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| Source: http://www.ted.com/ |
It is an amazing website with over 700 best talks, which are subtitled in English and even in other various languages. Originally, the talks are given by great people in the field Technology, Entertainment and Design (TED). However, the website now has more topics other than the three fields. These videos are freely shared and reposted so that English teachers can use the video clips on the website to amplify the depth and width of our teaching materials.
Why is good for language learning?
l The themes are various and the speakers are from all over the world, even some celebrity that students are familiar with. Students might feel motivating because of the variety of choices.
l Not only teachers but also students can acquire knowledge through learning English. It is more like content- based learning.
l The talks are short and inspiring. The most important of all, they are authentic materials. Besides, since the speakers are from all over the world, students can have the opportunity to hear different accents and know the idea of “World Englishes”.
l When watching these videos, learners can choose whether to show or to hide the subtitles based on their own learning path.
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| source: http://www.ted.com/ |
l Learners can learn how to make a good presentation.
l With the popularity of the website, teachers can find a lot of many related resources and discussions about how to use the materials in English classroom. These are the two websites I found useful:
1. ESL TED Talk: an excellent blog by Douglas Evans, who creates and shares many lesson plans based on some great TED talks.
2. Speaking tips for teaching English with TED Speaking tips for teaching English with TED: a useful blog by Karenne Joy Sylvester, sharing how to use TED talk to engage more in discussion and improve speaking ability.
To find More informatino on how to use the materials on TED, Larry Ferlazzo's website is an excellent access.
Classroom use
Take the talk by James Cameron for example.
Take the talk by James Cameron for example.
l The teacher tells students who the speaker is and what the topic is about. The teacher have students guess what the speech will be about.
l The teacher have student listen to the speech for the first time (it could be just the first part of the speech) without subtitles. The teacher encourages students to grasp the main ideas of the speech.
l Before playing the video for the second time, the teacher asks students to take out a piece of paper and take notes (even basic words) they think is important to understand the speech.
l The teacher has students compare and discuss what they have written and heard.
l The teacher played the video for the third time with English subtitles.
l The teacher can discuss with students whether they find the talk is persuasive or encouraging. If yes, the teacher encourages students to share what elements of speech make them think so.
l The teacher can have students work in group to make a group presentation. Students can choose one of the speeches they are interested in and make an oral report in the next class about the speaker, the topic or their own comments on the talk.
Limitations
l The talks are more appropriate for intermediate to advanced students.
l If students are not familiar with the themes or the key words of the speech, they might find it difficult to catch the main ideas. Teachers might have to introduce some key words before watching the videos.
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