Overcoming the Fear of Public Speaking with TED Talks

Simple Better English. (2016). TED Talk 
Listening and Discussion [Online Image]
Retrieved from http://simplebetterenglish.com/ted/

Many people of all ages have anxiety with public speaking. It can be a true fear that people face in school as well as careers. However, TED Talks may be a solution. TED Talks are events that include a special speaker to speak to an audience about a topic that is unique to them. These are recorded and shared across the internet so everyone can access them. A specific TED Talk that provides helpful information on how to overcome public speaking anxiety is Why I live in mortal dread of public speaking by Megan Washington.

What is this TED Talk About?

This resource is based on Megan’s struggle with public speaking. She is a singer with a speech impediment. When she talks, she stutters but can overcome it by avoiding the letter combination ‘st’ since that is what she has the most trouble with. She then tricks her mind by changing her words at the last minute so she sings them rather than speaks and does not stutter.

Useful in the Classroom

Abrahams, M. (2016). How to Manage
Your Anxiety When Presenting
[Infographic] Retrieved from
http://stanford.io/1SLl45I

Using technology is an effective strategy to differentiate instruction for the 21st century learner. Showing a TED Talk like this one will provide students with a visual and verbal message that has important meaning. The resource is useful as it provides teachers with an inspirational message they can share with their students about public speaking. The speaker, Megan, demonstrates overcoming her fear and strategies she uses to speak with fluency. It also encourages an inclusive environment for students of all abilities.

Giving oral presentations is an important component so showing this video presents how someone with a stutter and fear of public speaking can overcome that with finding her own strategy that makes her feel comfortable. This will show the students someone else can find strategies that work for them so they can find strategies that work for each other and can feel comfortable giving oral presentations.

Curriculum Connection

Johnson, S. (2011, November 1).
Active Listening Poster [Online Image]
Retrieved from http://bit.ly/2fq0QXp

Listening

An overall expectation of teaching oral communication that can be addressed through this resource is listening in order to understand and respond appropriately. Students can also make inferences of the podcast to dissect the messages brought about them. Podcasts and TED Talks in general, are also a good way to utilize and test listening skills. Therefore, presenting and dissecting this TED Talk will test listening skills on how they interpret this resource.

There is also a TED Talk about 5 Ways to Listen Better which may be beneficial for students to interpret so they can be conscious of their own listening and try these suggested strategies. This TED Talk is also helpful for teachers so they can provide an effective listening environment for their students using the 5 strategies to their benefit. This may include creating a 3 minute period of silence so everyone can gather their thoughts and ready to be focused. 

Speaking

Another expectation that can be covered based on the content of Megan’s TED Talk is using different skills and strategies to communicate for a variety of audiences and purposes. Many individuals have anxiety with public speaking and others are self conscious with the way they speak. This TED Talk provides effective strategies people can use when public speaking which is key in the curriculum. It will help students brainstorm possible strategies they could use to effectively speak in the public.

Testing Yourself to Improve Grammar

A grammar quiz can be used to test one’s grammar and writing abilities. However, a quiz that tests your abilities and gives detailed feedback on the correct answer is a valuable resource. This grammar quiz has those features. Grammar is an important component of writing as it helps the writing have flow and so others can properly understand your work.  

What Does It Do?

The quiz specifically, is focused on proper tenses. The quiz tests you on your own grammar skills giving you a sentence where you choose the correct word or phrase with the proper tense for that sentence. This determines where your weaknesses are. If an answer is incorrect, it provides the correct answer and an explanation of why it is correct. This allows you to gain more knowledge about proper tenses and may result in an overall improved writing style. However, the website, English Grammar Pass contains many more quizzes testing numerous common grammar mistakes. These include, misused forms (wrong preposition, expressions), unnecessary words (prepositions, articles), and confused words (nouns, adverbs, verbs). 

Examples

As you can see, if you answer a question incorrectly, the quiz gives you a detailed explanation about the correct answer and why it is correct. 

English Grammar. (2016). Misused Forms-The Use of a Wrong Tense [Screenshot] 

Retrieved from http://englishgrammarpass.com/exercises/test/17/1.html

Even when an answer is correct, the quiz provides an explanation of the answer. This gives the individual an understanding of the specific grammar rule to confirm their knowledge about the grammar example. 

English Grammar. (2016). Confused Words-Adverbs Often Confused [Screenshot] 

Retrieved from http://englishgrammarpass.com/exercises/test/94/1.html

Useful in the Classroom

Grammar can be a complicated concept for a lot of students and even adults. Grammar quizzes will be helpful for students as they can test their grammar and be aware of their weaknesses. This quiz can also be helpful for teachers as they can see if there are certain areas of grammar that needs to be touched on in class. 

Technology
In the 21st century, technology is constantly growing in the classroom to engage students as they learn. Online quizzes will not only engage students as they test their knowledge but also give them the opportunity to learn while being productive. It is important for students to know their own strengths and weaknesses in writing so they can work on their weaknesses. Once they know their weaknesses determined from the quiz, they can search Google or social media like Twitter or Pinterest where they can find their own resources that would benefit them and help them better understand the grammar rules. For example, if an individual had trouble with the terms “their”, “there”, and “they’re”, students can research and find sources like this article to self-educate them. The big positive about using quizzes like this, is that it provides an explanation about the correct answer which will help educate them. This will result in an improvement in their writing as they gain more knowledge about grammar. 

Education to the Core. (2016). Poster [Anchor Chart]
Retrieved from http://bit.ly/1HKBp62

Curriculum Connection

This technique of using quizzes satisfies the overall expectations in the Ontario Curriculum of self-reflection. Based on the outcome of the quiz, students will able to identify their strengths and weaknesses in regards to grammar and determine the areas they need to improve on. They will then be able to apply this knowledge in critiquing and editing their peers’ work. Grammar mistakes can be corrected and students can educate each other about the grammar rules they may need help with as they provide feedback for each other.