Blended Learning: An Evolving Praxis

21st Century Language Skills

Blended Learning: An EvolvingPraxis

GARY G. FOGALUniversity of Toronto

FLOYD H. GRAHAM IIIKansai Gaidai University

ANTHONY G. LAVIGNEKansai Gaidai University

TED (Technology Entertainment Design), a collection of regu-larly updated talks, offers a web-based platform that is easilyaccessible. This platform affords language learners across multi-ple proficiency levels an opportunity to develop autonomy andcritical thinking skills alongside their second language (L2)development. With an international community of TED present-ers proffering diverse and progressive ideas, learners gainaccess to authentic language settings and valuable exposure toWorld Englishes. This will serve learners as they become mem-bers of an increasingly global community. By adapting literaturecircles into the context of blended learning, this article illustrateshow such a learning platform can offer students a meaningfuland interactive (language) learning experience. This article alsocontributes to ongoing discussions regarding technology andsecond language acquisition, and how these intersect to provideeffective and relevant social media–based lessons that serve thedemands of L2 learners in the digital age.doi: 10.1002/tesj.139

Alongside the steady rise of new technologies, the forcesof globalization have altered the classroom environment foreducators and students. As a result, accommodating these changesin institutions of learning has become a pedagogical imperative.Educators and researchers are calling for approaches that meet

TESOL Journal 5.2, June 2014 353© 2014 TESOL International Association

student needs to better understand the global community viamethods and tools that today’s tech-savvy youth are mostcomfortable with (Klopfer & Yoon, 2004; Meurant, 2010).Language learning classrooms are no exception, as researchers andinstructors continue to search for blended techniques that tap intothese needs. We have experimented extensively with variousweb-based technology platforms (for example, iTunes U; Skype;and various interactive online groups provided by Yahoo, Google,and Facebook) and web-based applications (for example, blogging,or online language learning communities such as busuu.com,go4english.com, and quia.com) in an effort to meet thesenecessities. Ultimately, each of us discovered the pedagogicalpotential of TED (www.ted.com) independently. Since then, wehave collectively refined our methodologies from peer and studentfeedback. What is presented here is the result of repeatedfine-tuning and piloting, and is—in our estimation—an efficacious,productive, and efficient means of language learning in the face ofthe demands made of (and by) 21st century language students.

WHY TED.COM?Cates (2002) argues that a connected global village necessitatesthat we engage global issues, and, citing Kniep (1985), promotes aglobal education that will “bring about changes in the content,methods and social context of education in order to better preparestudents for citizenship in a global age” (p. 41). TED achieves thisby introducing students to a platform that is current, authentic,and globally relevant (how we harness this platform in the secondlanguage [L2] classroom is outlined below and in detail inAppendices A through E). TED.com is a user-friendly websitefeaturing an array of talks devoted to ideas that engage listenerspersonally and within the wider context of a global community.The interface possesses a searchable database that can be filteredby such items as duration, content, and theme, and categories likepersuasive, informative, and most emailed this week. Other featuresinclude multilingual subtitles and interactive scripts, hyperlinks toTED Conversations, a TED Community where participants createprofiles for themselves and communicate via an additionalcomment platform, and TED Initiatives that detail worldwide

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projects based on TED-inspired ideas. These options (also availableacross mobile platforms) are representative of the latest interactiveweb technology.

These interactive options also give learners an exceptionalgateway to fully realize the impact and scope of what is availableto them in both practical and relevant web-based applications.By creating these opportunities for authentic and meaningfulinteraction within and outside the classroom, technology allowsstudents apprenticeship into new discourse communities,preparing them “for the kinds of international cross-culturalinteractions which are increasingly required for success inacademic, vocational, or personal life” (Warschauer & Meskill,2000, p. 308). Incorporating TED into the L2 classroom also guidesstudents in responding to “technology in socially and culturallyappropriate, legal, and ethical ways” (Healey et al., 2008, p. 23), ashighlighted in Goal 2 of the TESOL Technology Standards Framework(Healey et al., 2008). TED provides learners with opportunities toresponsibly navigate the multiple identities and social conventionsof online environments. Employing blended learning throughTED’s website in a language classroom effectively accomplishesthese goals.

