Disconnected (Listening and Discourse Management)

 Disconnected

Lánczi Máté, Fonyó Gergő, Fodor Levente


Part 1: The Game

Level & Learning Outcomes

Advanced

Students gain general knowledge and improve communicative ability.

Students practice active listening skills.

Materials needed

boardmarker or chalk

Question bank (See Appendix)

Object of Game

Be the last player standing.

Rules of Play

Players are divided into groups of three. All players start with three lives.

The players take turns choosing between two major categories, from which they have to choose one. Then they are asked a randomly selected question from the category.

Students answer the given question whether they know the answer or not.

After the student has given an answer, the other contestants get the opportunity to challenge the answer. If the answer was challenged rightfully, the person who answered incorrectly loses a life, but if the others challenge a correct answer, they lose a life instead. Additionally, letting a wrong answer slip by both of the other players results in them losing a life.

This process is repeated until everyone but one player is eliminated.

Scorekeeping

Players start with three lives and lose them according to the conditions of the game rules. The scores are kept in the form of signal bars on the board.

Part 2: Reflection

        Disconnected was originally a game first played in the titular YouTube series created by Tom Scott during the lockdown period. The show featured three contestants who were also content creators fighting to avoid being removed from the video. Ever since I first watched the series way back in 2020, I wanted to do a live adaptation of it in person, because I found the simple twits laid out in its rules to be really intriguing.
        In terms of how the game actually went, I think we managed to accomplish everything we set out to do. Sure, we had to go over the rules at least twice, because bluffing is usually not a valid tactic in quiz games, but after a while I think the players got into the flow of the game. I think the few improvements that could be implemented in the design would be to include more categories and questions so they don’t become redundant on repeat use. GF

This was probably our most successful game out of the three. It both served the purpose of entertainment and education. The group also enjoyed it a lot, and because of understandable reasons. It was extremely fun to see how the players try to fool each other and figure out whether the others know the correct answers or not. I think this game is perfect for advanced groups, as it not only requires a lot of knowledge about the world but also perfect English skills, where the students are able to lie when needed, to conceal their true answer or to fool others. I think there is no real drawback to this exercise, only probably the students can suspect the teacher of being biased and asking easier or harder questions from certain students. However, we can make them completely random by using dice or computer/mobile applications, random number generators. ML

Part 3: Appendix (Question Bank)

TOPICS & QUESTIONS
               HISTORY

- Which modern world country was the birthplace of Matthias Corvinus? (Romania)

- In the infamous name, Vlad Dracula Tepes, what does “Dracula” mean? (Dragon, son of a dragon)

- What was the official religious view of the Soviet Union? (Atheism)

- Which weapon did gladiators commonly use to honor their gods? (Trident)

- Which country discovered America first? (Norway)

RELIGION

- Which religion/mythology says that the sun will be devoured by a wolf when the end of the world comes? (Norse)

- Which religion has the blue-skinned goddess of time, change, creation and destruction? (Hinduism)

- What was the biggest catch of the god Thor when he went fishing? (The World Serpent, Jormungand, Midgard Serpent)

CULTURE

- Which nation brought thermal baths to Hungary first? (Ottomans)

- Which nation had whistles which resembled the sound of a screaming human? (Aztec)

- Which country considers the falcon as an ancient and respected symbol? (Hungary)

LANGUAGE

- From which country does the word “Ninja” come from? (China)

- In which language is the word “Pain” a bakery product? (French)

- What is the majority language of Switzerland? (German)

- How many alphabets does the Japanese language use? (3)

EDUCATION

- In the United States, what is the standardized test commonly taken by high school students as part of the college admissions process? (SAT (Scholarly Assessment Test))

- How many university semesters are financed by the state in the case of a 5-year training program in Hungary? (12 Semesters)

- Which country has the oldest recorded history of having an official school? (China)

SPACE

- Which is the second largest planet in the solar system? (Saturn)

- What was the nationality of the first man in space? (Soviet)

- When was Pluto reclassified as a dwarf planet by NASA? (2006)

- What is the only planet that spins clockwise? (Venus)

- What is the name of the first man-made satellite? (Sputnik 1.)

MOVIES & SERIES

- In the hit TV series Breaking Bad, which character does the actor Jonathan Banks play?(Mike Ehrmantraut)

- Who is the record holder for most Oscars won? (Walt Disney)

- Based on box office sales, what title was the most successful movie of 2022? (Avatar: Way of The Water)

- In the Lord of the Rings series, what kind of creature is Sauron? (maia, angel)

- In which country was the movie “Bicycle Thieves” filmed? (Italy)

- In Squid Game, what shape did the protagonist have to carve out of gingerbread? (umbrella)

- In the last season of Stranger Things, what was the name of the song which was played by one of the characters to distract the flying monsters? (Metallica: Master of Puppets)

- Who was the director of the first Star Wars movies? (George Lucas

- Which is the longest Hungarian movie? (Sátán Tangó)

FOOD

- What country does the Castella Cake originate from? (Japan)

- What is the primary ingredient in Scottish Haggis? (Sheep/Lamb meat)

- Who was the founder of Kentucky Fried Chicken? (Harland “Colonel” Sanders)

TRANSPORTATION

- Which country operates the longest high-speed rail network in the world by total length of tracks? (China)

- What is the name of the high-speed rail system in Japan? (Shinkansen)

- Which bus line can take you from the Szeged Train Station to Újszeged? (90)

ANIMALS

- Which animal’s organs are used as human kidney and heart transplants? (pork)

- Which African animal has the biggest resistance against cancer? (elephant)

- Which animal can be scared away by putting something big (stick or pot) on our heads? (Hyena)

- Which avian is the most intelligent in the world? (Corvus species, Crow family)

- Which animal eats its siblings in the womb of their mother? (sharks)

- How many bones does a shark have? (Zero)

- Which is the only mammal capable of true flight? (bats)

- Which animal has the strongest bite? (Hippopotamus)

HUMAN BIOLOGY

- Which organ heals the fastest in the human body? (liver)

- What are the chromosomes of a male? (XY)

- Which blood type is the rarest in humans? (AB negative)

- What part of the human body serves the purpose of maintaining balance? ears)

PLANTS

- What is the name of the tallest grass on earth? (Bamboo)

- Which is the tallest tree species? (redwood)

- What plant is beer made from? (Barley)

- What leaf is the symbol of Canada? (maple leaf)

- What kind of plant is tomato? (Fruit)

CITIES

- Which city has the largest population in the United States? (New York)

- Which country does the city San Sebastián belong to? (Spain)

POLITICS

- How many times was Trump impeached? (2 times)

- What does the term anarcho-capitalism mean? (capitalism without regulation)

- What is the political alignment where one does not take sides? (centrism)

SCIENCE

- Who created the first airplane? (Wright brothers)

- Which is the most abundant element in the universe? (Hydrogen)

- What is the hardest natural substance on Earth? (Diamond)

- What kind of object did alchemist try to create/find? (Stone of Knowledge (The Philosophers' Stone))

- Which was the first branch of science in history? (Philosophy)

- What is hematology the study of? (blood)

- In which country humans first realize the Earth is not flat? (Greece)

POP CULTURE

- Wat is the most-viewed video on Youtube? (Baby Shark)

- Who is the most followed person on Instagram? (Cristiano Ronaldo)

- What kind of living animal was eaten on stage by Ozzie Osborn? (bat)

MUSIC

- Who is often referred to as the “Queen of Pop”? (Madonna)

- What’s the name of the Spice Girl’s debut album? (Spice)

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