critical thinking lesson plans by ted ed

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5 TED-Ed Lessons to help you teach critical-thinking skills

Use or revise these engaging customized lessons to help your students "dig deep".

We all know that critical thinking is a very important skill, but how do you teach students to go beyond the obvious response and use reason?

In a new study from MindEdge Learning, more than half of the college students and recent graduates said they were very confident in their critical-thinking skills; however, 52 percent of them could not pass a basic, nine-question test of their digital literacy and critical-thinking skills. Perhaps more troubling, the amount of respondents who answered eight or nine questions correctly dropped from 24 percent last year to 19 percent this year.

For teachers looking for new ways to improve critical-thinking skills, here are the five most-popular TED-Ed Lessons on the topic.

1. 5 tips to improve your critical thinking Every day, a sea of decisions stretches before us, and it’s impossible to make a perfect choice every time. But there are many ways to improve our chances—and one particularly effective technique is critical thinking. Samantha Agoos describes a five-step process that may help you with any number of problems.

2. How art can help you analyze Can art save lives? Not exactly, but our most prized professionals (doctors, nurses, police officers) can learn real-world skills through art analysis. Studying art like René Magritte’s Time Transfixed can enhance communication and analytical skills, with an emphasis on both the seen and unseen. Amy E. Herman explains why art historical training can prepare you for real world investigation.

3. The psychology behind irrational decisions Often people make decisions that are not “rational” from a purely economical point of view—meaning that they don’t necessarily lead to the best result. Why is that? Are we just bad at dealing with numbers and odds? Or is there a psychological mechanism behind it? Sara Garofalo explains heuristics, problem-solving approaches based on previous experience and intuition rather than analysis.

4. How miscommunication happens (and how to avoid it) Have you ever talked with a friend about a problem, only to realize that he just doesn’t seem to grasp why the issue is so important to you? Have you ever presented an idea to a group, and it’s met with utter confusion? What’s going on here? Katherine Hampsten describes why miscommunication occurs so frequently, and how we can minimize frustration while expressing ourselves better.

5. Rethinking thinking Every day, we meet people and process our interactions—making inferences and developing beliefs about the world around us. In this lesson, Trevor Maber introduces us to the idea of a “ladder of inference” and a process for rethinking the way we interact.

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Encourage critical thinking with 3 questions

5 Tips To Improve Your Critical Thinking

Student level.

Downloads: 1988

Video Length: 4:30

Updated on: 09/11/2021

Lesson Time: 1–2 hrs.

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Video description, lesson activities.

Lesson Topics

Critical Thinking, Decision Making, Professional Skills

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• Online Courses

TED-ED: Creating a Flipped Lesson

I love using TED videos in my classroom to get students thinking about issues related to what we are studying. When I heard that I could wrap video content in an online lesson with TED Ed, I decided to check it out.

The process of setting up my first lesson was refreshingly easy!

1. Go to TED-Ed to check out the collection of educational lessons.

You can search by:

• Series – Collection of related videos
• Subject -Arts, Business &Economics, Health, Literature & Language, Mathematics, Philosophy & Religion, Psychology, Science & Technical Subjects, Social Studies, Thinking & Learning
• Best flips  – Exceptional user created lessons (or “flips”)

2. Find a lesson you like and “Flip” it.

The first lesson I used with students was titled “Exploring Language: The Art of the Metaphor.” This video paired a poetic explanation of metaphors with an artistic video created by the talented animators at TED-Ed. The visual helped to make figurative language more concrete for students.

I was able to tailor the language to explain the lesson objectives. There were a collection of ready-to-use questions already designed for the lesson. I used some of those existing questions, then added some of my own.

Questions can be multiple choice or short answer. I added more complex short answer questions and a creative writing task asking my students to write a metaphor for their lives. We used these metaphors a jumping off point for a poetry writing activity in class to effectively blend instructional mediums together.

3. Get students to “Dig Deeper” with additional resources

This is a great way to get students thinking beyond simple questions to extend the lesson. Teachers can use the “Dig Deeper” question to tie the online work back into the classroom.

4. “And Finally”

Leave students with some last thoughts about the lesson, the purpose or how you plan to build on it in the classroom.

5. How did students do?

I’ve removed my students’ names, but this is what the “Lesson Stats” for my first session looked like. I can click “Review” to read their specific answers and comments. I can also download their responses into a CSV file.

Flip Any YouTube Video

Didn’t find a video you wanted to use with students on the TED-Ed site? TED-Ed let’s you flip any YouTube video! This is when I got really excited. I can flip TED Talks, my favorite YouTube content or my own uploaded videos.

When teaching grammar, it is nice to be able to introduce a concept at home for students to process and digest at their own pace. So, I decided to flip one of Keven Brookhouser’s “ Writing Felonies ” videos about the passive voice. I entered the URL, designed the questions, and clicked “Finish Flip.” Lesson completed!

*Click here to view this TED-Ed lesson.

TED-Ed made it possible for me to set up an interesting online lesson quickly. It was also easy for my students to use. In a survey after our first TED-Ed lesson 96% said they really enjoyed the whole experience. It was an easy and effective way to engage student online to complement our work in class.

15 Responses

I really liked this post! I recently attended a presentation about a teacher who started flipping his physics classroom earlier this year. But since then I’ve been wondering about what I could do within my English class to flip it. I particularly like the option of picking videos that are already on the internet to be used by students. The link to flip Youtube videos is fantastic and I look forward to trying it out. Have you found any issues with access for students when it comes to internet access outside of school? I’m concerned about the equality of flipping for some students who may not have access to internet outside of the school. Thanks for the great post, I look forward to more!

Hello Kelsey,

I’m thrilled to hear you enjoyed this post! You are absolutely correct that the majority of conversations about the flipped classroom focus on math and science. I think it is unfortunate given how much success I’ve had flipping both my vocabulary and writing instruction. Here is a link to a blog post I wrote about flipping my vocabulary instruction . You can also check out my writing videos playlist to get ideas for how you might do this with your students.

Equity is an important issue to consider, but it cannot be the obstacle to moving forward. I have the luxury of working on an A-B schedule so every other day students can get into library to use the computers. I also have a Google map embedded into my website identifying all of the locations on our campus and community where students can get online. Raising awareness is key. I’ve heard teachers who have saved videos to flash drives or burned DVDs and checked them out to students. Both of those strategies might be useful if you are concerned about access.

really great writeup!

as an aside, here’s one of my favorite vocabulary/speech related videos I think every kid should see.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OEBZkWkkdZA

Thank you for sharing, Shannon!

Thank you for sharing, Shannon! That is hilarious.

[…] I love using TED videos in my classroom to get students thinking about issues related to what we are studying. When I heard that I could wrap video content in an online lesson with TED Ed, I decided to check it out. The process of setting up my first lesson was refreshingly easy! 1. Go to TED-Ed to  […]

Hi Catlin, I’m new to this idea of flipping lessons and can’t seem to find simple directions. My main query is how do I keep the lesson private; just for my students? I’ve avoided clicking publish as I do not want the lesson ‘live’ on the web! Also, I cannot see how you set up the student stats – is this an option after you click ‘Publish’? Thanks for any help you can give me

I apologize for not responding sooner. I am out of the country with my family.