BACKGROUNDGiven that knowledge is frequently interpreted as a socialconstruct (Vygotsky, 1978), e-learning has been criticized fortaking community out of education (Chen, Liu, & Wong, 2007;Tayebinik & Puteh, 2012; Zemsky & Massy 2004). Blendedlearning remedies this shortcoming. Although several definitionsof blended learning exist, for our purposes we refer to Colis andMoonen (2001), cited in Rovai and Jordan (2004), who state thatblended learning is “a hybrid of traditional face-to-face and onlinelearning so that instruction occurs both in the classroom andonline, and where the online component becomes a naturalextension of traditional classroom learning” (p. 3). For example,access to information has undergone a revolutionary change in thepast decades, in part due to the Internet. Information is no longerconfined to print media and lecture halls. Blended learningenvironments allow students focused access to information under

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their own guidance, and the classroom forum then helps themdigest it (Sharma & Barrett, 2007). Technology’s ubiquity, coupledwith the numerous advantages of a blended pedagogy (Chenet al., 2007; Garrison & Kanuka, 2004; Mason, 2005; Motteram &Sharma, 2009; Rovai & Jordan, 2004), has led more educators toembrace blended learning as a natural transition into the future(Chappelle, 2008; Garrison & Kanuka 2004; Tayebinik & Puteh,2012).

Moreover, as English language learners are increasinglypresented with opportunities to interact with an internationalcommunity, their need to engage and exchange ideas withinthis context is growing (Graddol, 2000; Mills, 2010). Beyondthe necessity of exposing students to a variety of Englishes(Canagarajah, 1999), classrooms must provide space for blendedlearning that promotes student autonomy and prepares studentsfor a globalized world (Meurant, 2010). This is also important inthe language learning classroom (Allford & Pachler, 2007;Reinders, 2010).

In an effort to develop said autonomy, the procedure presentedhere ensures that students are able to function both inside andoutside the classroom with minimal support. As Klopfer and Yoon(2004) note, educators “must build a bridge between students’experiences in and out of school by incorporating into school thetools, technologies and experiences that students acquire outsidethe classroom” (p. 33). In this vein, building autonomy requiresthat we build on the technology that students are familiar withand do so with curricula that have students’ needs as future globalcitizens in mind. These “bridges” will serve to enhance and createopportunities that foster language acquisition and learnerautonomy.

Today’s “connected” students encounter copious amounts ofinformation, and as such they must be prepared to synthesize anddisseminate these bits of knowledge. Qualitative and quantitativeresearch (Chapple & Curtis, 2000; Davidson, 1994, 1995) supportspairing critical thinking skills alongside language development inthe L2 classroom, noting positive effects on language acquisition(see also Hashemi & Ghanizadeh, 2012; Shirkhani & Fahim, 2011).The learning activities presented below aim to develop the analytic

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skills required of students to think critically of the world aroundthem, and of their place in it, while promoting L2 proficiency andhigher order thinking skills. To these ends, this article outlines anefficient classroom methodology that produces meaningful andproductive learning that merges student needs with a modernlearning platform.

