Podcasts by TED Talks Education
What should future schools look like? How do brains learn? Some of the world's greatest educators, researchers, and community leaders share their stories and visions onstage at the TED conference, TEDx events and partner events around the world. You can also download these and many other videos free on TED.com, with an interactive English transcript and subtitles in up to 80 languages. TED is a nonprofit devoted to Ideas Worth Spreading.
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Education is a fundamental right for every child | Makhtoum Abdalla from 2021-12-10T15:36:48
For children growing up in refugee camps, education is a powerful tool of liberation. In this inspiring talk, Makhtoum Abdalla, displaced as a child in Sudan and now living with his family in the O...
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3 ways to lower the barriers to higher education | Adrian K. Haugabrook from 2021-12-09T20:52:04
Less than seven percent of people worldwide have a bachelor's degree -- and for many, this is simply because the cost of university is too high, says higher education executive Adrian K. Haugabrook...
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The dream of educating Afghan girls lives on | Shabana Basij-Rasikh from 2021-12-03T15:43:47
In this deeply moving talk, educator Shabana Basij-Rasikh shares the harrowing story of evacuating more than 250 students, staff and family members from the School of Leadership, Afghanistan (SOLA)...
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A program to empower Black teachers in the US | Larry Irvin from 2021-11-18T15:56:55
TED Fellow and education innovator Larry Irvin envisions a world where every child can see themselves reflected in their teachers. With his team at Brothers Empowered to Teach, Irvin is providing p...
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A close-to-home solution for accessible childcare | Chris Bennett from 2021-10-21T14:39
Childcare needs a transformation -- but rather than investing billions in new buildings and schools, what if we could unlock the potential of people already nearby? Entrepreneur Chris Bennett offer...
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The small business hustle | The Hartford from 2021-10-18T15:14:04
Karim Abouelnaga is a TED Fellow and founder and CEO of Practice Makes Perfect, a summer school opportunity that helps narrow the education gap for low-income children. Through his work, Karim show...
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3 myths about racism that keep the US from progress | Candis Watts Smith from 2021-07-16T15:21:17
Racism morphs, spreading and hiding behind numerous half-truths and full-blown falsities about where it lives and who embodies it. In this actionable talk, political scientist Candis Watts Smith de...
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How dirt bikes and STEM ignite ingenuity in Baltimore | Brittany Young from 2021-05-24T13:00:02
Dirt biking is more than just a pastime -- it's an opportunity to disrupt the cycle of poverty and provide enriching STEM education, says TED Fellow Brittany Young. In this perspective-shifting tal...
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Women and girls, you are part of the climate solution | Rumaitha Al Busaidi from 2021-05-03T14:57:12
What does gender equality have to do with climate change? A lot more than you might think. Empowering women and girls around the world is one of the most important ways to combat carbon pollution a...
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The exploitation of US college athletes | Tim Nevius from 2021-04-05T14:48:51
Colleges and universities in the US make billions of dollars each year from sports, compromising the health and education of athletes -- who are disproportionately Black -- in the name of money, po...
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Online learning could change academia -- for good | Tyler Dewitt from 2021-03-18T15:30:51
Higher education remains rooted in rigid, traditional structures and tracks -- and it's at risk of getting left behind in favor of expanded access, greater flexibility and tailored learning. Educat...
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The paradigm shift toward equitable tech access across Africa | 'Gbenga Sesan from 2021-02-11T16:48:10
Centuries of inequality can't be solved with access to technology alone -- we need to connect people with training and support too, says tech inclusionist 'Gbenga Sesan. Sharing the wo...
Technology can't fix inequality -- but training and opportunities could | 'Gbenga Sesan from 2021-02-11T15:48:10
Centuries of inequality can't be solved with access to technology alone -- we need to connect people with training and support too, says tech inclusionist 'Gbenga Sesan. Sharing the work behind the...
