The US is a country that is known throughout the world for its culture, history, innovation, and people. It is hard to find another nation that has managed to achieve so much in such a short span of time. That … Continue reading United States
Voting for one’s future is often seen as a given in some countries. But in many places in the world, the future is often determined in other ways. How important is it to vote and why should people care about … Continue reading Voting
Can two countries at war dare to empathize with one another? Step by methodical step, sociologist Sam Richards gives his audience an extraordinary challenge: to allow a group of (mainly) Americans to understand — not approve of, but understand — … Continue reading TED Talks Lesson Plan: A Radical Experiment in Empathy
When individuals are kept in a condition where they no longer control their basic freedom as a result of another, then that is slavery. While this … Continue reading Slavery
Machines that can think, learn and adapt are coming — and that could mean that we humans will end up with significant unemployment. What should we do about it? In a straightforward talk about a controversial idea, futurist Martin Ford … Continue reading TED Talk Discussion: How We’ll Earn Money in a Future Without Jobs
Statistically, the least reliable part of the car is … the driver. In 2015, Chris Urmson was head of Google’s driverless car program, one of several efforts to remove humans from the driver’s seat. He shares fascinating footage that shows … Continue reading TED Talk Discussion: How A Driverless Car Sees the Road
How do you pick up a malicious online virus, the kind of malware that snoops on your data and taps your bank account? Often, it’s through simple things you do each day without thinking twice. James Lyne reminds us that … Continue reading TED Talk Discussion: Everyday Cybercrime — and What You Can Do About It
The democratic process is messy, complicated and often inefficient — but across Africa, activists are redefining democracy by putting protest at its center. In an illuminating … Continue reading TED Talk Discussion: How Protest Is Redefining Democracy Around the World
More and more people worldwide are living in countries not considered their own. Writer Pico Iyer — who himself has three or four “origins” — meditates on the meaning of home, the joy of traveling and the serenity of standing … Continue reading TED Talk Discussion: Where is Home?
Researcher Hans Rosling uses his cool data tools to show how countries are pulling themselves out of poverty. He demos Dollar Street, comparing households of varying income levels worldwide. Then he does something really amazing. Useful Vocabulary MindsetPer capitathe world … Continue reading TED Talk Discussion: New Insights on Poverty
Does collecting more data lead to better decision-making? Competitive, data-savvy companies like Amazon, Google, and Netflix have learned that data analysis alone doesn’t always produce optimum results. In this talk, data scientist Sebastian Wernicke breaks down what goes wrong when … Continue reading TED Talk Discussion: How to Use Data to Make a Hit TV Show
Reuters health editor Ivan Oransky warns that we’re suffering from an epidemic of preposterous preconditions — pre-diabetes, pre-cancer, and many more. In this engaging talk from … Continue reading Ted Talk Discussion: Are We Over-medicalized?
Russia is the world’s largest country and home to hundreds of historic sites with great artistic riches. It also has one of the longest train rides in the world, the Trans Siberia Railway Line and a nightlife fuelled on vodka. Moscow is … Continue reading Russia
Hinduism, Christianity, Islam, and many other religions are a key part of life on Earth. It guides the daily living of almost 3 billion people and … Continue reading Religion
This conversation discussion focussed on school and all the topics which surround it. Schooling is very important to our lives and personal development, but how does it change you and why? What other factors can influence the life of a … Continue reading School
This Ted Talk is all about the world of work and how companies should better manage the education of their staff, recruitment, and training choices. Matt makes a passionate case for the use of apprenticeships to find and retain the … Continue reading TED IELTS: Young People and the World of Work, Includes IELTS Essay Plan
Introduction This lesson incorporates a TED Talk (on housing) along with IELTS vocab and writing help. Sarah Murray’s 2018 Talk on the world’s housing crisis, where many are increasingly being priced out of the market, could not have come at … Continue reading TED Talk with IELTS Vocab and Writing Task 2: Housing Crisis
We’ve all probably done it and perhaps even our parents. Taking selfies is the latest norm to settle in our lives, but how good is it for your health? Many say that it can cause anxiety and bullying amongst teens, … Continue reading Selfies
Modern life is really hectic sometimes. It often feels like a neverending treadmill of; waking up, working, eating, sleeping, and then to have it all repeat … Continue reading Sleep
What does it mean to healthy? There are perhaps many ways to describe a healthy lifestyle. This reading comprehension activity gets your students reading, answering questions, and then finally talk about the issues about eating and diet. Suitable for B1 … Continue reading Make Health a Habit – Reading Comprehension
The internet has become the focal point for almost all forms of communication in the world. That said, does it still have the same power and authority as books and the written word? Some would argue that it no longer … Continue reading Publishing
The world is becoming increasingly automated with robots. How much of global business can automate through new technologies? There are feelings that society could be changed by robotics through lack of employment and geographic displacement. That said, robotics is creating … Continue reading Robots
Do you feel safe online? How would you know if someone was following every click and every page you ever visited online? These days it is becoming harder and harder to remain anonymous online as a result of government and … Continue reading Privacy
Crash! Bang! Bash! The reassuring sounds of most video games. They have influenced our lives and that of our children that debate surrounding them continues. Do they harm or are they just harmless fun? Language level: B1+ Aim: Issues surrounding … Continue reading Video Games