CURRENT PRACTICESRecent studies have highlighted the effectiveness of various socialmedia platforms as teaching and learning aids in the L2 context.Some of these studies have examined the benefits of utilizingTwitter (Borau, Ullrich, Feng, & Shen, 2009; Castro, 2009; Mork,2009), Facebook (Blattner, Fiori, & Roulon, 2009; Harwood &Blackstone, 2012; Mitchell, 2012) and other social media platforms(Blackstone & Harwood, 2011; Blackstone, Spiri, & Naganuma,2007; Harrison & Thomas, 2009; McBride, 2009). For example,Harrison and Thomas (2009) focused their study on the onlinecommunity Livemocha, which focuses on L2 collaborative learningin the English as a foreign language (EFL) context. They foundthat social media outlets such as social networking sites providedlanguage learners with extended opportunities for learning outsidethe classroom and provided researchers with a platform withwhich to gain “insights into how learning is occurring in the newage of digital literacies” (Harrison & Thomas, 2009, p. 121). Callsfor greater attention to how social media can contribute positivelyto L2 learning experiences are also prominent in the studies listedhere. For example, Thorne and Smith (2011) note that

the wide spread use of information and communication technol-ogies in educational and lifeworld contexts has escalated theneed for, and attention to, SLA [second language acquisition]research as a unifying bridge between CALL [CALL is used byThorne and Smith to label “technology-mediated language useand learning”] theory, design, and practice. (p. 274)

The procedure outlined in this article expands these alreadypopular and effective online instructional tools and continues torecognize and address that “technology and second languageacquisition have a complex and dialectical relationship with one


another” (Thorne & Smith, 2011, p. 274). What we present belowdraws on this relationship and strengthens it.

PROCEDURELiterature circles (Daniels, 2002) have been widely employed inU.S. schools and later adapted into EFL classrooms (Furr, 2004) toencourage a more student-centered approach to interacting withnovels. Research supports their effectiveness in aiding incomprehension and for increasing the intrinsic motivation forreading, among other benefits (Brown, 2002; Burns, 1998; Chiang& Huang, 2005; Heydon, 2003). Literature circles produce an activeand engaged class involved in some form of literary analysis,but we endeavored to adapt them into classes with a morecommunicative emphasis and yet still maintain an academic focusaccounting for the needs and desires of present-day, tech-savvystudents. With some modifying of the literature circle format,videos were substituted for books.

What we practice in our classrooms is similar to Daniels’s(2002) recommendations and builds on a reading circle formatsuggested by Royal (2007), wherein students

1. become “leaders” and choose a video;2. are put into temporary random groups, with one leader per group;3. watch different talks, each chosen by their group leaders;4. use a worksheet prepared by their leaders to guide their understanding of

the talk;5. advance topics for group discussion;6. have their leader serve as the group moderator and facilitator, while the

teacher monitors the pace of each group;7. introduce their talk and discussion points to their classmates when group

discussions are finished.

A student leader chooses one TED talk (see Appendix A for a listof recommended talks students have used for this exercise) forhis or her group and is given adequate time to prepare aworksheet (see Appendix B). Comprehension questions on theworksheet are focused on main ideas and not on details. Wesuggest that discussion questions be connected to the lives ofstudents, eliciting their opinions on how a topic may relate tothem, their society, or the world community. Appendix C

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provides another option for discussion activities to more criticallyanalyze TED Talks.

Based on our experiences and feedback from students, groupsof four, including the leader, are ideal for this activity. In a 15-week semester, meeting twice per week for 90 minutes, videocircles are conducted over several weeks, usually with one videocircle session per week. They may be biweekly to allow studentsmore time to prepare. One week prior to the in-class video circlelesson, random groups are created and the leaders distribute theirworksheets to the members of their group.

During a video circle class, leaders first give a brief summaryof the talk’s key points to their respective groups. Together, theythen review the vocabulary and compare their answers for theworksheet’s comprehension questions before moving on to thediscussion. Usually about 60 minutes is devoted to this part of theactivity. Should some groups finish earlier than others, the leaderuses the other group members’ discussion questions, and thencomprehension questions, until all of the groups are finished. Thewrap-up and review occur as each group leader presents a briefsummary of his or her talk to the rest of the class. The other groupmembers are encouraged to add comments at this time. Finally,the other class members ask questions or contribute remarks.