Unless you click to share you lesson with other educators, only your students will see them as it has a unique URL. Your students will need to create an account and that is how you will have access to their stats. They have an account, they access the lesson you created via a URL, then the stats are associated with the lesson. You will see their answers on your end under your account information.

I hope that helps!

I do not have a teaching venue that has internet access. Is it possible to download your flipped classroom so that you can access it offline?

You can save your flipped videos to flash drives or burn DVDs that can be checked out to students. That is one way around access issues, but it does require a bit of work on your end.

[…] http://cluttered-record.flywheelsites.com/2012/11/ted-ed-creating-a-flipped-lesson/ […]

[…] I love using TED videos in my classroom to get students thinking about issues related to what we are studying. When I heard that I could wrap video content in an online lesson with TED Ed, I decided to check it out.  […]

[…] Resources A link that describes how to use TED-Ed in a flipped classroom http://cluttered-record.flywheelsites.com/2012/11/ted-ed-creating-a-flipped-lesson/ A video of a sample TED-Ed lesson […]

[…] I love using TED videos in my classroom to get students thinking about issues related to what we are studying. When I heard that I could wrap video content in an online lesson with TED Ed, I decide…  […]

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• Keynote Speaking

© 2023 Dr. Catlin Tucker

TED-Ed Lesson Plan

This interactive TED-Ed lesson plan is designed to provide educators with ideas for integrating a digital tool into their instruction

We are all probably familiar with TED Talks and similar videos of intelligent, engaging, and influential people discussing a broad range of topics relevant to society. In that vein, TED-Ed offers a platform dedicated to teachers and students to speak, view, and learn from others across the world. In addition, TED-Ed is focused on teaching and learning, providing a space for educators to create interactive lessons. 

For more information about TED-Ed, check out What is TED-Ed and How Does It Work for Teaching?  

This lesson plan provides an idea on how to use the TED-Ed platform for a ELA lesson focused on helping students develop their oral communication skills. 

Subject : English Language Arts

Topic : Oral Communication/Public Speaking 

Learning Objectives : 

At the end of the lesson, students will be able to: 

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• Develop talking points for a oral presentation 
• Record a Ted Talk-style public speaking presentation 

TED-Ed Lesson Plan: Topic of Interest Selection 

One of the special aspects about TED Talks in general, and TED-Ed as well, is the broad range of topics covered, including education, finance, politics, and business. This diversity of videos provides the chance for students to explore and learn about a topic of interest that they typically would not focus on in the traditional school curriculum. 

To start, allow students to browse the TED-Ed videos. Once they have chosen a video, there are questions to encourage deeper thinking and discussion. 

As an alternative, if you want students to focus on a specific topic, they can use TED-Ed’s database, which is organized by subject areas:

• The Arts 
• Business & Economics
• Design, Engineering & Technology 
• Literature & Language
• Mathematics
• Philosophy & Religion
• Science & Technology
• Social Studies
• Teaching & Education
• Thinking & Learning

For younger elementary students, the short, animated videos may work better, such as What Animal Can Hear the Best , whereas older students could watch a more traditional TED-Ed video, such as The Difference Between False Empathy and True Support .

Prep, Practice, and Perform 

Inspired by the TED-Ed videos that the students have watched, have them prepare their own videos starting with preparing a script. It may be helpful to provide students with your school district’s standards on oral communication and a checklist to follow. 

Students can use a digital tool such as VoiceThread to practice recording themselves, which has an immediate pause feature and the ability to re-record a segment. You can decide when students give their talk live in class with an audience (their classmates) or if the final version will be recorded. 

Share And Discuss

In the spirit of TED-Talks being shared widely, share your students TED-Ed with other educators, students, and their families. 

If you do not want to house the videos on YouTube or other public video platforms, consider using a Padlet or similar tool to house the videos in one location that can be easily accessed by those with whom you share the link.  

What Other Lesson Plan Options Are Available through TED-Ed? 

In addition to lessons that you create using a lesson plan such as this, TED-Ed offers the ability to create a lesson by using a YouTube video of your choice (you can search for one within the TED-Ed platform). You can develop corresponding questions for discussion with associated resources. 

Also, an option is available to create collections in which all of your videos will be easily accessible for your lessons.

Can Teachers Get Involved with TED-Ed? 

Absolutely! TED-Ed encourages teachers to participate in the TED-Ed community and has a dedicated space for educators on the website to connect with resources. In addition, there are opportunities for educators to share their voice and create their own TED-Ed talks to be shared. 

TED Talks are very entertaining, but TED-Ed adds an exciting layer to the oral communication format. Students can learn course content more deeply while developing the skills needed to effectively speak in public. Try to incorporate TED-Ed into your lesson and share widely with your learning communities.

• Top Edtech Lesson Plans
• What is TED-Ed and How Does It Work for Teaching?  

Dr. Stephanie Smith Budhai is faculty member in the College of Education and Human Development at the University of Delaware, focusing on Educational Technology, Learning Design, and Justice-centered Pedagogies. She holds two national education technology leadership positions on the Information Technology Council and as Chair of the Culture and Climate Committee for the Society for Information Technology and Teacher Education (SITE).  She holds a Ph.D. in Learning Technologies, and a M.S. in Information with a specialization in Library and Information Science, and K-12 teaching certifications in Technology Education, Instructional Technology and Business, Computers, Information Technology, Special Education and Elementary Education. Dr. Smith Budhai is the 2021 SITE Emerging Leader and the 2017 ISTE Awardee for Excellence in Teacher Education. She is also a Nearpod, and VoiceThread Certified Educator.  Dr. Smith Budhai has more than a decade of online teaching experience, and has published myriad books (two have been translated into Arabic), articles, and invited editorials surrounding the use of technology and online learning in education. A few of her book publications include: 

- Leveraging Digital Tools to Assess Student Learning 

- Increasing Engagement in Online Learning: Quick Reference Guide

- Culturally Responsive Teaching Online and In-Person: An Action Planner for Dynamic Equitable Learning Environments 

- Teaching the 4Cs with Technology

- Best Practices in Engaging Online Learners through Active and Experiential Learning Strategies

- Nurturing Young Innovators: Cultivating Creativity in the Classroom, Home and Community

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Category: TED Talk Lesson Plans

Ted talk, paul root wolpe: bio-engineering.

Image credit:  www.ted.com

Follow me on twitter  @ RobbioDobbio

This is a new TED talk lesson plan for higher levels (C1+) on the subject of bio-engineering and cloning. Thanks to my colleague Cliff Grossman for recommending this fascinating talk. You can download the materials below:

TED Bio-engineering – Student handout

TED Bio-engineering TEACHER NOTES

You can either give students the handout and have them watch the talk and answer the comprehension questions for homework, or do it in class.

Then depending on class size students can ask and answer the discussion questions in small groups or in open class. The topic also lends itself well to debates on GM food, cloning and bioengineering.

Student Handout

Comprehension Questions

• What have been the three great stages of evolution?
• What are some of the animal hybrids he presents?
• What have scientists done with bioluminescent cells from jellyfish?
• What does he say about the differences in regulations on genetic modifications between the US and Europe?
• Name a few of the animals that have been successfully cloned.
• What have scientists managed to do with cockroaches and goliath beetles?
• What was so special about the monkey with the prosthetic arm?
• What was grown on a mouse’s back?
• What is Paul’s view on bio-engineering?
• What changes does he predict in the future?

