A Toastmaster Wears Many Hats

Learning English Through Role-Playing Games (C2)

Wen-Hung FangMay 19, 2010
Learning English Through Role-Playing Games (C2)
There are many ways to learn and practice English. One interesting way that helped me immensely is through role-playing games. Today, I will first define and describe role-playing games, and then talk about their benefits for English learners, and finally I will give two examples of role-playing games that I used to play.

So, what are role-playing games?

Role-playing games are games that allow the players to act out various roles in a story and interact with each other within that story.

In a role-playing game, a Game Master is responsible for developing the storyline, while other participants play the story "characters." Within the bounds of certain game rules, the Game Master and the players are free to improvise. Together, their decisions determine the direction and outcome of each game.

And what are the benefits of role-playing games for English learners?

Role-playing games build vocabulary, in all kinds of subject matters ranging from medieval history to modern science, depending on the game genre.

Role-playing games enhance reading abilities, especially if you read all the manuals and novels to bring your story and your characters to life.

Role-playing games sharpen speaking and listening skills. Just like being a speaker in a Table Topics Session, you need to listen carefully to the Game Master, think on your feet, and respond quickly.

Role-playing games hone the art of storytelling, especially for the Game Master. The March 2010 issue of Toastmaster Magazine had an article that mentioned how storytelling skills can be useful for Toastmasters. So, as the logic goes, when you become a better Game Master, you become a better storyteller, and in turn you also become a better Toastmaster.

So, now that we have defined role-playing games and talked about some of their benefits for English learners...

What are some examples of role-playing games?

BattleTech, which I used to play in middle school.

In this science fiction role-playing game, you play the role of a soldier, or perhaps a mercenary, traveling from planet to planet, and fighting in a 10-meter tall war machine, either for money or glory. Perhaps you're helping rebel soldiers to overthrow a tyrant. Or perhaps you're working for that tyrant to put down a rebellion.

Through this fictional world, you can strengthen your vocabulary and knowledge in the areas of military affairs, physics, astronomy, technology, etc. You’ll pick up terms like "autocannons," "nuclear fusion," "interstellar travel," "electroactive polymers," and so on.

Now, let me give you another example. Even a demo. For this second example, I'll need the help of several members of the audience. Guys, could you come up and get ready? Thank you!

Dungeons & Dragons, which I used to play in high school.

In this role-playing game, you and your friends are adventurers in a fantasy world similar to the one in The Lord of the Rings or Harry Potter, where there are many fantastic creatures like elves, goblins, and dwarves. You travel together to seek adventure, or go on quests sent by the King.

In Dungeons & Dragons, the bard characters are usually portrayed as happy-go-lucky traveling poets and singers. Bard players often make up lyrics and sing to the tune of popular songs during the game.

The fighters are often portrayed as simple-minded muscle heads, but that's just a stereotype. You can of course also role-play a fighter in a different way.

The mages or magicians are just the opposite; they are often portrayed as cautious and intelligent powermongers.

Now, we're going to start our demo. Listen carefully. What would you do if you were one of the players? Let's begin.

[SAMPLE GAME]

Game Master (WH): You finally clear the enchanted woods and come to the river. The rushing water looks too dangerous to wade across. There’s a nasty looking troll on a narrow bridge up ahead. What do you want to do?

Fighter (Jack): Kill him!

Mage (Daniel): [TO FIGHTER] Wait, not so hasty! [TO GAME MASTER] Isn’t there another bridge upriver or downriver?

Game Master (WH): Yes, you look at the treasure map in your hand, and there looks to be another bridge about five kilometers downstream; however, it appears to be guarded by a big red dragon.

Bard (Trinity): Dragon? Forget it! Let’s try our chances with this bridge. I just learned a magical lullaby last month. I can try to put the troll to sleep. Then we can walk past safely without having to pay any tolls.

Mage (Daniel): That’s a great idea! Let's hope it works! I'll have my magic spells ready, though, just in case.

Fighter (Jack): But I wanna fight! Charge! [WAVE SWORD IN AIR]

Mage (Daniel) & Bard (Trinity): [TOGETHER] Nooooooooooo!!!!

Game Master (WH): Freeze! Thank you, players! Please return to your seats, and let’s give them a big round of applause. Thank you! Remember, real games are unscripted, so players must improvise and give impromptu responses to problems presented by the Game Master. How would you have resolved the situation?

[CONCLUSION]

So, that's role-playing games in a nutshell. It has its benefits, and it’s fun. If anyone wants to go adventuring together, you can find me at the KTV, practicing my magical lullaby, just in case I come across a troll bridge someday.

Mister/Madam Toastmaster.

The Discovery Files: Buy Buy Blues (Learning English with Science)

For podcast please Visit:
http://nsfgov.http.internapcdn.net/nsfgov_vitalstream_com/podcast/buybuy_blues.mp3


Audio Transcript:

(Sound effect: overhead speaker in dep't store)"Attention Shoppers -- We have a special on happiness in aisle 5..."

