1 Introduction

In the context of globalization, the importance of English in international academic communication is increasing, and the goal of graduate English education is shifting towards cultivating international academic communication skills, especially academic English presentation abilities. The academic English presentation task is challenging for non-native learners, requiring them to possess high-level language and critical thinking abilities. However, traditional English presentation tasks have shortcomings in training critical thinking abilities. This study aims to explore how to enhance graduate students' academic English presentation and critical thinking abilities through the application of TED Talks under the guidance of Paul Elder's critical thinking theory, providing new theoretical and practical strategies for the cultivation of key abilities in English courses.

Paul Elder's speculative theory

Introduced Paul Elder's speculative theory, emphasizing that speculative ability includes skills and tendencies, and is a high-level thinking ability. This theoretical model highlights the analysis and evaluation of thinking, providing analytical elements and evaluation criteria. According to theory, thinkers apply cognitive standards to thinking elements to cultivate cognitive qualities. The elements of thinking include eight aspects: purpose, problem, hypothesis, perspective, information, concept, interpretation and inference, influence and outcome. Research will integrate this theoretical framework into English presentation task design to enhance students' understanding and application of critical thinking strategies.

3 Literature Review

Academic English presentation ability requires students to effectively convey academic information through the comprehensive use of oral expression, body language, public speaking skills, and auxiliary tools, based on a deep understanding of academic content. Academic exhibition activities can enhance students' English application abilities in academic settings, but they also face challenges such as language barriers and lack of experience. The graduate student group has deficiencies in critical thinking ability, and teaching should select content suitable for cultivating thinking ability and adopt an open teaching mode. Academic exhibition activities can help enhance students' critical thinking abilities, but future research needs to focus on how to apply critical thinking theories to exhibition activity design. TED Talks, as teaching materials, can enhance students' listening comprehension, oral expression and other abilities, and have value in developing critical thinking skills. However, there are limitations in guiding students to conduct critical analysis and evaluation of presentation strategies at present. This study is based on the TED Talks design task, aiming to enhance academic English presentation and critical thinking abilities, integrate the Paul Elder model to guide students in systematic critical thinking training and presentation practice, and evaluate teaching effectiveness.

4 TED Talks Innovative Application Design

Explored the integration of critical thinking theory into the design of academic English presentation tasks based on TED Talks, aiming to enhance the academic English presentation and critical thinking abilities of master's students. The presentation task has been redesigned using the "thinking elements" framework of the Paul Elder model, providing systematic analytical guidance. The task objective is to guide students through questioning and critical analysis of TED Talks content and presentation strategies, cultivate critical thinking methods and habits, and enhance their understanding and application of academic English presentation strategies. At the same time, through group collaboration presentations, cultivate cooperation and communication skills; Choose TED Talks topics of significant importance, enhance attention to important international issues, and cultivate cross-cultural understanding skills. The task requires students to present in groups of 5-6 people for 20 minutes. The content is divided into four parts: background introduction, content analysis, strategy analysis, and summary. The evaluation criteria include language use, presentation content, slide design, presentation style, teamwork, and time management. Students are also required to provide peer feedback and personal reflection reports. The task guide covers four guiding questions: background introduction, content analysis, strategy analysis, and conclusion, aiming to stimulate students' effective thinking, promote critical analysis and understanding, and provide a reference framework for group discussions and presentations.

Implementation and effectiveness of 5 learning tasks

In a master's English course at a "Double First Class" university in Beijing, the teaching effectiveness of TED Talks learning tasks based on speculative theory was tested through two rounds of teaching practice. Students demonstrate excellent academic English presentation and critical thinking abilities, with improved teamwork, confidence, creativity, international perspective, and cross-cultural understanding skills. Students excel in language expression, presentation content, slide design, and teamwork, especially in terms of depth and breadth of presentation content. Students' satisfaction with their English presentation performance has significantly increased, from about 10% before training to over 80%. By critically analyzing the strategies and effects used by TED speakers, students have gained a deep understanding of presentation strategies and are willing to put the effective strategies of TED talks into practice, integrating them into their presentation skills. The improvement of students' critical thinking ability is mainly reflected in their ability to conduct in-depth analysis of the content of TED Talks from the perspective of the "thinking elements" of the Paul Elder model. Students have been effectively trained in the process of analyzing TED Talks through the use of critical thinking methods based on 'thinking elements'. The format of group presentations, the assistance of task guides, and timely feedback from teachers can help students gain a positive experience of group collaboration. Introducing critical thinking and discussion in group collaboration can effectively enhance students' sense of participation and satisfaction with collaborative tasks. The students' designs demonstrate excellent creativity, showcasing their deep understanding and contemplation of the theme. Students actively search for significant keynote speeches according to task requirements, guiding the audience to pay attention to important international issues such as world culture, global environment, and sustainable development. This demonstrates students' critical thinking ability and is also an important manifestation of global competence.

6 Conclusion

This chapter emphasizes the application of Paul Elder's critical thinking theory to the design of English presentation tasks based on TED Talks, effectively enhancing students' academic English presentation and critical thinking abilities. By guiding students to think deeply and analyze the content of TED Talks, critical thinking skills and academic presentation strategies are cultivated. This teaching method not only enhances students' teamwork, confidence, creativity, and international perspective, but also strengthens cross-cultural understanding, which is crucial for cultivating globally competitive talents. The problem-based thinking guidance and collaborative learning mechanism provide students with a challenging and supportive learning environment. This presentation task can be extended to other English courses and can serve as a reference for academic English textbook design, aiming to stimulate more innovative explorations that integrate critical thinking and presentation skills, cultivate outstanding talents who can lead industry innovation, respond to complex challenges, and promote social development in the era of artificial intelligence and globalization.