Discussion Questions

• What did you think of the talk?
• Did you like his presenting style?
• What’s your opinion in the different experiments?
• Which ones do you find interesting?
• Which ones do you think go too far?
• What uses can you see for the different bio-engineered animals?
• How far do you think we should go?
• Should we clone humans?
• What problems do you foresee if we were to start cloning humans?
• Who should decide the limits of where science can go?
• Should people be able to design their own pets/children/bodies?

Look at the language in bold. What do you think it means?

• By changing our environment, we put new pressures on our bodies to evolve. Whether it was through settling down in agricultural communities…
• So I want to take you through a kind of whirlwind tour of that
• Someday, perhaps pretty soon, you will have beefalo patties  in your local supermarket.
• Dogs are the result of selectively breeding traits that we like.
• The scientists that made this cute little creature ended up slaughtering it and eating it afterwards.
• We had to do it the hard way in the old days by choosing offspring that looked a particular way and then breeding them.
• What are the ethical guidelines  that we will use then?
• What have been the three great stages of evolution? 1 st : Darwinian evolution 2 nd : humans changing their environment by forming civilisation 3 rd : Evolution by design (bio-engineering)
• What are some of the animal hybrids he presents? Liger, geep, zorse, beefalo, cama,
• What have scientists done with bioluminescent cells from jellyfish? Made animals that glow in the dark
• What does he say about the differences in regulations on genetic modifications between the US and Europe? Regulations are much stricter in Europe
• Name a few of the animals that have been successfully cloned. Sheep, pigs, rats, cats, dogs, horses, wolves, cows.
• What have scientists managed to do with cockroaches and goliath beetles? Made them remoted-controlled
• What was so special about the monkey with the prosthetic arm? It learned to move its new prosthetic arm using just its brain signals meaning that it effectively has three independent arms.
• What was grown on a mouse’s back? A human ear
• What is Paul’s view on bio-engineering? He is worried about its implications and thinks we have to be very careful.
• What changes does he predict in the future? Human cloning and designer pets or even babies.
• By changing our environment, we put new pressures on our bodies to evolve. Whether it was through settling down in agricultural communities… (to stop travelling and stay in one place to live)
• So I want to take you through a kind of whirlwind tour of that (a very quick tour seeing the most important places)
• Someday, perhaps pretty soon, you will have beefalo patties  in your local supermarket. (hamburgers)
• Dogs are the result of selectively breeding traits that we like. (characteristics)
• The scientists that made this cute little creature ended up slaughtering it and eating it afterwards. (kill an animal for food)
• We had to do it the hard way in the old days by choosing offspring that looked a particular way and then breeding them.  (biological term for children)
• What are the ethical guidelines  that we will use then?  (moral rules)

TED – Daniel Levitin: How to stay calm when you know you’ll be stressed

Image credit: http://www.ted.com

This is a new TED talk lesson plan for C1+ students. You can either set the TED talk with the comprehension questions as homework or watch the talk in class as it’s only 12 minutes long. Download the handout and teacher’s notes below:

TED Daniel Levitin Stress sts handout

TED Daniel Levitin Stress Teacher notes

Language Focus

Discuss the meaning of the phrases in bold with your partner.

• I had just driven home,it was around midnight in the dead of Montreal winter .
• As I stood on the front porch fumbling in my pockets,I found I didn’t have my keys.
• It releases cortisol that raises your heart rate,it modulates adrenaline levels and it clouds your thinking .
• Now you might be thinkingI’ve pulled this number out of the air for shock value.
• So the idea of the pre-mortem is to think ahead of timeto the questions that you might be able to ask that will push the conversation forward. You don’t want to have to manufacture all of this on the spot.
• You might change your mind in the heat of the moment ,but at least you’re practiced with this kind of thinking.
• So I’m not completely organized,but I see organization as a gradual process, and I’m getting there.
• What happens in the anecdote Daniel tells at the start of the talk?
• What were the consequences of Daniels clouded thinking?
• What is the solution he comes up with?
• What are the two practical tips he gives for common problems?
• What are the two questions he recommends asking to a doctor before they prescribe you a drug?
• What was the historical advantage to the brain releasing cortisol in stressful situations?
• Have you ever been in a similar situation to the one Daniel describes in his anecdote? What did you do?
• Have you ever forgotten a passport or boarding card when flying somewhere? What did you do?
• Are you an absent-minded person? What things do you lose/misplace? Where do you keep your keys/mobile/wallet at home?
• In what situations is it good idea to predict the possible problems that could occur?
• Are you good at making decisions under pressure?
• What do you think of what he says about the medical industry?
• Would you trade quality of life for a longer life?

What things could possibly go wrong in these situations, and how could you prepare for the problems?

Teacher’s notes

• In the dead of winter/night = in the middle of
• Fumble = to feel/do something clumsily/inefficiently
• Clouds your thinking = confuses/affects your thinking in a bad way
• Pull a number out of the air = invent a number in the moment of speaking
• For shock value = in order to cause shock
• On the spot = in the moment of speaking, also “to put someone on the spot” = force someone to answer a difficult question without preparation.
• In the heat of the moment = do something while stressed/angry/excited
• I’m getting there = I’m making progress

Comprehension questions

• He forgets his keys so has to smash the basement window to get into his house.
• He forgets his passport the next morning when he goes to the airport.
• To perform a “pre-mortem” evaluation of possible problems that could occur.
• Designate a place for commonly lost things: keys, wallet etc. Take a photo of things you might lose while travelling: credit card, passport, keys and save it to the cloud to make it easier to get them back.
• What is the number needed to treat? What are the side-effects?
• When faced with a predator it helped us to escape.

TED Talk: Rita Pierson, Every Kid Needs a Champion

This is a conversation lesson plan based around Rita Pierson’s TED talk entitled: Every Kid Needs a Champion it’s suitable for C1+ although high B2s might be able to deal with it if you break the video up a bit. Download the handout below:

TED Rita Every child needs a champion

Have students watch the TED talk for homework or you can show it in class as it’s only 8 mins long. Then give out the handout and have students discuss it in small groups or as a class.

• What is the talk about?
• What did you think of the speaker?
• Was she easy to understand?
• What is her message?

Look at these quotes from the talk and discuss the questions below:

“And we know why kids drop out. We know why kids don’t learn. It’s either poverty, low attendance, negative peer influences… We know why.”

• Which of these things do you think has the biggest impact on dropout rates?
• What can be done to help?

“James Comer says that no significant learning can occur without a significant relationship.”

“George Washington Carver says all learning is understanding relationships.”

• What is your interpretation of these quotes?
• Do you agree with them?

A colleague said to me one time, “They don’t pay me to like the kids. They pay me to teach a lesson. The kids should learn it. I should teach it, they should learn it, Case closed.”

Well, I said to her, “You know, kids don’t learn from people they don’t like.”

• What do you think of the teacher’s quotes? Do you agree?
• Do students have to like their teacher to learn from them?

“How do I raise the self-esteem of a child and his academic achievement at the same time?”

• How important is it that a teacher raises their students’ self-esteem?
• What methods does Rita mention? What other ways can they do it?

