Feeling edgy

Note : All Viralelt posts share the same structure. Teacher’s notes appear only on How to use Viralelt. This is done to keep “teacher text” to a minimum and avoid repetition.

“Ten Meter Tower” is a short 15-minute film which captures people’s reactions as they struggle to overcome their fear on the edge of a 10-metre high diving board. It was shot by Maximilian Van Aertryck and Axel Danielson in 2016 and has been shown at film festivals all over the world. Click on the image on the left to see what ten metres high looks like from a poolside perspective. You’ll find more information about the film here.

Note : Although empathy with the “divers” makes you want to see the whole film, as there is very little dialogue you’ll probably just want to select a short 2 to 3-minute clip to show your students.

1. How would you have reacted at the top of the diving board if you had volunteered to take part in “Ten Meter Tower”?
2. How do you imagine the different people in the video were feeling? Apart from feeling scared, what else might have been going through their heads? Why did some jump, and others get cold feet?
3. Why do human beings experience fear? Does fear serve a purpose? What would life be like if we were not afraid of anything?
4. To what extent are you afraid of the following?
   Heights | Dogs | Insects and spiders | Snakes | Flying | Lifts | Crowds | The dark | Ghosts and supernatural phenomena | Speaking in public | Storms | Terrorism
5. Many people make a distinction between rational fears and irrational fears. Of the above common fears, which are rational and which are irrational?
6. What is the best way to overcome a fear? How easy is it for people to overcome their fears?
7. Are fears the result of a person’s learnt experience, or are some fears innate to all human beings?
8. Why do people do things which make them feel frightened such as watch horror films or go on roller coaster rides?
9. Tell your partner about a frightening experience you’ve had.
10. Do you think animals and humans experience the same sort of fears? Do they react to fear in similar ways?
    

Which two of the above questions are being discussed?

Download “Question time” and the “Sitting comfortably?” script in an editable Word document here.

A : Mr. Bean feeling edgy (02:20 – 05:60)

B : You might like to show your students “Cats versus cucumbers” after playing “Sitting comfortably? (B)”

Thanks for dropping by! | Viralelt by Tefltecher

.

Advertisement