, I also wanted the defense to feel more like a rigorous conversation than a lopsided hierarchical examination.

At the defense on Friday morning, it was just the two of us at the front of the room, with microphones, with the committee and advisers in the front row and about 30 other people looking down from the auditorium’s seats and listening in. How could any conversation for a Ph.D. candidate in this setting not be a test of their scholarly mettle, no matter the questions? I certainly did ask probing questions about methods and about the wording of specific assertions to ensure that the candidate could explain methodological decisions and aspects of the argument — or see how one might revise them. I took more seriously, though, my job of challenging the candidate’s thinking in this setting, and to do that, I don’t think it works well to think of one’s role as an opponent. (And the main adviser had confirmed that “opponent” didn’t have to be taken as oppositional.)  I tried to pose questions that asked the candidate to think through, for example, a theoretical issue with me — an issue raised by the dissertation — to see where that might get us. I wanted to make the conversation to be lively and stimulating for both of us if I possibly could.

In the end, a defense is the moment where a Ph.D. candidate is fully becoming a colleague in the academy. As colleagues in the academy, we regularly focus the spotlight on each other’s work and ask rigorous, challenging questions — be that at workshops or conference presentations or job talks. We’re trying to push our scholarship, as colleagues, and we know defensiveness can get in the way.

From: https://www.chronicle.com/blogs/linguafranca/2018/04/22/language-of-defenses/

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[READING] Exercise Can't Save Us: Our Sugar Intake Is The Real Culprit

Here’s an interesting one. Most people believe that exercise is the key to weight loss, but they might be apparently wrong about it, research suggests. I would like to share this article written by Alice G. Walton. I hope it can be of any hep for you folks! Enjoy it.

In a fascinating and scorching editorial in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, three authors argue that the myth that exercise is the key to weight loss – and to health – is erroneous and pervasive, and that it must end. The evidence that diet matters more than exercise is now overwhelming, they write, and has got to be heeded: We can exercise to the moon and back but still be fat for all the sugar and carbs we consume. And perhaps even more jarring is that we can be a normal weight and exercise, and still be unhealthy if we’re eating poorly. So, they say, we need a basic reboot of our understanding of health, which has to involve the food industry’s powerful PR “machinery,” since that was part of the problem to begin with.

The major point the team makes – which they say the public doesn’t really understand – is that exercise in and of itself doesn’t really lead to weight loss. It may lead to a number of excellent health effects, but weight loss – if you’re not also restricting calories – isn’t one of them. “Regular physical activity reduces the risk of developing cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, dementia and some cancers by at least 30%,” they write. “However, physical activity does not promote weight loss.”

Plus, in the last 30 years, exercise has stayed about the same, while overweight and obesity have skyrocketed. So something else must be at play – like the type of food we’re eating. That part has gotten steadily worse over the years, as highly-processed sugary foods and sodas have taken over as our go-to choices. “According to the Lancet global burden of disease reports,” they write, “poor diet now generates more disease than physical inactivity, alcohol and smoking combined.” This is a disturbing statistic. But it gets worse.

The related and larger issue is that even normal weight people who exercise will, if they eat poorly, have metabolic markers that put them at very high risk of chronic illness and early mortality. “Up to 40% of those with a normal body mass index will harbour metabolic abnormalities typically associated with obesity, which include hypertension, dyslipidaemia, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease and cardiovascular disease.”

And the crux of the issue is this: We're continually "fed" the idea that all that's behind the rise in obesity is lack of exercise, or sedentariness. There have certainly been a lot of studies and popular articles suggesting that sitting is our downfall. Instead of effective messages about diet and health that science actually knows to be true, “members of the public are drowned by an unhelpful message about maintaining a ‘healthy weight’ through calorie counting,” the team writes, “and many still wrongly believe that obesity is entirely due to lack of exercise. This false perception is rooted in the Food Industry's Public Relations machinery, which uses tactics chillingly similar to those of big tobacco.”

What we know to be true is much simpler: "Sugar calories promote fat storage and hunger," the write. "Fat calories induce fullness or satiation." For every additional 150 calories in sugar (i.e., a can of soda) a person consumes per day, the risk for diabetes rises 11-fold, regardless of how much or little we exercise. The single most effective thing people can do for their weight, they write, is to restrict calories – and even more, restrict carbohydrates.