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How I'm using LEGO to teach Arabic | Ghada Wali from 2021-01-31T22:10:42.023393
After a visit to a European library in search of Arabic and Middle Eastern texts turned up only titles about fear, terrorism and destruction, Ghada Wali resolved to represent her culture i...
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What COVID-19 revealed about US schools -- and 4 ways to rethink education | Nora Flanagan from 2021-01-27T15:57:32
The abrupt shift to online learning due to COVID-19 rocked the US education system, unearthing many of the inequities at its foundation. Educator Nora Flanagan says we can reframe this moment as an...
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Why should you read Toni Morrison's "Beloved"? | Yen Pham from 2021-01-05T17:04:20
Two tiny handprints stamped into a cake. A mirror that shatters without warning. A trail of cracker crumbs strewn along the floor. Everyone at 124 Bluestone Road knows their home is haunted— but th...
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Lessons on leaving the world better than you found it | Sophie Howe from 2020-10-10T19:55:31
Sophie Howe is the world's only future generations commissioner, a new kind of government official tasked with advocating for the interests of generations to come and holding public institutions ac...
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Why we must confront the painful parts of US history | Hasan Kwame Jeffries from 2020-09-24T15:44:18
To move forward in the United States, we must look back and confront the difficult history that has shaped widespread injustice. Revisiting a significant yet overlooked piece of the past, Hasan Kwa...
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Activism, changemakers and hope for the future | Malala Yousafzai from 2020-07-10T20:12:33
Education activist (and recent Oxford graduate) Malala Yousafzai reflects on the defining moments of her life, how she balances passion with personhood and where the world finds itself during the C...
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A path to higher education and employment for refugees | Chrystina Russell from 2020-06-19T00:33:37
Out of the more than 70 million displaced people worldwide, only three percent have access to higher education. The Global Education Movement (GEM) is on a mission to change that with the first lar...
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Why students should have mental health days | Hailey Hardcastle from 2020-05-11T19:56:11
School can be rife with stress, anxiety, panic attacks and even burnout -- but there's often no formal policy for students who need to prioritize their well-being. Hailey Hardcastle explains why sc...
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How teachers can help students navigate trauma | Lisa Godwin from 2020-02-11T20:46:20
"To make a difference in the life of a child ... I made the commitment to tell my personal story," says educator Lisa Godwin. In this moving talk, she shares her experience of overcoming childhood ...
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How virtual reality turns students into scientists | Jessica Ochoa Hendrix from 2020-01-28T20:48:37
Using low-cost virtual reality, education activist Jessica Ochoa Hendrix helps bring science to life in schools across the US. In this quick talk, she explains how a VR experience she developed inv...
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The "opportunity gap" in US public education -- and how to close it | Anindya Kundu from 2020-01-03T15:58:11
How can we tap into the potential of all students, especially those who come from disadvantaged backgrounds? Sociologist Anindya Kundu invites us to take a deeper look at the personal, social and i...
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How motivation can fix public systems | Abhishek Gopalka from 2019-10-23T14:41:52
How do you fix broken public systems? You spark people's competitive spirit. In a talk about getting people motivated to make change, public sector strategist Abhishek Gopalka discusses how he help...
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A bold plan to empower 1.6 million out-of-school girls in India | Safeena Husain from 2019-09-23T14:50:54
"Girls' education is the closest thing we have to a silver bullet to help solve some of the world's most difficult problems," says social entrepreneur Safeena Husain. In a visionary talk, she share...
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What reading slowly taught me about writing | Jacqueline Woodson from 2019-09-12T14:28:30
Reading slowly -- with her finger running beneath the words, even when she was taught not to -- has led Jacqueline Woodson to a life of writing books to be savored. In a lyrical talk, she invites u...
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A new way to get every child ready for kindergarten | Claudia Miner from 2019-07-17T14:51:16
Early education is critical to children's success -- but millions of kids in the United States still don't have access to programs that prepare them to thrive in kindergarten and beyond. Enter the ...
