TED Talks provide viewers with an opportunity to learn from experts in their field about anything. Their videos provide resources for teachers to learn from other educators and for students to further their thinking in any topic of interest. In fact, a fellow teacher spent a unit teaching students to give their own TED Talks about a topic they felt passionate about. Students spent time researching, writing, and then giving their own TED Talk. Today, I have rounded up a couple TED Talks for teachers from which I personally have taken something away. I have also found a couple that can be used in the classroom to engage students in math.
MATH TED TALKS FOR TEACHERS AND STUDENTS
1. Title: Let’s Use Video to Reinvent Education
Length: 20 minutes
Watch: 6:00 – 12:00
Summary: In this video, Salman Khan, the creator of Khan Academy, discusses the implication of using video to teach students. He states that “one size fits all” lectures do not work for everyone. He suggests an alternative way to learn: Students watch videos teaching a new skill as homework and come to class ready to practice collaboratively with their teachers and classmates. He explores two math classes that are using this model and shows how teachers can use Khan Academy’s data centered dashboard for intervention.
2. Title: Every Kid Needs a Champion
Speaker: Rita Pierson
Length: 7 minutes
Watch: All of it. It’s all so good!
Summary: Rita speaks about her experience building relationships with her students. My personal favorite is what she taught her students to say: “I am somebody. I was a somebody when I came. I’ll be a better somebody when I leave. I am powerful and I am strong. I deserve the education I get when I came here. I have things to do, people to impress, and places to go.”
3. Title: Math Class Needs a Makeover
Speaker: Dan Meyer
Length: 11 minutes
Watch: 6:30 – 11:09
Summary: “ Today’s math curriculum is teaching students to expect — and excel at — paint-by-numbers classwork, robbing kids of a skill more important than solving problems: formulating them. Dan Meyer shows classroom-tested math exercises that prompt students to stop and think.” I watched this video in a professional development and was inspired to help less and question more when it came to my teaching practice.
4. Title: How to Find a Wonderful Idea
Length: 7 minutes
Speaker: OK Go
Summary: OK Go, which is famous for the choreographed music video of the band dancing on treadmills, discusses how they come up with the ideas for their music videos. They show two of their videos which are really engaging for students but, more importantly, discuss the mathematical probability of their constructed Rube Goldberg machines succeeding without error.
5. Title: 3 Ways to Spot a Bad Statistic
Speaker: Mona Chalabi
Length: 11 minutes
Summary: This TED Talk would be a strong start for a statistics unit. Mona Chalabi uses current events to explain that numbers cannot always be trusted. She provides three questions to decipher whether a statistic is truly trustworthy. There are many references to current events that you may have to pause the video to explain, but it is well worth watching.
6. Title: Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance
Speaker: Angela Duckworth
Length: 6 minutes
Summary: I showed my students this video once at the beginning of the school year, and next year I will show it more often. Students will learn that effort is more important than natural ability when it comes to math. I say it all the time, but I think it means more coming from a psychologist. 🙂
With over 2000 videos and more added every day, I will never have the time to watch them all, so I need your help. What TED Talk for teachers has inspired your teaching practice? What TED Talk have you showed to your class?