So if this is all true, and research seems to suggest it is, how will it change? It might take quite a lot of work to shift our psychology around food, especially since advertising is so saturated with the message that carbohydrates are good for us. The celebrity endorsements might need to be tweaked, the authors say, and certainly the way foods are advertised and, perhaps, created, need to be shifted. The public should be repeatedly hit with the message that whole, natural foods, where possible and affordable is the best way to go. If you're trying to lose weight, reduce your calories (especially sugars) – don't think exercise alone will cut it. And even if you're normal weight, you can't subside solely on junk and stay healthy.

The authors end with this powerful finale: “It is time to wind back the harms caused by the junk food industry's Public Relations machinery. Let us bust the myth of physical inactivity and obesity. You cannot outrun a bad diet.”

Read the original text (here) or the study “It is time to bust the myth of physical inactivity and obesity: you cannot outrun a bad diet” (here)

PORTAL DA LÍNGUA INGLESA has no responsibility for the persistence or accuracy of URLs for external or third-partly internet websites referred to in this post, and does not guarantee that any context on such websites are, or will remain, accurate or appropriate.

In some instances, I have been unable to trace the owners of the pictures used here; therefore, I would appreciate any information that would enable me to do so. Thank you very much.

Is something important missing? Report an error or suggest an improvement. Please, I strive for accuracy and fairness. If you see something that doesn't look right, contact me!

Your feedback is welcome. Please direct comments and questions to me at bruno_coriolano@hotmail.com

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Look at that… they’re back!

September, 27th 2017, that is precisely when I wrote my last post here on Portal da Língua Inglesa. Since last September many things have been happening to my life. However, one thing I can safely state – I have been really busy!

First of all, I became the coordinator of Languages without Borders in my university and I had to deal with many issues related to it. Apart from that, I have been teaching many classes at the very same university. And – in December – I traveled to Toulouse, France, in order to study the French language once again.

Considering most things, I have been doing since I last published an entry here – and I also became a PhD student at PPGI/UFSC – posts became almost impossible to be written by me.  

Yes, there has been a lot of things to do since last year and I am still trying to get used to all of them. That is the reason why – you must have noticed that – this weblog has been the way it is; that is, no new posts, no comments, less visits from you readers and so on and so forth.

You know what they say ‘Nothing comes of nothing’ that is, if you do not do something in order to get what you want, you will not deserve anything – because nothing comes for free; even freedom costs something. That is why I have been away – I have been trying to accomplish my goals and I can safely say that I have been working really hard in order to do so.

I am just writing this one to say that I am back and I will be posting a thing or two every Wednesday – if times allows it. Finally, I do hope that you guys enjoy my new posts in here. See you around!

By the way… do you know the difference between a PhD student and a Ph.D. candidate? (I will try to state the difference in my next post). 

PORTAL DA LÍNGUA INGLESA has no responsibility for the persistence or accuracy of URLs for external or third-partly internet websites referred to in this post, and does not guarantee that any context on such websites are, or will remain, accurate or appropriate.

In some instances, I have been unable to trace the owners of the pictures used here; therefore, I would appreciate any information that would enable me to do so. Thank you very much.

Is something important missing? Report an error or suggest an improvement. Please, I strive for accuracy and fairness. If you see something that doesn't look right, contact me!

Your feedback is welcome. Please direct comments and questions to me at bruno_coriolano@hotmail.com

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Video Lesson: Mr. Bean

This great idea comes from:

https://freeenglishlessonplans.com/2014/11/21/mr-bean-packing-his-suitcase/

This is a video lesson based around the video “Mr. Bean packs his suitcase” thanks to British Council for bringing it to my attention in their lesson plan on making predictions but I’ve adapted it for use in different ways with different levels.

Kids and lower levels

The aim of this lesson plan is to practice holiday vocabulary (clothes and items that go in a suitcase) and some basic grammar structure.

Project a picture of a suitcase on to the board (or draw one) and ask “What do you put in your suitcase when you go on holiday?”  Brainstorm things that you pack on the board. Make sure students know:

• toothbrush
• toothpaste
• swimming shorts/trunks
• towel
• underpants
• can of baked beans
• cloth/flannel
• soap
• book
• suitcase
• trousers
• shorts
• shoes
• teddy bear
• scissors

You could also use this quizlet set to go over clothes vocabulary.

If children are old enough to write, put them in pairs and hand out post-it-notes and a pencil to each pair. Tell them they are going to watch a video of a silly man packing his suitcase, they have to write 5 things on the post-it that they think he will put in his suitcase. Have them copy the following:

Mr. Bean will put

1. _________
2. _________
3. _________
4. _________
5. _________

in his suitcase.