“One year I came up with a bright idea. I told all my students, “You were chosen to be in my class because I am the best teacher and you are the best students, they put us all together so we could show everybody else how to do it.”

“I gave a quiz, 20 questions. A student missed 18. I put a “+2” on his paper and a big smiley face.”

• What do you think of these methods? Do you think they would work?

“Every child deserves a champion, an adult who will never give up on them, who understands the power of connection, and insists that they become the best that they can possibly be.”

• What do you think of her message?
• Did you have a “champion” when you were growing up? Who was it?
• How can this message be put into practice?

Kicking the Habit: TED Talk, Reading and Discussion

Image credit: ted.com

This is a lesson plan for C1+ students on the topic of bad habits based around a TED talk by Judson Brewer and an article from Yahoo Health. You can find the TED talk, students’ handout, reading text and teacher’s notes below:

TED Bad habits sts copy  – Students handout

TED bad habits teachers notes

Common Bad Habits  – Reading Text

TED  – Breaking Bad Habits – Teacher’s Notes

Step 1: Expressions with habit

What do you think these expressions mean? Do they exist in your language?

He’s been smoking since he was 15 years old and he just can’t kick the habit.

When my grandad retired he didn’t stop getting up at 6am and putting a suit on. Old habits die hard.

I could never go backpacking I’m too much of a creature of habit , I can’t stand changes to my routine.

I’ve always written my essays at the last minute and I normally get good marks. Why break the habit of a lifetime?

Kick the habit = give up/quit a bad habit

Old habits die hard = it’s difficult to stop a habit you’ve been doing for a long time

A creature of habit = someone who likes the security of a routine

Why break the habit of a lifetime? = something you say to a person you know isn’t going to change their habits.

Step 2: Brainstorm bad habits on the board

Step 3: Reading

Give out the reading handout, put students in groups of 3. Students read each section then discuss the meaning of the vocabulary in bold. Then they answer the discusssion questions. Then they move onto the next bad habit.

Step 4: TED Talk

Students watch the TED talk and answer the following questions:

What bad habits does he mention? Being unable to concentrate, phone/internet addiction, stress eating, smoking, distracting yourself from work.

What solution to these bad habits does he suggest? Using mindfulness to focus on the cravings we feel and see them as physical moments that pass.

After watching students discuss:

• What do you think of the talk?
• Do you have any of the bad habits he mentioned?
• Do you think mindfulness would work for you?
• Have you ever meditated? Would you consider it?

Step 5: Vocab Focus – Meaning from Context

Students try to guess the meaning of the expressions in bold from the context.

• When I was first learning to meditate, the instruction was to simply pay attention to my breath, and when my mind wandered , to bring it back.
• Why is it so hard to pay attention? Well, studies show that even when we’re really trying to pay attention to something — like maybe this talk — at some point, about half of us will drift off into a daydream , or have this urge to check our Twitter feed.
• Instead of this hunger signal coming from our stomach, this emotional signal — feeling sad —  triggers that urge to eat.
• Maybe in our teenage years, we were a nerd at school, and we see those rebel kids outside smoking and we think, “Hey, I want to be cool.” So we start smoking. The Marlboro Man wasn’t a dork , and that was no accident.
• What if instead of fighting our brains, or trying to force ourselves to pay attention,we instead tapped into this natural, reward-based learning process?
• She moved from knowing in her head that smoking was bad for her to knowing it in her bones , and the spell of smoking was broken . She started to become disenchanted with her behavior.
• When the prefrontal cortex goes offline, we fall back into our old habits , which is why this disenchantment is so important.
• And this is what mindfulness is all about: Seeing really clearly what we get when we get caught up in our behaviors.
• We start to notice that cravings are simply made up of body sensations — oh, there’s tightness, there’s tension, there’s restlessness .
• These are bite-size pieces of experiences that we can manage from moment to moment rather than getting clobbered by this huge, scary craving that we choke on .

Mind wanders/drift off into a daydream = get distracted

Have/get an urge to do something = a strong desire/impulse

Trigger (v) = activate/set off/cause to function

Nerd = unpopular, studious person

Dork = unpopular, studious person, more pejorative than nerd

Tap into = manage to use something in a way that gives good results. Get access to a resource. Collocations: tap into an energy source, tap into creativity, tap into the water supply.

Know in your bones = feel something using intuition, synonyms: know in my guts, a gut-feeling.

Break a spell = end magic/enchantment

Disenchanted = two meanings. 1. Free from illusion/magic 2. Disappointed, demotivated, disillusioned.

Fall back into old habits = return to old habits after having changed

Get caught up in st = to become completely involved in something, normally bad connotation.

Craving = a consuming desire, normally physical related to addiction.

Restlessness = a state of discomfort, can’t stay still/relax. A restless night.

Bite-size pieces = small easy to manage pieces

Get clobbered = to be beaten/hit severly

Choke on st = not able to breath because of something in your throat

Step 6: Sentence Completion

Students put the expressions from the vocab focus into the following sentences:

• He was always so restless at school, he couldn’t sit still for a second.
• I’m a bit weird, whenever I go near the edge of a cliff or a tall building I get the sudden urge to jump off!
• Don’t worry, everything is going to be alright, I don’t know how but I feel/know it in my bones .
• I managed to stop biting my fingernails for 6 months but recently, because of all the stress at work, I have fallen back into old habits .
• Most voters are completely disenchanted with politics in general and extremist politicians like Donald Trump are simply tapping into the anger and resentment.
• When my Mum was pregnant she had strong cravings for avocado even though she normally hates them.
• The earthquake triggered a huge tsunami that hit the coast at 10am.
• When I was at school I always used to get into trouble for drifting off into a daydream during class.
• 3 hours into the film I got a bit bored and my mind wandered to what I was going to have for dinner.
• A man suddenly started to choke on a prawn and a fellow diner had to give him the heimlich maneuver.
• I was definitely a bit of a nerd at school but I certainly wasn’t a dork .
• I got so caught up in the excitement of the party that I didn’t realise I had missed the last train home.
• He caught the rugby ball, turned around and was immediately clobbered by a huge opposition player.
• I broke the carrots up into bite-size pieces so that the children wouldn’t choke on

Step 7: Discussion

Students answer questions in pairs.

• Were you restless at school? Did you use to drift off into a daydream?
• Do you know the heimlich maneuver? Have you ever choked on anything?
• Were you a nerd when you were at school?
• Do you ever get so caught up in something that you lose all sense of time?
• Do you ever get the urge to do something silly or outrageous in social situations?
• Do you agree with sentence 5 above? What can we do to change the situation?

Students’ Handout

Expressions with habit

• What bad habits does he mention?
• What solution to these bad habits does he suggest?

Vocabulary Focus

Read the sentences from the transcript and discuss the words/expressions in bold with your partner.

Sentence Completion

Complete the sentences with the expressions above.

