English Language Fellow Jenna Thompson conducted workshops on using ‘TED Talks in the English language classroom for local English teachers at the U.S. Embassy in Beijing. The workshop was one in a series of teacher training sessions called “Thursday Roundtables,” hosted weekly by the Regional English Language Office.
Sixteen participants, all English teachers in schools or universities in the Beijing area, signed up for the workshop, where they learned about TED Talks and how they can be incorporated and adapted for their own classrooms. Thompson demonstrated various activities focusing on two different TED Talks including pre-, while-, and post-listening activities.
After learning about the various activities, the teachers worked in groups to create their own TED lesson plan. At the end of the workshop Thompson held an open discussion with the participants centered on English language teaching practices.