Then stick all the post-its on the board and show the video. The team that guesses the most objects correctly wins. Have them read out their original post-it using past simple affirmative and negative forms: “Mr.Bean put a shirt in his suitcase. He didn’t put a mobile phone in his suitcase.”

Higher levels – video dictations

Ask students: What do you have to do before you go on holiday?

Buy your ticket, pack your suitcase, find your passport etc.

Pre-teach the following vocabulary:

Objects:

• toothbrush
• toothpaste
• swimming shorts/trunks
• towel
• underpants
• can of baked beans
• cloth/flannel
• soap
• book
• suitcase
• trousers
• shorts
• shoes
• teddy bear
• scissors

Verbs:

• to fit (the chair doesn’t in my bag)
• to take out (I took a pen out of my bag)
• to pack a suitcase
• to swap (I swapped the shirt for a t-shirt)
• pick up (I picked up the pen)
• throw away (I threw away the coke can)
• to choose (I chose the red shirt)
• to do eeny-meany-miney-mo
• to realise (I realised I had forgotten my passport)
• to squeeze (I squeezed the toothpaste)
• to snap in half (He snapped the pencil in half)

Put students in pairs and arrange them so that 1 is facing the screen and one has their back to the screen. Tell them that the one facing the screen is going to watch 20 seconds of the video then describe it to their partner, their partner will then repeat back what they’ve heard to make sure they have understood. Students then change positions and repeat until minute 3:14. Then let all students watch the end together. Alternatively students could come up with predictions for how the video will end.

I recommend pausing the video quite frequently so that students can concentrate on describing 2 or three actions accurately rather than trying to describe a big chunk of the video.

Then replay the whole video from the start so that everyone can watch it together, ask students if they think their partner described the action well.

PORTAL DA LÍNGUA INGLESA has no responsibility for the persistence or accuracy of URLs for external or third-partly internet websites referred to in this post, and does not guarantee that any context on such websites are, or will remain, accurate or appropriate.

In some instances, I have been unable to trace the owners of the pictures used here; therefore, I would appreciate any information that would enable me to do so. Thank you very much.

Is something important missing? Report an error or suggest an improvement. Please, I strive for accuracy and fairness. If you see something that doesn't look right, contact me!

Your feedback is welcome. Please direct comments and questions to me at bruno_coriolano@hotmail.com

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Prime Minister Trudeau delivers remarks at the St. Matthew’s Day banquet in Hamburg, Germany

Good evening, everyone. Thank you all for the warm welcome.

It is an honour to be here. It’s truly a privilege just to be invited to the St. Matthew’s Day Banquet, and an even greater privilege to be one of your keynotes this evening.

I’d like to start by thanking Mayor Scholz for his gracious invitation. And to speak after Foreign Minister Gabriel is no small feat, but I’ll do my modest, Canadian best.

You know, when my office received the mayor’s invitation to this historic dinner, there was no question that I would attend.

Of course, this banquet’s repution precedes itself, as much for the great meal as for the mangnificent room. And I knew I had to be here because of the friendship between our two countries.

We have long been partners on the world stage.

Canadians and Germans value democracy and the rule of law. We understand the importance of international cooperation and partnership. And we share a progressive vision of the world, realizing the immense potential that comes with embracing change.

I talk a lot about how our goal as a government is to help the middle class and those working hard to join it. That, ultimately, was the vision for change that elected us. Regular Canadians were worried about their future, and we made a promise to support them through these uncertain times.

But that worry – that anxiety – isn’t unique to Canada. It’s everywhere.

Too many people around the world are anxious about what the future may hold.

And who could blame them?

With the pace of globalization and technological change, there is a very real fear out there that our kids will be worse off than we are. That they won’t have the same kind of opportunities that we have, despite being generally much more educated, and infinitely more tech-savvy.

Citizens across the political spectrum are looking for guidance. They’re looking for leadership. They’re looking for a voice.

And so far, they’re feeling a little let down.

When companies post record profits on the backs of workers consistently refused full-time work – and the job security that comes with it – people get defeated.

And when governments serve special interests instead of the citizens interests who elected them – people lose faith.

Increasing inequality has made citizens distrust their governments. Distrust their employers.

It turns into “Us” vs. “Them”.

And we’re watching that anxiety transform into anger on an almost daily basis.