• He was always so ______________ at school, he couldn’t sit still for a second.
• I’m a bit weird, whenever I go near the edge of a cliff or a tall building I get the sudden __________ jump off!
• Don’t worry, everything is going to be alright, I don’t know how but I ______________________.
• I managed to stop biting my fingernails for 6 months but recently, because of all the stress at work, I have __________________________________.
• Most voters are completely __________________________ politics in general and extremist politicians like Donald Trump are simply ____________________________ the anger and resentment.
• When my Mum was pregnant she had strong _____________ for avocado even though she normally hates them.
• The earthquake _______________ a huge tsunami that hit the coast at 10am.
• When I was at school I always used to get into trouble for _______________________________ during class.
• 3 hours into the film I got a bit bored and my ____________________________ to what I was going to have for dinner.
• A man suddenly started to ________________ a prawn and a fellow diner had to give him the heimlich maneuver.
• I was definitely a bit of a _____________ at school but I certainly wasn’t a ____________.
• I _________________________________ in the excitement of the party that I didn’t realise I had missed the last train home.
• He caught the rugby ball, turned around and was immediately ___________________ by a huge opposition player.
• I broke the carrots up into __________________ so that the children wouldn’t ___________ them.

Reading Text

Common Bad Habits

Everyone has habits that they would probably be better off without. You may not have any major vices but minor ones add up and deserve attention too. “The small stuff really matters in our lives,” says Elisha Goldstein, Ph.D., a clinical psychologist and author of  Uncovering Happiness: Overcoming Depression with Mindfulness and Self-Compassion . “Life is full of the little things.”

In reality, you’re probably not eating poorly or shirking on sleep just once a month, but, more likely, multiple times a week. If you need some help identifying changes you might aim to make, here are some of the most common bad habits and two universal fixes from Goldstein about how we can change for the better.

Stress-Eating

We’re a country of high-stress and high-calorie foods, so it should be no surprise that emotional eating is a common issue. There are many reasons people turn to food when they experience negative emotions, like stress, sadness, and boredom. First of all, food can serve as a distraction from unpleasant goings-on . Research has also suggested that foods that are high in fat and sugar may actually (temporarily) quiet parts of the brain that create and process negative emotions.

• Do you stress eat? If so what?
• How do you relieve stress?

Sitting Around

Surveys have found that people, on average, spend more than six hours a day sitting. Many people sit while commuting, at work, and while unwinding at the end of the day. It may feel like your body is happier taking a seat, but spending so much time off your feet has serious health effects including increased risk of obesity, diabetes, cognitive decline (like dementia), cancer, bone loss, and even a weakened immune system.

• How much of the day do you spend sitting down?
• What do you think of the idea of a standing office? Or a standing school?

Not Getting Enough Sleep

Days can feel far too short, especially when you want to catch up with friends at a late dinner or binge-watch your favorite show. Late nights in moderation are okay but getting too little sleep — less than seven hours — on a regular basis can make you more prone to long-term diseases, like hypertension and diabetes, and even short-term illness. Being tired can also affect how you function during the daytime, making you less productive and more prone to errors and accidents.

• How much sleep do you need to function well?
• How much do you usually get?
• Are you more productive in the mornings or the evenings?

Over-Grooming

Picking at your nose and mouth and biting your nails are already social faux pas . They can also be bad for your health. As you should already know, our hands are usually teeming with nasty germs. Putting your fingers in your nose or mouth — even to fish unwanted spinach out of your teeth — is a good way to give those germs easy access to your body. Nail biting, in particular, can also raise your risk of getting skin infections on your fingers and spreading warts to other parts of your hand. In some cases, excessive grooming behaviors are considered a mental disorder related to obsessive-compulsive disorders.

• Do you bite your fingernails?
• Can you think of any other social faux pas’s? What topics are faux pas when your first meet someone?

This may feel like beating a dead horse but more than 42 million people in the U.S. still smoke cigarettes. Although this number continues to drop, it’s good for people to remember why this habit is such a serious one. Smoking is known to cause several types of cancer — including cancers of the lung, mouth, stomach, and pancreas — and increases a person’s risk of heart disease. It’s also harmful to people who are inhaling second-hand smoke. Plus, smoking is expensive. Even a “cheap” $5 pack every day adds up to $1,825.00 each year.

• Do you smoke?
• Have you ever smoked? If so how did you quit?
• What’s the best way to quit smoking? Hypnosis? Acupuncture? Patches? Gum?

Skipping Breakfast

There are mixed findings about whether or not skipping breakfast can help people lose weight. Generally, experts support eating a healthy morning meal because it fuels your body and mind for the beginning of the day. Research has shown that people who eat breakfast perform better in school and at work. If that’s not enough incentive, a recent study from Harvard found that men who regularly skipped breakfast were 27 percent more likely to experience a heart attack or death from coronary heart disease.

• Do you have breakfast?
• Find out who has the healthiest breakfast in your group.
• What’s your favourite meal of the day?

Overspending

Another common bad habit is overspending, usually in the form of compulsive shopping. Credit is partially to blame because it is easy to obtain and use, helping people forgo responsibility and knowledge about their finances. Overspending is also an easy trap to fall into because buying things makes people feel good in many different ways. It can give us a sense of control and add some excitement to a dull day. Being able to spend money can also make us feel better about ourselves.

• Do you often overspend?
• Are you a compulsive shopper? If so what do you normally buy?

Listening to Loud Music

Hearing is something that often goes with age but there are still steps people can take to give theirs its best possible chance. Very loud, short-term sounds and sounds that may not seem so loud (but occur over a long period of time) can both contribute to noise-induced hearing loss. This affects about 15 percent of Americans, ages 20 to 69 according to the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders. Some loud sounds may be unavoidable but exposure anything above 85 decibels (equal to the sound of heavy city traffic) should be minimized. If you have to raise your voice to speak with someone two to three feet away, the sound level is likely over 85 decibels.

• Do you listen to loud music? If so how often?
• Have you got god hearing?

Phone Addiction

No, your phone isn’t exactly the most threatening addiction. That doesn’t mean it’s something to ignore. Thanks to the advent of push notifications, many of us are now trained to grab our phone the second it flashes — or when we only think it has. This behavior takes our attention away from other things that we should probably value more, like the work in front of us or talking with friends and family.

• Are you addicted to your phone?
• How often do you check it?
• How soon after waking up do you check it?

Link to original article:

https://www.yahoo.com/health/10-common-bad-habits-and-how-to-break-them-107994730858.html

10 Ted Talks Every English Student Should Watch

A great list of inspiring TED talks for ESL learners.

TED Talk: Pamela Meyer, How to spot a liar

This is a lesson based around Pamela Meyer’s TED talk “How to spot a liar” on the subject of dishonesty in society.

You will need the annotated transcript, the vocabulary exercises and the discussion questions:

Pamela Meyer TED Lesson Plan

Pamela Meyer TED transcript

Pamela Meyer worksheet 1

Pamela Meyer Vocabulary Homework

Note: These classes were designed for a two hour post proficiency conversation class. I normally set the video as homework for my students the week before.

Warmer – Two truths one lie

The old classic activity. Write three sentences about yourself on the board; two true and one false, I wrote:

• I met Leo Messi and Mascherano on the beach.
• I collect comic books.
• I used to be a builder before I was a teacher.

Give students two minutes to ask you questions to try and catch you in a lie. Then they must say which one they think is true and explain why, did they pick up on any vocal or body language signals. Then reveal which one is a lie (number 2 for me). Award one point to each student that guessed correctly and one point to yourself for each student you duped.

Now give students five minutes to do the same; write three sentences about themselves, two true, one false and continue the game. The winner is the person with the most points, who earns the title master liespotter.

• Who was the best liar?
• Who was the best liespotter?

