U10_U9_LS_Lesson_RB (1)

Unit 9 Economy
Listening Skills: Understanding viewpoints
Learning outcomes
This lesson will support the achievement of Course Learning Outcomes: 1, 5 and 7.
• Use critical listening strategies to comprehend instruction, interpret assignment tasks, and
process academic text as required to operate successfully at the tertiary education level.
• Communicate effectively with peers and university staff on subjects of an academic and non-
academic nature.
• Demonstrate critical thinking skills by analysing ideas, evaluating alternative views, making
criterion-based judgments, and searching for well-informed answers to self-generated
questions.
In this lesson learners will:

• watch a topical media report;
• identify key issues;
• take part in a debate.
Learners should be able to:

• take systematic notes;
• understand gist and identify viewpoints;
• identify speaker's attitude and understand implied meaning.
Unit 9 | UEEC 10
Task 1: Discussing issues
Discuss the following questions with your group.
1. Name one technology in the new industrial revolution that has made a significant impact
on your life. Explain how?
2. Discuss some of the negative consequences of the new industrial revolution on the economy.
3. What needs to be done to address these negative consequences?
4. Based on the three quotes below, what do you think is the writer’s opinion on the changes
brought by automation in business?
a. “How can countries prepare for these changes and maximize the potential benefits?”
b. “The good news is that while new technology may cause the creative destruction of some
jobs, it will also create many new jobs, some of which we can’t even imagine today.”
c. “Based on a study of the labour force in 46 countries, ‘McKinsey Global Institute’
concludes that almost half of work activities globally have the potential to be
automated. Helping workers to acquire new skills is crucial.”
Listening
Listening text: Media program
Title: ‘The Robot Revolution: The New Age of Manufacturing – Moving Upstream’
Link: Wall Street Journal Moving Upstream
Publisher: Wall Street Journal – Moving Upstream
Focus: The potential impacts of a coming wave of automation – next generation industrial
robots
Duration: 9 minutes
Task 2: Predicting
Listen to the introduction of the Wall Street Journal program and make predictions. Complete
the information in the table and compare and discuss your notes with your group.
Topic Setting Issue
Task 3: Building vocabulary

The sentences below are excerpts from the video. Complete the sentences using the contextual
clues and words in the box.
1. The main sellers are large ___________ robots that do dangerous things like welding car
parts.
2. The public can try controlling and racing against AI ___________ robot arms.
3. The International Federation of Robots predicts that in coming years cobots will lead the
___________ industry.
4. In addition to being safer, human-machine ___________ proves to be more productive.
5. Rapoo used robotics to reduce its factory workforce from 2500 people to 1000 and more
___________ is on the way.
robotics industrial collaboration enhanced automation
Page 1
Task 4: Listening for main ideas
Listen for the opinions of each speaker and take notes below of the main points mentioned.
Speakers Opinions
1.
Narrator/Interviewer
2.
Eric Brynjolfsson
Massachusetts Institute of
Technology initiative -
digital economy Director,
3.
Masahiro Ogawa
Yaskawa Electronic Corp.
Head of Robotics Division
4.
Juyi Song
Elephant Robotics Founder
5.
Kotaro Takada
Huis Ten Bosch Executive
Director
6.
Michael Zeng
Rapoo CEO
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7.
Li Jiandu
Rapoo Production
Manager
Task 5: Listening for details and revising notes

Listen to the video again and add more details to your notes. Compare the notes with your
group and check for accurate information. Be ready to share your notes with the other groups in
your class.
Task 6: Checking comprehension

Questions 1 to 4:
Use your notes to provide short answers to the following questions:
1. What is the main purpose of the video?

___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
2. What does the phrase ‘sealing the fate’ of low-skilled workers’ mean?
___________________________________________________________________________
3. Name two jobs mentioned in the video that industrial robots have replaced?
___________________________________________________________________________
4. Do you agree with the reason given by the CEO of Rapoo as to why he needed to automate
and lay off employees? Do you think the interviewer shared the same view? Why?
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
Questions 5 to 8:
Read these statements and decide if they are True (T) or False (F) based on the listening.
5. Most robots are being bought and sold in America. [ ]

6. It is predicted that cobots will lead the robotics industry in the future. [ ]
7. There is a shortage of jobs that only humans can do in China. [ ]
8. JD in China is replacing nearly all humans with robots in its sorting process. [ ]
Page 3
Question 9:
Match the information from the video with the country it relates to:
• China
• Japan
Information Country
1. Home to one of the world’s largest industrial robot
manufacturing companies
2. Replacing workforce with automation due to increase
in wages
3. Hosted IREX (robotics trade show) a number of times
4. Significant increase in demand for robots
5. Ageing population
Task 7: Discussing the issue

You will now participate in a group discussion on the issue. Read the statement below and
decide whether you support or oppose it.
Statement:
There should be laws restricting the use of automation in manufacturing and service industries.
Guidelines:
1. The class will be divided into 4 groups.
2. Brainstorm ideas to support your position in the table below.
3. Choose a leader for the discussion.
4. Keep the discussion going for about 10 minutes.
5. Try to use the discussion language that you have learnt in your Discussion Skills lessons.
There SHOULD be laws restricting automation There SHOULD NOT be laws restricting automation
Page 4
References
Patty, A 2019, 'Numerous jobs and professions will change': up to six million could be lost from
automation. The Sydney Morning Herald, accessed 4 March 2019,
<https://www.smh.com.au/business/workplace/numerous-jobs-and-professions-will-change-up-to-
six-million-could-be-lost-from-automation-20190228-p510uj.html>.
Risk Bites 2018, What is the Fourth Industrial Revolution?, accessed 6 March 2019,
<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qhLvhYFLoWE>.
Wall Street Journal 2018, The Robot Revolution: The New Age of Manufacturing | Moving Upstream, The
Wall Street Journal, accessed 1 March 2019,
<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HX6M4QunVmA>.
Page 5

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Unit 9 Economy

Listening Skills: Understanding viewpoints

In this lesson learners will:

Learners should be able to:

Topic Setting Issue

Task 3: Building vocabulary

robotics industrial collaboration enhanced automation

Task 5: Listening for details and revising notes

Task 6: Checking comprehension

1. What is the main purpose of the video?

5. Most robots are being bought and sold in America. [ ]

3. Hosted IREX (robotics trade show) a number of times

4. Significant increase in demand for robots

Task 7: Discussing the issue

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