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Why we need to fight misinformation about vaccines | Ethan Lindenberger from 2019-06-25T14:49:09
Ethan Lindenberger never got vaccinated as a kid. So one day, he went on Reddit and asked a simple question: "Where do I go to get vaccinated?" The post went viral, landing Lindenberger in the midd...
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Why kids need to learn about gender and sexuality | Lindsay Amer from 2019-06-24T14:54:51
Lindsay Amer is the creator of "Queer Kid Stuff," an educational video series that breaks down complex ideas around gender and sexuality through songs and metaphors. By giving kids and their famili...
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The healing power of reading | Michelle Kuo from 2019-06-06T14:56:48
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...
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How hip-hop helps us understand science | Danielle N. Lee from 2019-04-19T15:10:21
In the early 1990s, a scandal rocked evolutionary biology: scientists discovered that songbirds -- once thought to be strictly monogamous -- engaged in what's politely called "extra-pair copulation...
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Empower a girl, transform a community | Kakenya Ntaiya from 2019-04-15T15:17:34
Kakenya Ntaiya turned her dream of getting an education into a movement to empower vulnerable girls and bring an end to harmful traditional practices in Kenya. Meet two students at the Kakenya Cent...
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Creative ways to get kids to thrive in school | Olympia Della Flora from 2019-03-21T14:45:38
To get young kids to thrive in school, we need to do more than teach them how to read and write -- we need to teach them how to manage their emotions, says educator Olympia Della Flora. In this pra...
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An unexpected tool for understanding inequality: abstract math | Eugenia Cheng from 2019-03-08T15:47:37
How do we make sense of a world that doesn't? By looking in unexpected places, says mathematician Eugenia Cheng. She explains how applying concepts from abstract mathematics to daily life can lead ...
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How education helped me rewrite my life | Ashweetha Shetty from 2019-02-21T15:33:03
There's no greater freedom than finding your purpose, says education advocate Ashweetha Shetty. Born to a poor family in rural India, Shetty didn't let the social norms of her community stifle her ...
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How to teach kids to talk about taboo topics | Liz Kleinrock from 2019-02-20T20:56:23
When one of Liz Kleinrock's fourth-grade students said the unthinkable at the start of a class on race, she knew it was far too important a teachable moment to miss. But where to start? Learn how K...
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Why Black girls are targeted for punishment at school -- and how to change that | Monique W. Morris from 2019-01-15T15:51:47
Around the world, Black girls are being pushed out of schools because of policies that target them for punishment, says author and social justice scholar Monique W. Morris. The result: countless gi...
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A librarian's case against overdue book fines | Dawn Wacek from 2018-11-15T15:51:38
Libraries have the power to create a better world; they connect communities, promote literacy and spark lifelong learners. But there's one thing that keeps people away: the fear of overdue book fin...
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How teachers can help kids find their political voices | Sydney Chaffee from 2018-08-14T15:05:26
Social justice belongs in our schools, says educator Sydney Chaffee. In a bold talk, she shows how teaching students to engage in activism helps them build important academic and life skills -- and...
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How farming could employ Africa's young workforce -- and help build peace | Kola Masha from 2018-07-10T14:45:07
Africa's youth is coming of age rapidly, but job growth on the continent isn't keeping up. The result: financial insecurity and, in some cases, a turn towards insurgent groups. In a passionate talk...
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A crash course in organic chemistry | Jakob Magolan from 2018-07-06T14:31:19
Jakob Magolan is here to change your perception of organic chemistry. In an accessible talk packed with striking graphics, he teaches us the basics while breaking the stereotype that organic chemis...
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Why you should love gross science | Anna Rothschild from 2018-06-21T19:43:55
What can we learn from the slimy, smelly side of life? In this playful talk, science journalist Anna Rothschild shows us the hidden wisdom of "gross stuff" and explains why avoiding the creepy unde...