Vocabulary Matching

Give out the vocabulary matching sheet and the transcript. Put students in pairs and have them complete the exercise, the vocabulary words are in order as they appear in the transcript so if they get stuck they can find the word in context to aid their understanding.

1-k, 2-d, 3-j, 4-c, 5-a, 6-v, 7-t, 8-r, 9-q, 10-n, 11-e, 12-u, 13-l, 14-w, 15-x/b, 16-x/b, 17-p, 18-m, 19-o, 20-h, 21-I, 22-s, 23-g, 24-f.

The answers to the comprehension questions can be found underlined in the transcript.

Write the following quotes from the talk on the board:

“We’re all liars”

“lying is a cooperative act”

What does she mean? Do you agree?

• Why do people lie? Brainstorm on the board.
• How much money did she say was lost because of fraud? Nearly a $trillion.
• How much money is lost to fraud in your country?
• Can you think of any big fraud cases?
• How often are we lied to on an average day? From 10-200 times
• What does she say about when strangers meet for the first time? That they lie to each other on average 3 times in first 10 minutes.
• What does she say about the difference between men and women? That men tend to lie more about themselves while women lie to protect people.
• Do you think this is true?
• What does she say about marriage and relationships? That married people lie to each other in 1 in every 10 interactions.
• What lies do couples tell each other?
• Are these little white lies?
• What does she say about animals lying? Coco the gorilla blamed a kitten for ripping a sink off the wall.
• What does she say about how children develop their deception skills? Babies fake crying, children hiding, bluffing and flattering to get what they want.
• She says we live in a post truth society, what does she mean by that? With the internet, politics and capitalist society we are surrounded by scammers, and exaggeration.
• How often do normal people distinguish a lie from the truth? 54% of the time
• How often do liespotters distinguish a lie from the truth? 90% of the time.
• What are the speech patterns of a liar we see in the Clinton video? Emphatic denial, formal phrases, distancing language.
• What are the body language patterns? Freeze upper body, too much eye contact, blink more, chatter with fingertips, fidget, don’t smile with eyes.
• Could you identify these actions in the videos?
• Are you a good liespotter?
• What other videos did she show? Grieving mothers, lying politicians.
• What did she say about the attitudes of honest/dishonest people? Dishonest people tend to be more detailed, and stick to a chronological order.

Set the other vocabulary worksheet as homework.

TED Talk: Daniel Kish, How I use sonar to navigate the world

Photo credit: http://www.ted.com

This is a conversation lesson plan for higher levels (B2+) based on Daniel Kish’s TED talk “How I use sonar to navigate the world”.

You can either watch the video in class or set it as homework. I have included a copy of the transcript which some students may find useful. You can download the lesson plan below:

TED Talk Daniel Kish Lesson Plan

Daniel Kish TED  (transcript)

Introduction Questions

What do you call a person who can’t see?

What would it be like to be blind?

How do you feel when you see a blind person in the street?

Are there any advantages to be being blind?

Think of some things that blind people can and can’t do.

How do blind people navigate the world?

What do you think would be the most difficult thing for a blind person to do?

Show the video.

What was your initial reaction to the video?

What did you think when you first saw Daniel?

What did he say about the way in which people treat and react to blind people in society?

What’s his message?

Describe how he navigates the world.

What does he call this system?

Do you think you could use flash sonar?

Do you think you have good eyesight/a good sense of smell etc.?

• sight/vision

With a partner try to put your senses in order of importance. (This should spark off a lively debate)

Try and come up with a definitive order as a class.

If you had to lose one of your senses, which would you choose and why?

Divide the class into 5 groups and write the 5 senses on small pieces of paper. Each group picks a piece of paper, they then have to explain why the sense they have picked is the most important. Give them a few minutes to think of some arguments and every day situations to back them up.

Follow up activity

Students write a CAE/CPE report/proposal detailing ways in which a school or public space could be adapted for blind people. Alternatively, you could set an essay based on the TED talk evaluating Daniel Kish’s upbringing compared to more conventional parenting styles for blind/disabled children.

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Best TED Ed Riddles

By Med Kharbach, PhD | Last Update: May 17, 2024

TED Ed is one of my favourite video resources that I have been recommending for teachers over the last few years. TED Ed features short video explanations (usually less than 5 minutes) covering different educational topics including science, history, physics, sports, media literacy skills, mental health, math, animals, art, planet earth, brain, genetics, technology, literature, coding,  and many more. 

The purpose of this post is to share with you this collection of amazing TED Ed riddles to use with your kids and students. I curated the list from TED Ed YouTube riddle series and only featured those popular riddles as measured by number of views and audience interaction.

TED Ed Riddles

These TED Ed riddles can be used to engage students in a wide variety of activities that require them to use various cognitive skills including analytical thinking, problem solving, strategic thinking, decision making, critical thinking, and many more. 

1. Can you solve the prisoner hat riddle? – Alex Gendler 

“Can you solve the prisoner hat riddle?” presented by Alex Gendler, challenges viewers with a thought-provoking scenario: captured by super-intelligent alien overlords, you and nine others face a test to determine if you’re highly logical and cooperative enough to avoid becoming alien lunch. Gendler guides viewers through the intricate puzzle, where wearing a colored hat signifies your fate, showcasing the power of critical thinking under pressure.

 Watch the video              Access the lesson  

2. Can you solve the bridge riddle? Alex Gendler 

In “Can you solve the bridge riddle?” Alex Gendler presents a survival scenario where you and your friends must navigate a bridge to escape from pursuing zombies. Gendler demonstrates how mathematical principles can be applied to strategize the safe passage across the bridge, offering an engaging blend of problem-solving and adventure.

 Watch the video               Access the lesson  

3. Can you solve the three gods riddle? – Alex Gendler 

Alex Gendler returns with “Can you solve the three gods riddle?” presenting a logic puzzle set on an alien planet ruled by three gods. Stranded and seeking a route home, viewers are challenged to decipher the gods’ preferences to secure their escape, highlighting the intricacies of logical reasoning and deductive thinking.

 Watch the video              Access the lesson 

4. Can you solve the passcode riddle? – Ganesh Pai 

Ganesh Pai presents “Can you solve the passcode riddle?” set in a dystopian world where resistance fighters must crack a passcode to escape captivity. Pai guides viewers through the high-stakes puzzle, showcasing the importance of teamwork and lateral thinking in overcoming challenges.

 Watch the video               Access the lesson 

5. Can you solve the river crossing riddle? – Lisa Winer 

“Can you solve the river crossing riddle?” by Lisa Winer presents a perilous scenario where three lions and three wildebeests must cross a river infested with crocodiles amidst a forest fire. Winer navigates viewers through the strategic decision-making required to ensure the animals’ safe passage, blending mathematical problem-solving with real-world survival tactics.

6. Can you solve the giant cat army riddle? – Dan Finkel 

In “Can you solve the giant cat army riddle?” Dan Finkel presents a thrilling scenario where viewers are tasked with outsmarting the villainous Dr. Schrödinger. Dr. Schrödinger plans to unleash an army of giant cats using his growth ray, setting a trap for your team of secret agents. Can you navigate through his underground lab and save the day? Finkel guides you through this suspenseful challenge, offering insights into problem-solving strategies along the way.