For students who need additional scaffolding to benefit fromthe video circle activity, TED Lite (Appendix D) and Instant TED(Appendix E) offer students the opportunity to familiarizethemselves with the TED website, its content, and autonomouslearning. TED Lite leads students through two paragraphs ofsummary and opinion writing and has students generatevocabulary items and discussion questions as part of a shortpresentation. Instant TED gives students initial exposure to TEDTalks, practice in writing questions, and the chance to analyze aquestion’s efficacy in creating a fruitful discussion.

DISCUSSIONWhen learners begin their in-class discussions, they have had timeto apprise themselves of the talk’s theme. The worksheets havealso helped to scaffold the material. In this manner, languagelearners can avoid problems in which insufficient content


knowledge prevents them from fully participating in classdiscussions (Han, 2007). Moreover, learners are now betterpositioned to acquire new information as they are operatingwithin a familiar context or within the zone of proximaldevelopment (Lantolf & Pavlenko, 1995; Tanenhaus, Spivey-Knowlton, Eberhard, & Sedivy, 1995; Vygotsky, 1962). Thisresults in conversations that flow more readily and confidently.

The group discussions afford students opportunities to thinkcritically and analyze the content of both the talks and thediscussions. Moreover, students are exposed to topics theyordinarily would not consider and to opinions that differ fromtheir own, often leading them to question their own beliefs andassumptions. As one student observed, “I could think that I don’tthink usually.” Another acknowledged, “I thought it is good tothink something in a new way that I’ve never thought.” Throughincorporating TED.com into the language classroom, students areprovided with a tool to foster creativity, to analyze and decipherthe value of information, and to contribute to and access real-world settings and current events.

The autonomy promoted when students select a talk of theirchoice, create a worksheet, and lead a discussion helps themrecognize clear benefits and take responsibility for (and furtherembrace) their learning. One student commented, “TED Talks isthe best activities. I choose the topic I like, and study it, andthink some questions, and explain to everyone. I think this is thebest way to learn English.” This generation’s increasing comfortwith and dependence on digital media makes it no longerprudent to keep students or their interlanguage confined toclassrooms.

TED.com also furnishes students with an avenue forimproving their English abilities independently because thewebsite can be accessed at any time via an Internet connection.Accordingly, students can learn ubiquitously, as the followingcomments attest: “I like listening to TED and watching it whenI’m free, I always watch it and will continue doing it”; “I gotTED’s application on my iPhone, so I can watch anytime.”Additionally, social networking sites (e.g., Twitter, Google+,Facebook) continue to expand the opportunities for students to

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interact in multicultural environments outside of the languageclassroom. Thus, TED.com gives students a platform that iseasily accessible and navigable, and video circles equip themwith the critical skills to better understand and contribute toimportant global dialogues. It is therefore vital to expose learnersto the varieties of English they are likely to encounter in thesediverse communities.

With estimates of L2 speakers of English outnumbering firstlanguage (L1) speakers two to one (Graddol, 2000), it is incumbentupon English teachers to introduce World Englishes in theirclassrooms. This exposes students to the language scenarios theyare more likely to encounter. With an international assemblage ofTED presenters proffering diverse and progressive ideas, studentsgain easy access to more authentic language settings. Studentsclaimed that “many speakers were from many different countries,so I could learn difficulty of native English” and “sometimes TEDis difficult to hear English (intonation, accent).” These commentsillustrate the need to bring students into more regular contact withthe global English environment.

CONSIDERATIONSTwo recurring difficulties surface with this activity: the range ofdifficulty with some of the TED Talks and an overreliance on auraland verbal modes of communication. Many students haveacknowledged that the material can be difficult; however, theymore often see the importance of challenging themselves. As onestudent wrote, “It is difficult for me, but good for us.” Anothernoted, “TED Talk is a little difficult for me, but I think it makes memore smart.” Ultimately, learners realize the benefit of engaging inthis kind of activity. Regarding the latter issue, we suggest offeringother modes of discourse for students to express their ideas. Theseinclude opportunities for extending in-class discussions via learnermanagement systems such as Blackboard or Moodle, or on socialnetworks such as Facebook. Additionally, TED Lite can be utilizedto place equal demand on written output as on verbalperformance. We feel these other outlets also serve students whoare better able to express themselves through writing or othermultimedia forms of expression.


