Academic English & Critical Thinking

Theme: Intelligence, Consciousness, and AI

This module will challenge your language fluency, enhance your grammar range, and introduce you to profound philosophical thought experiments.

Fluency & Tense Review
Reported Speech & Pronunciation
Philosophical Thought Experiments & Comparative Writing
Press NEXT to begin.

1. Welcome & Introduction Activity (Fluency)

Our goal: **Fluency** and **Spontaneity** in using advanced tenses.

Activity Part A: Preparation (Individual)

Refer to this resource if needed: Top 10,000 English Words

  • Past/Present Experience (Focus: Present Perfect)
    • List 3 recent things you have done/experienced that influence your life now.
    • *Example: I have moved house; I have started learning coding.*
  • Future Hopes (Focus: Future Tenses)
    • List 3 things you are planning, hope to achieve, or predict for yourself in the next year.
    • *Example: I am going to travel to Spain; I will finish my degree.*
Time for individual preparation: 5-7 minutes.

1. Introduction Activity (Interaction)

Focus on **Fluency** and **Spontaneity** through probing questions.

Activity Part B: Interact with Classmates (Pair/Group)

Introduce your 6 points to your partner. Then, ask **probing questions** to understand the significance of their points.

Probing Question Examples:

  • "You mentioned you have started learning coding. Can you explain why that is important to you **now**?"
  • "You are going to travel to Spain. Where specifically are you going, and what do you **hope to do** there?"

Activity Part C: Share (Whole Class)

Volunteers will share their findings and their partners' most interesting points with the class.

Pair/Group interaction time: 10-12 minutes.

2. Major Theme: Intelligence and AI

Task 1: Vocabulary Activation (Individual)

List **5 English adjectives** that come to your mind when you think about *Intelligence* and *AI*.

Task 2: Listening & Note-Taking

Watch the following video on AI misconceptions. Be ready to take notes on the main points and arguments.

Video: AI Misconceptions

https://youtu.be/zjeKSAsaSoA
Video length: ~5 minutes. Focus on key claims made by the narrator.

3. Grammar Focus: Indirect/Reported Speech

Activity: Use Reported Speech to summarize the video's main points.

Grammar Rules: Key Transformations

  • **Direct vs. Reported Speech** (The basic framework)
  • **Change Tense** (Backshift is essential)
  • **Change Pronouns** (e.g., *I* $\rightarrow$ *he/she*; *we* $\rightarrow$ *they*)

Functional Language: Reporting Verbs (Cohesion)

Category Examples of Introductory Verbs
Reporting a Claim/Statement The video suggested that...; The narrator stated that...; The source explained why...
Reporting an Argument/Viewpoint The expert argued that...; The researchers believed that...; The article contends that...
Use a variety of these verbs in your response.

3. Grammar Focus: Tense Conversion (Backshift)

Direct Speech Tense (Source's Words) Reported Speech Tense (Conversion) Example Transformation (AI Context)
Present Simple Past Simple Direct: "AI is constantly misunderstood." Reported: "The narrator argued that AI was constantly misunderstood."
Present Continuous Past Continuous Direct: "Researchers are finding new applications." Reported: "The article stated that researchers were finding new applications."
Present Perfect Past Perfect Direct: "Pop culture has shaped public opinion." Reported: "Experts contended that pop culture had shaped public opinion."
Past Simple Past Perfect Direct: "They found biases in the data." Reported: "They explained that they had found biases in the data."
Future Simple (Will) Conditional (Would) Direct: "Fear will disappear soon." Reported: "The source suggested that fear would disappear soon."

Task: Written Response & Share

Write down 3-5 responses summarizing the main points of the AI video using appropriate reported speech verbs and tense backshifts.

Prepare your sentences for sharing with the class.

Lesson 2: Advanced Language Skills & Philosophy

Starting at [14:00]

We will transition from AI arguments to pronunciation precision and complex philosophical debates on consciousness.

4. Pronunciation Focus: Common Challenges

We are reviewing **10 Common English Pronunciation Challenges for Italian Speakers**.

  • **The Elusive /h/ Sound:** Omission (house) or Superfluous insertion (go h-away).
  • **Vowel After Consonants:** Adding a final non-existent /a/ sound (e.g., lot-a).
  • **Monophthongal Open Vowels:** Substituting three English open vowels (cat, cut, cart) with the single Italian /a/.
  • **Vowel Merging of /ɪ/ and /i/:** Failing to distinguish hit from heat.
  • **Syllable-Timed Rhythm:** Applying equal stress to every syllable, disrupting English's stress-timed rhythm.
  • **Spelling Pronunciation:** Pronouncing non-phonetic words exactly as they are written (e.g., particular).
  • **The Dental 'th' Replacement:** Replacing /$\theta$/ and /$\delta$/ (think, the) with simpler /t/ or /d/ sounds.
  • **Lack of Aspiration:** Failing to produce the puff of air for /p/, /t/, and /k/ at the start of a stressed syllable.
  • **Pure 'o' Vowels:** Substituting the English diphthong in words like no and go with a single, pure /o/.
  • **The Rolled /r/ and Silent /r/:** Using the rolled Italian /r/ and pronouncing the post-vowel /r/ when it should be silent (British English: father, car).
Listen carefully as your teacher provides examples.

5. Activity & Theme 3: Consciousness

Activity: Pit, Putt, Pat Game

We will practice distinguishing the key short English vowels: /$\mathrm{\iota}$/ (hit), /$\Lambda$/ (cut), and /$\mathfrak{\alpha e}$/ (cat). Listen for the minimal pairs and repeat.

Theme 3: Problems in Consciousness & Intelligence

Watch the following three videos on major philosophical concepts:

Take detailed notes on the core argument of each thought experiment.

6. Writing Task: Comparative Report

Activity: Write a paragraph comparing and contrasting the philosophical thought experiments.

Writing Prompt:

"What are the two thought experiments (Mary's Room and Chinese Room) attempting to demonstrate about consciousness and/or intelligence?"

Grammar Rule: Conjunctions for Contrast & Comparison (Cohesion/Range)

For Direct Contrast/Opposition:

  • **Subordinating Conjunctions:** Use while or whereas to contrast in a single sentence.
  • **Coordinating Conjunctions/Adverbials:** Use However, Conversely, or In contrast.
Target: A single, well-structured paragraph using varied conjunctions.

6. Writing Task: Conjunctions (Continued)

Grammar Rule: Conjunctions for Contrast & Comparison

For Concession (Acknowledging a point but contrasting it):

  • Use Although or Even though.
  • *Example: Although Video 1 ignored subjective experience, it provided a strong, measurable definition of intelligence.*

For Similarity/Addition:

  • Use connectors like Similarly, Likewise, or In addition.
  • *Use these if you find alignment between Mary's Room and the Chinese Room, or with the Howard Gardner video.*

**Remember:** Your paragraph must address both the Chinese Room and Mary's Room thought experiments.

Writing time: 10-15 minutes.

Lesson Concluded

Review & Next Steps

You successfully used advanced tenses, practiced reported speech, addressed key pronunciation challenges, and analyzed complex philosophical arguments.

Next Class Preview:

  • Reviewing the comparative paragraphs.
  • Deeper dive into the linguistic implications of AI.
  • Advanced conditional structures.
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