I'm Bob Karson with the discovery files -- new advances in science and engineering from the National Science Foundation.

Money may not buy happiness, but science has at least pinpointed the kind of purchases that offer the most satisfaction. A new study out of Cornell shows that if you're shopping for good feelings, there may be ways to get more bang for your buck [1].

It basically breaks down purchases into two categories: "experiential" and "material." Experiential buys are the ones you experience like a massage, or a family vacation. Material purchases are things like flat-screen TVs, furniture, or jewelry.

The researchers tell us the most long-lasting happiness comes with the experiential ones. They seem to yield to selective memory, and get better over time. This type of purchase usually fulfills a quick set of expectations and usually makes it easier to decide upon.

Buying material things may give you a big jolt of happiness at first, but it can rapidly decline. You may not have full-blown buyer's remorse, but your happiness factor shrinks as you make comparisons, or think of how you might have done better.

There is one more dynamic -- how you regard a purchase. If you look at a material buy like a car not as a status symbol, but as hours of enjoying the experience of driving -- your long-term happiness will be greater.

As you buy your way out of the blues, we wish you happy shopping.

"The Discovery Files" covers projects funded by the government's National Science Foundation. Federally sponsored research -- brought to you, by you! Learn more at nsf.gov or on our podcast.

Play audio

For the original, please visit:
The Discovery Files
----------------------------------
Note:
[1] (get) a bigger/better etc bang for your buck
Something that gives you a good effect or a lot of value for the effort or money you spend on it

The Discovery Files: On the Fly (Learning English with Science)

 For podcast please Visit: http://nsfgov.http.internapcdn.net/nsfgov_vitalstream_com/podcast/onthefly.mp3

Audio Transcript:

Not Just Wingin' It...

I'm Bob Karson with the discovery files -- new advances in science and engineering from the National Science Foundation.

If you could hitch a ride[1] on the back of a fruit fly -- WHOAAAA! You'd marvel at the stability of one of the world's most agile flying machines. It can react to disturbances in its flight pattern by making miniscule corrections -- adjusting its wing angle sometimes by as many as 250 times per second! Wind comes up -- no problem. Swatter? Ha! I scoff at you!

We're just discovering the secrets of flight of these acrobatic little buggers thanks to the work of Cornell researchers. The team studied the flies with the help of both computer modeling and the use of 3 high-speed cameras, so that every little motion during flight could be captured and documented. To interrupt their flight patterns, small pins were attached to the flies' backs. Then, a mild magnetic field could be used to knock them off-course. Talk about a buzz kill[2].

The fruit flies took it all in stride[3], and came through with 'flying colors.'[4] As soon as the magnetic field was applied, the flies made an instant correction. It seems their secret is a stabilizer reflex that tells the wings how hard to paddle to recover from a mid flight stumble.

We may someday fly in a flapping-wing aircraft modeled on the principles of flight we're learning from this tiny creature. Some 'fruitful' findings from a flighty little fly and we never once had to call in a 'swat' team.[5]

"The Discovery Files" covers projects funded by the government's National Science Foundation. Federally sponsored research -- brought to you, by you! Learn more at nsf.gov or on our podcast.

Play audio

For the original, please visit:
The Discovery Files

-----------------
Note:

[1]hitch a ride (with sb)
Get a free ride from a passing vehicle.

[2]buzz kill
A pun. The slang means a sudden undesired event that causes one's "high" or "buzz" to become of a lesser experience or depleted.

[3]take something in stride
To calmly and easily deal with something unpleasant or difficult and not let it affect what you are doing.

[4]come through/pass with flying colors
To complete a difficult activity very successfully.

[5]'swat' team
A pun. SWAT team, Special Weapons and Tactics team, a specially trained group of police who deal with the most dangerous and violent situations.

I tried. And I made it! -- How I harnessed the wind.

Here is a touching story from an African boy who harnessed the wind.



Transcript:

William Kamkwamba

Two years ago I stood on the TED stage in Arusha, Tanzania. I spoke very briefly about one of my proudest creations. It was a simple machine that changed my life.

Before that time I had never been away from my home in Malawi. I had never used a computer. I had never seen an Internet. On the stage that day, I was so nervous. My English lost, I wanted to vomit. I had never been surrounded by so many azungu, white people.

There was a story I wouldn't tell you then. But well, I'm feeling good, right now. I would like to share that story today.

We have seven children in my family. All sisters, except me. This is me with my dad when I was a little boy.

Before I discovered the wonders of science, I was just a simple farmer in a country of poor farmers. Like everyone else, we grew maize. One year our fortune turned very bad. In 2001 we experienced an awful famine. Within five months all Malawians began to starve to death. My family ate one meal per day at night. Only three swallows of nsima for each one of us. The food passes through our bodies. We drop down to nothing.

In Malawi, the secondary school, you have to pay school fees. Because of the hunger, I was forced to drop out of school. I looked at my father, and looked at those dry fields. It was the future I couldn't accept.