CONCLUSIONTED.com is a highly effective vehicle for meaningful L2instruction. The technology engages students, the topic complexityinspires them, and the self-directed autonomy keeps theminvested in their learning trajectories. This framework also servesto raise awareness of global issues and to expose students to awide assemblage of World Englishes, thus providing learners withan opportunity to participate in a global dialogue that will mergewith their future needs as world citizens. As practitioners bringthese activities into the classroom, we recommend that they adaptthe materials presented here for their localized teachingenvironments. In this manner, as we have fine-tuned and madechanges to the development of this procedure for our own needs,practitioners too can ensure that their activities are meeting thelocalized learning demands of their students. In this manner,TED.com lends itself to productive lessons that merge studentneeds with a modern paradigm of learning.

The activity outlined herein is consistent with recent L2 researchthat calls for greater attention to social media tools as learningopportunities in and outside of the classroom. This framework andthe theory that informs its practice also strengthen the bridgebetween technology and L2 acquisition and contribute to aconstantly expanding dialogue between the two. Further, thisframework challenges earlier criticisms of e-learning that highlightthe danger of removing the social aspect from education (Chenet al., 2007; Tayebinik & Puteh, 2012; Zemsky & Massy, 2004). In theL2 context, we believe that the activities proposed here do the veryopposite: They widen the social dimension onto a global plane.

THE AUTHORSGary G. Fogal is a doctoral candidate in the Second LanguageEducation Program at the Ontario Institute for Studies inEducation, University of Toronto. He has recently published GlobalFocus: Integrated Skills Through Cultural Events, an ELL textbookdesigned for advanced learners.

Floyd H. Graham III is an assistant professor in the IntensiveEnglish Studies Program at Kansai Gaidai University, in Osaka,

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Japan. He received his MA in second language studies from theUniversity of Hawai’i at Manoa.

Anthony G. Lavigne received his MATESOL at the School forInternational Training, in Vermont, United States. He has taughtfor 10 years in Switzerland, Korea, the United States, and Japan.His research interests include global issues and cooperative,task-based, blended learning. He currently resides in Osaka,Japan, with his wife and daughter.

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APPENDIX A

Recommended List of TED Talks

(TED.com is frequently updated. Instructors are encouraged to visit thesite and preview new videos for instructional use.)

1. Barry Schwartz: The Paradox of Choice2. Gever Tulley: 5 Dangerous Things You Should Let Your Kids Do3. Chimamanda Adichie: The Danger of a Single Story4. Aimee Mullins: It’s Not Fair Having 12 Pairs of Legs5. Dave Meslin: The Antidote to Apathy6. PW Singer on Military Robots and the Future of War7. Adora Svitak: What Adults Can Learn From Kids8. Neil Pasricha: The 3 A’s of Awesome9. Isabel Allende: Tales of Passion

10. Yann Arthus-Bertrand Captures Fragile Earth in Wide-Angle11. Jonathan Klein: Photos That Changed the World12. Nic Marks: The Happy Planet Index13. Sir Ken Robinson Says Schools Kill Creativity14. Derek Sivers: Keep Your Goals to Yourself*

15. Ric Elias: 3 Things I Learned While My Plane Crashed*

16. Richard St. John: 8 Secrets of Success*

17. Mark Bezos: A Life Lesson From a Volunteer Firefighter*

*Indicates shorter talks suitable for Instant TED.


