Teaching Business English with TED Talks: Putting Ideas into Practice

Olga Stognieva

doi:10.17323/jle.2019.7995

Abstract

TED.com is used in teaching EFL to enhance exposure to English, to promote authentic vocabulary and to develop multiple foreign language skills. For university students studying business as their major and English for professional communication as a part of their university curriculum, TED talks provide a cutting-edge business context, which aims to increase the learners’ English language proficiency, develop the learners’ professional competencies and expand their outlook by acquainting them with business practices from around the world. Through authentic models of effective communication, students build fluency to achieve academic and personal success. Business English with TED talks, an EFL resource book, is the result of the author’s approach to creating educational materials based on authentic and up to date video content. Using the example of ‘Business English with TED talks’, this paper describes criteria for selecting TED talks for different groups of students, the structure of a TED talk lesson and provides teachers with other resources for supplementing TED talk lessons.

Highlights

TED.com is used in teaching EFL to enhance exposure to English,to promote authentic vocabulary and to develop multiple foreign language skills
This article contributes to filling a gap in the literature relating to how TED talks might be exploited for teaching business English to pre-experienced language learners
From the point of view of English teaching methodology, the use of Business English with TED talks facilitates the personalization of learning, which is defined as an instruction that is paced to learning needs, tailored to learning preferences, and to the specific interests of different learners (Bray & McClaskey, 2015)

Summary

Introduction

TED.com is used in teaching EFL to enhance exposure to English,to promote authentic vocabulary and to develop multiple foreign language skills. The educational resource book entitled, Business English with TED talks1, is the result of the author’s approach to creating educational materials based on authentic and up-to-date video recordings. Incorporating video as an educational resource in EFL teaching practice can enhance exposure to the English language, promote authentic vocabulary and develop the four integrated skills (Mekheimer, 2011).

Results

Conclusion