7. Can you solve “Einstein’s Riddle”? – Dan Van der Vieren 

“Can you solve ‘Einstein’s Riddle’?” presented by Dan Van der Vieren, introduces viewers to a complex puzzle allegedly devised by Albert Einstein himself. Delve into the intricate world of logic and deduction as you attempt to crack this brain teaser, crafted by one of history’s greatest minds. Van der Vieren expertly guides you through the twists and turns of Einstein’s enigmatic riddle, encouraging you to unravel its secrets.

8. Can you solve the prisoner boxes riddle? – Yossi Elran 

Yossi Elran presents “Can you solve the prisoner boxes riddle?” where viewers are drawn into the chaotic world of a touring band struggling with organization. As the band’s manager faces a perplexing challenge, you’re invited to flex your problem-solving skills and ensure the band’s success. Elran leads you through this brain-teasing scenario, offering ingenious solutions to keep the band on track amidst the chaos.

9. Can you solve the counterfeit coin riddle? – Jennifer Lu 

In “Can you solve the counterfeit coin riddle?” Jennifer Lu invites viewers to step into the shoes of the realm’s greatest mathematician, imprisoned for challenging the Emperor’s tax laws. Tasked with identifying a counterfeit coin in the treasury, you must navigate through a web of mathematical clues to secure your freedom. Lu guides you through this intriguing puzzle, unraveling its complexities and offering insights into mathematical reasoning.

10. Can you solve the airplane riddle? – Judd A. Schorr 

Judd A. Schorr presents “Can you solve the airplane riddle?” where viewers embark on a high-flying adventure alongside Professor Fukanō, a daring scientist with a dream to circumnavigate the globe. As fuel supplies dwindle, you’re challenged to devise a strategy to keep the planes airborne and achieve the professor’s ambitious goal. Schorr navigates you through this airborne puzzle, offering ingenious solutions to keep the planes soaring towards success.

11. Can you solve the famously difficult green-eyed logic puzzle? – Alex Gendler 

In “Can you solve the famously difficult green-eyed logic puzzle?” Alex Gendler presents a captivating challenge where one hundred green-eyed logicians find themselves imprisoned on an island. Their only chance at freedom hinges on unraveling a notoriously tricky logic puzzle involving the color of their own eyes. Gendler expertly guides viewers through this intricate riddle, offering insights into logical reasoning and deduction.

12. Can you solve the locker riddle? – Lisa Winer 

In “Can you solve the locker riddle?” Lisa Winer invites viewers into the intriguing world of inheritance and family dynamics. As the recipient of a wealthy uncle’s fortune, you must navigate a clever riddle left behind to ensure a fair distribution of the inheritance. Winer leads you through this complex puzzle, unraveling its layers of deception and strategy.

13. Can you solve the virus riddle? – Lisa Winer 

In “Can you solve the virus riddle?” also presented by Lisa Winer, viewers are thrust into a race against time to contain a deadly virus. After a catastrophic laboratory accident, you must utilize scientific knowledge and problem-solving skills to prevent a catastrophic outbreak. Winer guides you through this high-stakes scenario, offering strategies to thwart disaster.

14. Can you solve the egg drop riddle? – Yossi Elran 

Yossi Elran presents “Can you solve the egg drop riddle?” where viewers are tasked with assisting a notorious jewel thief in securing a priceless prize from a heavily guarded museum. As you devise a plan to safely retrieve the coveted Faberge egg, Elran offers creative solutions and strategic insights to outsmart security measures.

15. Can you solve the temple riddle? – Dennis E. Shasha 

Dennis E. Shasha challenges viewers in “Can you solve the temple riddle?” as they embark on a perilous journey through an ancient temple filled with cryptic puzzles and dangers. With time running out, you must harness mathematical reasoning to navigate through the temple’s traps and escape to safety. Shasha guides you through this thrilling adventure, offering mathematical strategies to overcome each obstacle.

 Watch the video               Access the lesson 

Final thoughts

I hope you found the collection of TED Ed riddles as engaging and intellectually stimulating as I have. These captivating puzzles offer a fantastic way to challenge students’ critical thinking skills while keeping them entertained. From deciphering complex logic puzzles to solving practical dilemmas, each riddle presents a unique opportunity for students to hone their problem-solving abilities in a fun and interactive way. Whether used as classroom activities or for individual enrichment, these TED Ed riddles are sure to inspire curiosity and creativity in learners of all ages.

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Meet Med Kharbach, PhD

Dr. Med Kharbach is an influential voice in the global educational technology landscape, with an extensive background in educational studies and a decade-long experience as a K-12 teacher. Holding a Ph.D. from Mount Saint Vincent University in Halifax, Canada, he brings a unique perspective to the educational world by integrating his profound academic knowledge with his hands-on teaching experience. Dr. Kharbach's academic pursuits encompass curriculum studies, discourse analysis, language learning/teaching, language and identity, emerging literacies, educational technology, and research methodologies. His work has been presented at numerous national and international conferences and published in various esteemed academic journals.

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• Corpus ID: 216192979

A Lesson Plan to Activate Critical Thinking Using a TED Talk Presentation

• 四宮 康恵 , Shinomiya Yasue
• Published 21 March 2020

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7 References

Cooperative learning and critical thinking, teaching critical thinking for transfer across domains. dispositions, skills, structure training, and metacognitive monitoring., critical thinking - a definition and taxonomy for cambridge assessment: supporting validity arguments about critical thinking assessments administered by cambridge assessment., the teacher's sourcebook for cooperative learning: practical techniques, basic principles, and frequently asked questions, ptafflist - lessons from fashion's free culture, related papers.

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Encourage learners to think deeply about the information they read or hear. Through a series of life skills worksheets, your pupils will consider the need for objectivity, identifying missing information, and problem solving.

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Instructional ideas.

• As an alternative, consider having learners define what they believe the definition of critical thinking is after completing the worksheet activities
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Lesson Plan: Ken Robinson’s TED Talk

Posted by David S. Wills | Apr 25, 2017 | Lesson Plans | 0

I’m a huge fan of Ken Robinson’s TED Talk, “ Do Schools Kill Creativity ?” It’s funny and interesting; a great way to inspire your students. At the beginning, he comments that everyone is interested in education. If you’re reading this, you’re probably a teacher, so that applies to you. It also applies to your students, too.

The following is a lesson plan designed for a highly communicative speaking lesson. This is aimed at upper-intermediate level students, but with subtitles you may want to use the video with lower levels as a way to inspire more simply discussions. It’s a great way to get your students working on new ideas for the IELTS exam. Of course, education is a common IELTS topic but students are often so constrained by what they want to talk about, and this lesson should help them expand to more interesting discussion ideas.

Lesson Plan

Use the following questions as a lead-in. Point out that 1,3, and 4 might in different forms appear in the IELTS exam. 

• What are the most important subjects at school?
• What is literacy?
• What is the purpose of education?
• What is intelligence?
• What is the meaning of MA, BA, PhD, ADHD?

Key Vocabulary

Pre-teach the following vocabulary. One way is to let students take 5 mins to look up the words in a dictionary. Another is to explain or demonstrate meaning. Then do the gap fill exercise below.