APPENDIX B

TED Video Circle Worksheet Sample

Neil Pasricha: The 3 A’s of Awesomehttp://www.ted.com/talks/lang/eng/neil_pasricha_the_3_a_s_of_awesome.html

Vocabulary

1. They settled in a shady suburb about an hour east of Toronto.Shady (adj.) -

2. So you can’t actually see them, but it was breathtaking, believe me.Breathtaking (adj.) -

3. An economy was wobbling on the brink of collapse.Wobble (v.) -

4. My wife summoned the courage to have a very honest conversation.Summon (v.) -

5. Although I should say that my traffic did skyrocket and go up by 100 percent.Skyrocket (v.) -

6. Rosey Grier is just such an authentic person.Authentic (adj.) -

7. –8. –

Comprehension Questions

1. Why does he start the website called 1000awesomethings.com?2. What are the three A’s of awesome? Explain each of them.3. What does he say our life will be like if we live by his advice?4. (YOUR OWN QUESTION)

Discussion Questions

1. According to the article, Neil Pasricha won the best blog in the world award.Why do you think his blog was a great success?

2. Do you think the three A’s of awesome are important to enrich your life?Why or why not? What else is important and why?

3. Do you think 100 years is enough or not enough time to enjoy your life?Why or why not? What are some things you want to do before you die?

4. (YOUR OWN QUESTION)

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APPENDIX C

TED Critical

This format for TED presentations is for advanced students(CEFR: B2, C1, C2) who have become familiar with the TEDwebsite. Students are asked to advance their understanding ofthe TED Talks and deliberate over points of contention orexceptional points in the talks. This format follows the TEDvideo circle format (Appendix A), in which students summarizeand report on the video content and have discussions about theissues.

Presenter’s Role

1. Create four comprehension questions.2. Create four discussion questions (Question 1 should be your “best” question).3. A Vocabulary Word List is not required in this format.

While you are leading your group, go through only thecomprehension questions and your first discussion question. Therest of the time should be spent dealing with TED Talk critiques(see below). If you go through all the critiques, return to yourdiscussion questions and go through Questions 2–4.

Student’s RoleAs the student you no longer need to hand in your vocabularywork. (I will trust you to do this on your own, given theunderstanding that the vocabulary is, at times, essential forunderstanding the talks.) Instead of the vocabulary, you are nowresponsible for producing a critique of the talk. When class begins,please have the following:

1. Your answers to the comprehension and discussion questions2. A typed critique (about a paragraph in length) in which you answer these

questions:

a. What’s the problem? Or what works well?b. Why is it a problem? Or why does it work well?c. What is an alternative/solution to the problem? Or what is another

approach to the issue that may be just as valuable?


d. What did you learn from this problem (how can you avoid making thesame mistake)? Or what did you learn that was positive that you canadopt in your own work?

Samples from Previous Students

1. Talk on synthetic happiness versus natural happinessThere is nothing in this world that is synthetic; he’s confusing us with hisword choice just to try and make a point.

2. Talk on “tribes”Tribes is just another word for sub-culture; don’t try and make yourselfsound like you have this great new idea when you’re taking an idea that hasbeen around for decades and just twisting it.

3. TED Talks in generalShorten the longer talks to 15 minutes and then open up a Q&A session. Notbeing able to challenge the speaker gives him/her this god-like, omniscientquality.

If you are the presenter you do not need to hand anything into me—i.e., you do not need to produce a critique.

APPENDIX D

TED Lite

In PreparationYou will watch a video of your choice and take notes on it. Basedon your notes, you will write a summary and your impression.Highlight the important points of the video in the summary. Inyour impression, speak about why you liked or didn’t like thevideo and how this video connects to the world and thecommunity you live in.

In addition, you will teach your classmates two newvocabulary words that you learned in the video.

Finally, you will create one discussion question and talk withyour classmates about it. The discussion question should promotediscussion—lots of talking. Connect the topic from the TED Talk toyour classmates’ lives. How is the topic relevant for where youlive? The world? The future? Global issues? Everybody should

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have a different opinion or a different reason why they feel acertain way.

