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TANGHU MIDDLE SCHOOL, THURSDAY—After a week’s suspension, a result of the mid-term exam, the English corner resumed this week. The topic for this week’s English corner is “Do you think students should be allowed to take their mobile phones to school or not? Why?”, one of the most popular topics for the students. As usual, the students were divided into two groups: one is positive about the phenomenon and the other is negative about it. Well prepared though, the students were given enough time to talk and discuss in groups, a move to stimulate their interaction and practice their oral English.
The group that is positive about the phenomenon put it clear that their statements were based on the following facts: first, the mobile phone is an effective tool to communicate with their parents. They can give their parents a call whenever they are in need of books, money, clothes or something else. They can ask their parents, friends and relatives for help when in an emergency. Second, the mobile phone is an excellent means of learning, sharing and exchanging information. Since there’s a lot of information available in the mobile phone, it’s pretty convenient for them to learn about something. Third, the mobile phone provides them with a desirable way of recreation. They can listen to music, watch TV series and movies as well as playing games when they feel overtired.
The group that is negative about the phenomenon declared that the mobile phone is by no means good for their health and study. On the one hand, the mobile phone is bad for their eyes, and the radiation from it, though invisible, causes great harm to them. On the other hand, the mobile phone is so fascinating that students may easily get addicted to it. As a result, they may become less focused on their study and pay less attention to their social life. Furthermore, playing games and watching movies on the mobile phone is a waste of time and money.
The English corner was as successful as expected, and the students’ heated discussion well counteracted the cold weather outside. We sincerely hope that more and more students will join us here in our weekly English corner. |