It follows that people’s natural defence mechanism is to hunker down and recoil inward. To give into cynicism. To retreat from one another.

But it’s time for us, as leaders in politics and business, to step up. It’s time to get real about the challenges facing the middle class, and those working hard to join it.

Whether your goal is to build a successful company, or lead a respected and effective government, it’s time to realize that the old approaches don’t work anymore.

We can’t go about things the same way and expect to succeed in this new world.

People are looking for leadership. It’s up to each of us to determine what kind of leadership they find.

People don’t need leaders to tell them they have problems.

People need leaders to help them build solutions together.

I want to use this speech to challenge us. To highlight that the challenges we’re facing require real action and real leadership. And I’m choosing to do it here in Germany because I know you get that. On values, on approach, on inclusive success you’re on the right track and inspiring others to follow.

But we all need to do more.

For business leaders, it’s about thinking beyond your short term responsibility to your shareholders. You have an equally important responsibility to your workers, their families, and the communities that support you.

It’s time to pay a living wage. To pay your taxes. And give your workers the benefits – and peace of mind – that come with stable, full-time contracts.

You can’t build loyalty into corporate culture when people feel overworked and undervalued. You must give your workers avenues to update and modernize their skills for a changing world.

You must be part of the communities where you operate, realizing that these towns and cities support you, and you must, in turn, support them.

And when you hear that an employee is expecting a child, congratulate her, don’t make her question whether or not she’ll have a job to come back to.

And you must ensure your workplace, and especially your boardrooms, reflect the full diversity of society.

It’s time to take a broader view of employee-employer relationships. One that treats workers as partners in success.

Now, I fully appreciate the irony of preaching about the struggles of the middle class to a sea of tuxedoes and ball gowns, while wearing a bow-tie myself.

But this discussion needs to happen. We need to realize our collective responsibility – to the people who elected us. To the people who put their faith and trust in us.

The answers are not in this room. They’re out there. We all need to leave this place, and truly listen to people who are anxious about their futures.

Hear first-hand about their concerns, work with them to develop solutions, and actually implement them.

The hard work of change begins with each and every one of us – around our boardrooms, our water coolers, and our Parliaments.

As for Parliaments, let me tell you a little bit about what we’ve done in ours, in Canada.

We know that we are far from perfect, but what success we’ve had didn’t happen by accident and won’t continue without effort. So what I’ve done over the past years is listen to people talk about their worries. About the fact that the rising tide no longer seems to lift all boats.

In Canada, we’ve taken some steps to help allay that anxiety. To help people deal with the uncertainty of a changing world.

For example, we raised taxes on the wealthiest one per cent, so we could cut taxes for the middle class.

We improved child benefit payments into one single, monthly, tax free Canada Child Benefit. This initiative has given 9 out of 10 families more money to help with the high costs of raising their kids. Because of that, we’re on track to reduce child poverty by around 40 per cent in our country.

We’re increasing the amount of assistance Canadian students can get, helping to make post-secondary education more affordable.

And we’re investing in a range of training and employment programs for unemployed and underemployed Canadian workers, allowing them to upgrade their skills so they’re ready for the modern workforce.

These are just a handful of the things we’ve done to help people adapt to and absorb the changes we’re all feeling.

We could not have done this without listening to Canadians.

In fact, I’ve spent the last month and a half back at home on a cross-Canada tour. Over the past few weeks, I’ve done about a dozen town halls, filling arenas and community centres, and took questions for hours. On anything and everything. Nothing scripted, nothing staged. Just heard directly from middle class Canadians about the things they were worried about. And, more importantly, I heard what they needed from my government to help.

Now, for the politicians in the room, it probably sounds like a high risk proposition to answer a host of questions for hours on end. It was unpredictable and, at times, very intense. But it’s only in having those tough conversations that we can get at the heart of what matters.

To everyone here, I leave you with this. Better is always possible. But we have to make better happen.

We’re not going to get it right everyday.

But Canadians and Germans need to continue to lead by example.

Whether you’re a business or a government, it’s time to realize that this anger and anxiety we see washing over the world is coming from a very real place. And it’s not going away.

We can no longer brush aside the concerns of our workers and our citizens. We have to address the root cause of their worries, and get real about how the changing economy is impacting peoples’ lives.

Ladies and gentlemen, we can all play a role in making the transition to the new economy a smooth one.

And it starts with listening.

Let’s be better, because we know we can do better.

For our citizens, for our workers, and for the entire world.

Thank you.

Bring up & educate