Vested interest (in)                                       Predicated (on)

Capacity                                                            Industrialism

Curious                                                              Stigmatize

Transformation                                              Distinct

Dynamic                                                            Diverse

• Investors should have a _____________ portfolio to minimalize risk.
• Banks have a ______________ in the growth of their customers.
• The new hard drive has a much larger ____________ than the previous one. It can store 15,000 movies.
• The company is seeking a new CEO. Above all, he or she should be a ___________ businessperson.
• The sales forecast is __________________ the assumption that the current market trend will continue.

Get your students to watch the video and take notes. Tell them that they won’t be required to answer specific questions. This video is just for inspiration. Discussion questions based upon it will follow.

Watch the video and take notes. It is called “Do Schools Kill Creativity?” and is given by Ken Robinson.

Go through the following questions with your students. Give them time to discuss in small groups and then pick students to answer aloud. I like to point out similarities to the IELTS here. For example, questions 1 and 2 take a similar form to IELTS Writing Task 2 questions. Question 3 asks for an example, which is a vital IELTS skill.

• Robinson says “If you think of it, children starting school this year will be retiring in 2065. Nobody has a clue—despite all the expertise that’s been on parade for the past four days—what the world will look like in five years’ time. And yet we’re meant to be educating them for it.” How can education prepare children for the future?
• Robinson says “My contention is that creativity now is as important in education as literacy, and we should treat it with the same status.” Do you agree? Why?/Why not?
• Robinson argues that “if you’re not prepared to be wrong, you’ll never come up with anything original.” Can you illustrate Robinson’s opinion with an example?
• According to Robinson, “the whole purpose of public education throughout the world is to produce university professors.” Do you agree? What should the purpose of public education be?
• Robinson says that “Suddenly, degrees aren’t worth anything. Isn’t that true? When I was a student, if you had a degree, you had a job. If you didn’t have a job it’s because you didn’t want one. . . . But now kids with degrees are often heading home to carry on playing video games, because you need an MA where the previous job required a BA, and now you need a PhD for the other.” Is this true in China?

Professor Ken Robinson gave a very famous lecture on the importance of creativity in education. He suggested ways in which education is flawed, and ways in which the system could be improved.

What do think could be done to improve the education system? Demonstrate flaws within the current system and suggest changes. Show how this would benefit students and also the whole world.

About The Author

David S. Wills

David S. Wills is the author of Scientologist! William S. Burroughs and the 'Weird Cult' and the founder/editor of Beatdom literary journal. He lives and works in rural Cambodia and loves to travel. He has worked as an IELTS tutor since 2010, has completed both TEFL and CELTA courses, and has a certificate from Cambridge for Teaching Writing. David has worked in many different countries, and for several years designed a writing course for the University of Worcester. In 2018, he wrote the popular IELTS handbook, Grammar for IELTS Writing and he has since written two other books about IELTS. His other IELTS website is called IELTS Teaching.

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PE Teacher - Arbuckle Elementary School at Pierce Joint Unified School District

Application Deadline

5/11/2022 11:45 AM Pacific

Date Posted

Number of openings, add'l salary info, length of work year, employment type.

PIERCE JOINT UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT JOB DESCRIPTION JOB TITLE: CLASSROOM TEACHER (PRIMARY/SECONDARY) REPORTS TO: SITE PRINCIPAL NATURE AND SCOPE OF JOB: Implements school board policy regarding the educational curriculum under the direction of the administration assigned to a particular school. JOB FUNCTIONS: ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS: 1. Teaches one or more subjects to students. 2. Communicates with students orally and in writing. Understands and is understood by students. 3. Develops lesson plans for instruction. (e.g., utilizes district curricula to determine objectives; identifies skills and concepts; may augment planning with supplementary materials from research, textbooks, other sources; etc.) 4. Implements lesson plans. (e.g., adapts curricula to present instruction in an organized, systematic, and meaningful manner; etc.) 5. Bases instruction on accepted principles of learning and research about teaching. (e.g., improves and/or maintains student achievement by addressing learning styles, uses teacher-developed tests, standardized tests, and other data to assess student progress; adapts methods to various student learning styles and modalities, questions student and encourages critical thinking, etc.) 6. Maintains records. (e.g., assigns and corrects student work; administers tests; issues reports to others; keeps attendance and records of student/class performance; etc.) 7. Maintains student discipline. (e.g., develops student expectancies and applies them to establish and maintain a classroom environment which promotes learning; personally monitors individual students, small groups, and large groups of individuals; uses ancillary personnel to facilitate student achievement, performance, and behavior; and to motivate and build self-esteem; etc.) 8. Communicates with others. (e.g., provides accurate and legible reports of student/class performance; informs parents/guardians; communicates by various means with staff, parents, administrators, and the community; understands and is understood by others, etc.) 9. Maintains a safe classroom environment. Observes, notes, and reports potential safety concerns. (e.g., encourages students to recognize and respect safe practices; promotes safety at the work site; conforms to prescribed safety standards; etc.) 10. Participates in meetings, seminars, conferences and serves on committees, as appropriate. 11. Performs other duties within the scope of employment and certifications, as assigned by an appropriate administrator. (e.g., may sponsor activities; supervises students outside the classroom, etc.) OTHER FUNCTIONS: 1. Attends and supervises curriculum oriented fields trips. 2. Keeps informed by reading building and district communications. 3. Responds to requests for information in a timely manner. STANDARDS OF PERFORMANCE FOR CURRENT PJUSD TEACHERS The performance appraisal of persons employed as classroom teachers is based upon the Pierce Joint Unified School District employee contract; evaluation Ed Codes 44660, 44662-44664. MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS TRAINING Bachelor degree from an accredited college or university. CREDENTIAL Appropriate credential issued by the California Department of Education. MENTAL/PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS (SAMPLE, NOT INCLUSIVE): 1. Writing, reading, visual acuity, auditory acuity, complex cognitive functions (i.e., problem solving, conflict management, influencing, assessing, evaluating, prioritizing, interpersonal relations, sorting and calculating, leading, organizing, planning, negotiations, etc.). manual dexterity, speaking, sitting, reaching, and mobility within assigned classroom. 2. Emotional stamina sufficient to manage a wide range of behaviors. (e.g., aggression, rejection, isolation, etc.) 3. Exert force to approximately 25 pounds, occasionally 10 to 20 pounds, or negligible force constantly. EXAMPLES OF EQUIPMENT USED TO PERFORM TASKS: Telephone/Intercom Computer/Tablet Copy machines Document Cameras Interactive Whiteboards PRIMARY WORKING CONDITIONS (SAMPLE, NOT INCLUSIVE): Climate controlled classrooms which may fluctuate in temperature and humidity. Outside playgrounds, halls, lunchroom areas, and bus loading areas which require individual mobility and visual acuity. HAZARDS (SAMPLE, NOT INCLUSIVE): Furniture, playground equipment, communicable diseases, aggressive physical contact with students. -EMPLOYEES ARE HELD ACCOUNTABLE FOR ALL DUTIES OF THIS JOB-

Requirements / Qualifications

* Valid California Teaching PE Credential. * Eligible interns welcome to apply.

• Copy of Transcript
• Credential Copy
• English Learner Authorization
• Letter of Introduction
• Letter(s) of Recommendation (Three letters required.)

Comments and Other Information

Calstrs links.

• CalSTRS Info for New Educators

Pierce Joint Unified School District

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