Monday, March 28, 2016

Debate Nature vs Nurture: Tuesday 5th April



The 'nature versus nurture' debate is about how much a person's life is determined by their inherited genetics (their 'nature') and how much is determined by the environment they grow up in ('nurture').

Ideas to consider:
  • To what extent do you believe that our "nature" makes us into the individual we become?
  • To what extent do you believe that "nurture" - our surroundings and environment makes us into the person we become?
  • Case studies
  • Any personal experiences based on your siblings

Interesting articles to read

Your genes won't make you rich

Twin Study


It's nature not nurture


when-it-comes-expertise-10000-hours-practice-isn-t-enoug

prinz-learning-capacities

Debate Vocab and Structures

Starting sentences
Well, to start with, …
To be honest, I don’t think …
It might seem like a generalisation, yet …
Of course, …
While I don’t think that…
It’s inevitable that …
Generally speaking, it is true to say…
Recently, we have all become concerned that …
Nowadays, we are all realising that ...
In the past, people used to …, but now ...
These days, it seems that ….

Develop your points
which, who, where, whose
…may lead to…
…is often due to…
…could cause/engender…
…depends on…
…which means that …
although, even though, even if, however, on the other hand, whereas, despite, in spite of this…

Linking structures
… is not only/just …, but also …
As well as being ____, it’s also fairly ….
I think it’s a bit dramatic to say …, especially when …
Yes, it’s true that…but by no means does this mean …
At any rate/anyway, it is clear to see that

There is no end of …


Giving examples
According to the BBC/the press/the media …
It is blantantly obvious from the UK press that …
As we clearly see in the media everyday …
According to scientific/sociological studies
This is largely due to …
For example/For instance, ...
In other words, ...
Take, for example, the situation in ...

Interacting with others
I see your point but I disagree because …
That’s an interesting idea, but have you thought about …
I totally agree because …
You seem to have failed to consider one vital point …

Being diplomatic
While there are ….
In some ways, … / In many ways, …
I don’t think there’s necessarily a right or wrong answer here.
But does that really mean that …
This doesn’t necessarily mean that…
It’s not necessarily true to say
Even if there are some occasions when …
Notwithstanding the claim that ... , I would argue that…
It is questionable whether …

I am sure/I doubt whether

Speculating
Perhaps / Maybe
It’s highly unlikely/likely that …
And, without a shadow of a doubt, this could …

Conditionals
 If … hadn’t … wouldn’t have  …. (3rd)
If we spent … it would eventually… (2nd)
If  …. It will/might/could ….(1st)

Personal Opinions
I’m not particularly
Personally, …
In my eyes, …
I’m no expert, but …
I am very much in favour of/against ...
I am completely opposed to ...
The reasons why I believe that ... are as follows…
It is a vital/ critical/ crucial/ fundamental/ essential/ key  problem or issue in society
The relevance of/the awareness of this issue is crucial because
Clearly, it is inevitable/unavoidable/inescapable to be concerned about this issue
As an engaged/ informed/ educated/ thoughtful/ critical citizen, it is …

Finishing your presentation
So, to sum up, …
But, at the end of the day, ….
All in all, …
Last but not least, …
In brief

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