National Geographic Learning Creates ELL Programs with TED Talks Video

National Geographic Learning is creating a new series of programs for English language learners featuring videos from TED Talks.

The TED Talks, which feature 15-minute-long videos from distinguished speakers on a variety of topics, will be incorporated courses that feature additional National Geographic Materials. World English, second edition, will be the first program to include the TED Talks content. The program is aimed at adult English learners and focuses on people and places with a global bent.

By adding the videos--always heavy on creativity and new ideas--the company hopes to make it easier for English language learners to start conversations on subjects that interest them. Students might, for example, watch a video and then follow a worksheet that directs them to answer written questions and discuss their thoughts with a partner (a sample worksheet and its corresponding video are online).

"TED raises the communication of ideas to an art form," said Dennis Hogan, senior vice president, executive director ELT & National Geographic programs in a statement. "Motivating content is a key to successful learning, and there are no better sources for that than TED Talks and National Geographic."

 

About the Author

Stephen Noonoo is an education technology journalist based in Los Angeles. He is on Twitter @stephenoonoo.

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