Inspiration
Hey Teacher, Need Some Inspiration?
Teachers, Here are 10 TED Talks to keep you inspired and motivated.
The difference between a good teacher and a great teacher lies in the absolute minimal changes they bring in their daily routine of teaching, the small details they give preference to, and the seemingly unimportant topic they give a second thought to. We have curated a list of TED Talks that will definitely inspire educators to be the version of themselves.
Trish Millines Dziko
How schools can nurture every student’s genius
Forget home economics and standardized tests, education visionary Trish Millines Dziko has a much more engaging and fulfilling way for students to develop real-world skills. Get schooled by Dziko as she shares how project-based learning can transform public education and unlock genius for the next generation of critical thinkers, problem solvers, ideators, and leaders.
Zach King
The trick to regaining your childlike wonder
When we ditch our assumptions, new ideas can enter the world, says filmmaker Zach King. In an entertaining talk full of props and surprises, King shows us the trick to regaining our sense of childlike wonder through the power of storytelling — and a bit of magic.
Nadia Lopez
Why open a school? To close a prison
Our kids are our future, and it’s crucial they believe it themselves. That’s why Nadia Lopez opened an academic oasis in Brownsville, Brooklyn, one of the most underserved and violent neighborhoods in New York — because she believes in every child’s brilliance and capabilities. In this short, energizing talk, the founding principal of Mott Hall Bridges Academy (and a star of Humans of New York) shares how she helps her scholars envision a brighter future for themselves and their families.
Rita Pierson
Every kid needs a champion
Rita Pierson, a teacher for 40 years, once heard a colleague say, “They don’t pay me to like the kids.” Her response: “Kids don’t learn from people they don’t like.’” A rousing call to educators to believe in their students and actually connect with them on a real, human, personal level.
Diana Laufenberg
How to learn? From mistakes
Diana Laufenberg shares three surprising things she has learned about teaching — including a key insight about learning from mistakes.
Christopher Emdin
Teach teachers how to create magic
What do rap shows, barbershop banter, and Sunday services have in common? As Christopher Emdin says, they all hold the secret magic to enthrall and teach at the same time — and it’s a skill we often don’t teach to educators. A longtime teacher himself, now a science advocate and cofounder of Science Genius B.A.T.T.L.E.S. with the GZA of the Wu-Tang Clan, Emdin offers a vision to make the classroom come alive.
Michelle Kuo
The Healing Power of Reading
Reading and writing can be acts of courage that bring us closer to others and ourselves. Author Michelle Kuo shares how teaching reading skills to her students in the Mississippi Delta revealed the bridging power of the written word – as well as the limitations of its power.
Emily Pilloton
Teaching Design for Change
Designer Emily Pilloton moved to rural Bertie County, in North Carolina, to engage in a bold experiment of design-led community transformation. She is teaching a design-build class called Studio H that engages high schoolers’ minds and bodies while bringing smart design and new opportunities to the poorest county in the state. Emily, a humanitarian design activist, wrote Design Revolution, a book about 100-plus objects and systems designed to make people’s lives better.
Heejae Lim
The most powerful yet overlooked resource in schools
“When teachers and families work together, everyone wins,” says education technology entrepreneur and TED Fellow Heejae Lim. She shines a light on an underutilized resource in US public education — a family’s love for their children — and shows that, with the right tools and tech, schools can remove language barriers, foster meaningful connections and help every student thrive.
Andreas Schleicher
Use data to build better schools
How can we measure what makes a school system work? Andreas Schleicher walks us through the PISA test, a global measurement that ranks countries against one another — then uses that same data to help schools improve. Watch to find out where your country stacks up, and learn the single factor that makes some systems outperform others.
Plenty of inspiration to get you started and going on. Need more? Head over to TED and check out this amazing playlist with Talks from Inspiring Teachers.