There will be no reading for this presentation. By watching thevideo and writing the summary and impression, you will learn thevideo. Trust yourself! You are allowed to use one note card to helpyou with your speech.

Before your presentation day, you will send me an email ofyour summary, impression, vocabulary words, and discussionquestion.

Go to the TED Talks website and (1) watch any presentation ofyour choice, (2) write a summary, (3) write your impressions/reactions to it, and (4) share it with your classmates (a simpleimpression/reaction, for example, would be whether you agreewith the speaker and why; you must explain your opinion), (5)include two vocabulary items below the summary, and (6) createone discussion question that personalizes the TED content for yourclassmates and asks them to think critically about an issue fromthe video.

This should be typed (double-spaced, font size 11 or 12) andbrought into class on the day it is due.

The website URL is: http://www.ted.com/talks

On the Day TED Is Viewed in Class

1. The group starts out by deciding the order of presenters.2. The first presenter begins with a casual, introductory conversation about his

or her video (e.g., So what did you think?).3. The presenter uses a note card or memory to summarize the main points of

the video for the group (NO reading of the prepared summary). Then, he orshe asks the group members if they understood the video and had any initialthoughts regarding comprehension.

4. The presenter gives his or her impression of the video, discusses the pointshe or she agreed/disagreed with, the video’s relevance to his or her commu-nity, to college students, culture, and so on. At this point, the group mem-bers can speak freely with each other about their various opinions.

5. Vocabulary items are clarified. Reference to a contextual example or theword usage in the TED script may be necessary to aid understanding.

6. Finally, the presenter introduces his or her discussion question and elicitsa response from all group members, asking for viewpoints, opinions, andso on.


APPENDIX E

Instant TED

Instant TED may be used as a stand-alone lesson or as a warm-upand practice for video circles. It may also serve as an initiation intocreating comprehension and discussion questions. The design ofthis format targets intermediate learners (although we haveemployed it in advanced classes). With time, students can buildup to the video circle activity. Shorter TED Talks may also makethe material more accessible, especially for initial experiences withthis procedure.

Procedure

1. A short TED Talk of less than 10 minutes is previewed by the teacher forappropriateness and ease of comprehension.

2. (OPTIONAL) A copy of the script in the student’s L1 and/or English may bedistributed for the students to read through. This may aid comprehension.

3. The teacher explains that each student will create two to three comprehen-sion questions—focusing on main ideas, not details—and two to threerelated discussion questions (how is this topic connected to you, to yourculture, to the global community, and so on). The teacher may also ask stu-dents to record two to three vocabulary words.

4. The TED Talk is shown with L1 subtitles (via online streaming or a down-loaded copy of the talk).

5. The TED Talk is shown again with English subtitles.6. In pairs, students discuss their initial impressions of the talk for a couple

minutes. The talk may also be reviewed again at this time, if necessary.7. Time is allotted for generating questions. The teacher circulates, offering

assistance.8. Students are placed in groups of three to four, share their comprehension

questions, and then choose the best two to three questions. These are writ-ten on a blank sheet of paper.

9. The same is repeated for the discussion questions. Students should beasked to record two to three questions they feel will inspire the most dis-cussion or will produce opinions they are interested in hearing.

10. If the teacher chooses to require vocabulary items, the same procedure isfollowed.

Once the sheets are complete, the teacher may (1) havestudents read their questions (and vocabulary) aloud or write thequestions on the board, analyzing their strengths or where they

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need improvement, or (2) have groups exchange papers to discussand answer the questions. At this time, the teacher may also writeadditional questions on the board for discussion. A final 5–10minutes can be dedicated to ending the lesson by opening thewhole class to the discussion or for the instructor to make teachingpoints regarding the questions, comprehension issues, the topicitself, a group discussion analysis, comments about personalrelevance, and so on.


Documents

Blended Learning: An Evolving Praxis