I felt very happy to be at the secondary school. So I was determined to do anything possible to receive education. So I went to a library. I read books, science books, especially physics. I couldn't read English that well. I used diagrams and pictures to learn the words around them.

Another book put that knowledge in my hands. It said a windmill could pump water and generate electricity. Pump water meant irrigation, a defense against hunger, which we were experiencing by that time. So I decided I would build one windmill for myself. But I didn't have materials to use. So I went to a scrap yard where I found my materials.

Many people, including my mother, said I was crazy.

I found a tractor fan, shock absorber, PVC pipes. Using a bicycle frame and an old bicycle dynamo, I built my machine. It was one light at first. And then four lights, with switches, and even a circuit breaker, modeled after an electric bell. Another machine pumps water for irrigation.

Queues of people start lining up at my house to charge their mobile phone. I could not get rid of them. And the reporters came too, which lead to bloggers and which lead to a call from something called TED.

I had never seen an airplane before. I had never slept in a hotel. So, on stage that day in Arusha, my English lost, I said something like, "I tried. And I made it."

So I would like to say something to all the people out there, like me, to the Africans, and the poor who are struggling with your dreams.

God bless! Maybe one day you will watch this on the Internet. I say to you, trust yourself and believe. Whatever happens, don't give up!

The Discovery Files:Stop Lights on the Neural Highway (Learning English with Science)

 For podcast please Visit: http://nsfgov.http.internapcdn.net/nsfgov_vitalstream_com/podcast/nobrainer.mp3

Audio Transcript:

Stop Lights on the Neural Highway. (SOUND EFFECT: traffic -- tires screech)

I'm Bob Karson with the discovery files -- new advances in science and engineering from the National Science Foundation.

Certain conditions such as Parkinson's[1], epilepsy[2], chronic pain and brain injuries are associated with abnormal brain activity. Up to now most treatments have dealt with stimulating that activity.

Researchers at MIT are looking at what may be a better way -- by selectively silencing certain brain activity -- and they've come up with an 'enlightened' method of doing it -- turning off specific brain circuits using light. (SOUND EFFECT: light switch)

The team found a type of protein that, when inserted into neurons (brain cells), allows the cells to be turned off by rays of yellow-green light.

When the scientists bathe the entire brain in the light (through the use of optical fibers), areas that don't have the light-sensitive proteins continue as normal -- but the light causes cells that are packing the proteins to pump protons out of them -- lowering the cells' voltage, and safely and effectively preventing them from firing.

This 'optogenetic[3]' technique has been used since 2005 to stimulate activity, but this is the first time it's ever been used to stop it.

The method shows promise for the treatment of some of our most serious brain disorders. So far it's only been demonstrated with mice -- the team will turn its attention to monkeys next.

Hey, I can use light to switch off parts of my brain -- it's called "TV."

"The Discovery Files" covers projects funded by the government's National Science Foundation. Federally sponsored research -- brought to you, by you! Learn more at nsf.gov or on our podcast.

Play audio

For the original, please visit:
The Discovery Files

----------------
Note:

1 Parkinson's
►A serious illness in which your muscles become very weak and your arms and legs shake

2 epilepsy/ˋɛpəlɛpsɪ/
►A medical condition affecting your brain, that can make you suddenly become unconscious or unable to control your movements for a short time.

3 optogenetic/ˏɑptəˏdʒəˋnɛtɪk/
►An emerging set of methods enables an experimental dialogue with biological systems composed of many interacting cell types--in particular, with neural circuits in the brain. These methods are sometimes called optogenetic because they use light-responsive proteins (opto-) encoded in DNA (-genetic). [Science, 326(5951):395-9]

January/February Reading: Talk Smart at the Holiday Office Party

Stay clear of conversation faux pas that can derail your career.

By Don Gabor

As a Toastmaster, you know that all speaking is public speaking – whether you are giving a Table Topics presentation at your local club or making small talk with colleagues and clients at the holiday office party. Of course, if an “ah” or “um” slips into one of your speeches, probably no one (except perhaps another Toastmaster) will ever know.

...

Find the full text at:

http://www.toastmasters.org/MainMenuCategories/WhyJoin/SuccessStories/TalkSmart.aspx

Notes:

faux pas /ˏfoˋpɑ /plural faux pas /-ˋpɑz/ [countable noun]
►an embarrassing mistake in a social situation
For more information, please visit at:
http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-a-faux-pas.htm
--She is renowned around the world for her sense of style, but yesterday she made an fashion faux pas of the worst kind.

letting your hair down
►Behave in a free or uninhibited manner.
For more information, please visit at:
http://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/228000.html
http://www.answers.com/topic/let-one-s-hair-down
--Now that he's passed his exams and got his qualifications he's decided to let his hair down (=behave informally).

passé /pæˋse/adjective
►no longer modern or fashionable
--A lot of people are down on Windows Forms as something passe.
--Neon colors are already passé.