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Comics belong in the classroom | Gene Luen Yang from 2018-05-25T14:48:52
Comic books and graphic novels belong in every teacher's toolkit, says cartoonist and educator Gene Luen Yang. Set against the backdrop of his own witty, colorful drawings, Yang explores the histor...
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To learn is to be free | Shameem Akhtar from 2018-03-01T20:59:46
Shameem Akhtar posed as a boy during her early childhood in Pakistan so she could enjoy the privileges Pakistani girls are rarely afforded: to play outside and attend school. In an eye-opening, per...
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This company pays kids to do their math homework | Mohamad Jebara from 2018-02-08T15:46:57
Mohamad Jebara loves mathematics -- but he's concerned that too many students grow up thinking that this beautiful, rewarding subject is difficult and boring. His company is experimenting with a bo...
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How we can help hungry kids, one text at a time | Su Kahumbu from 2018-02-06T21:06:09
Su Kahumbu raises badass cows -- healthy, well-fed animals whose protein is key to solving a growing crisis in Africa: childhood nutritional stunting. With iCow, a simple SMS service she developed ...
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What we don't teach kids about sex | Sue Jaye Johnson from 2018-01-04T20:55:06
As parents, it's our job to teach our kids about sex. But beyond "the talk," which covers biology and reproduction, there's so much more we can say about the human experience of being in our bodies...
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The global learning crisis -- and what to do about it | Amel Karboul from 2017-11-03T15:00:10
The most important infrastructure we have is educated minds, says former Tunisian government minister Amel Karboul. Yet too often large investments go to more visible initiatives such as bridges an...
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The boost students need to overcome obstacles | Anindya Kundu from 2017-09-25T15:10:16
How can disadvantaged students succeed in school? For sociologist Anindya Kundu, grit and stick-to-itiveness aren't enough; students also need to develop their agency, or their capacity to overcome...
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Why Africa must become a center of knowledge again | Olu?fe??mi Ta?i?wo? from 2017-09-19T17:06:53
How can Africa, the home to some of the largest bodies of water in the world, be said to have a water crisis? It doesn't, says Olu?fe??mi Ta?i?wo? -- it has a knowledge crisis. Ta?i?wo...
To solve old problems, study new species | Alejandro Sánchez Alvarado from 2017-01-12T16:07:48
Nature is wonderfully abundant, diverse and mysterious -- but biological research today tends to focus on only seven species, including rats, chickens, fruit flies and us. We're studying an astonis...
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Want kids to learn well? Feed them well | Sam Kass from 2017-01-05T16:11:01
What can we expect our kids to learn if they're hungry or eating diets full of sugar and empty of nutrients? Former White House Chef and food policymaker Sam Kass discusses the role schools can pla...
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How students of color confront impostor syndrome | Dena Simmons from 2016-12-15T15:58:02
As a black woman from a tough part of the Bronx who grew up to attain all the markers of academic prestige, Dena Simmons knows that for students of color, success in school sometimes comes at the c...
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Math is the hidden secret to understanding the world | Roger Antonsen from 2016-11-18T16:00:08
Unlock the mysteries and inner workings of the world through one of the most imaginative art forms ever -- mathematics -- with Roger Antonsen, as he explains how a slight change in perspective can ...
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Help for kids the education system ignores | Victor Rios from 2016-11-17T16:16:34
Define students by what they contribute, not what they lack -- especially those with difficult upbringings, says educator Victor Rios. Interweaved with his personal tale of perseverance as an inner...
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How America's public schools keep kids in poverty | Kandice Sumner from 2016-11-01T15:08:54
Why should a good education be exclusive to rich kids? Schools in low-income neighborhoods across the US, specifically in communities of color, lack resources that are standard at wealthier schools...
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4 reasons to learn a new language | John McWhorter from 2016-10-07T18:54:52
English is fast becoming the world's universal language, and instant translation technology is improving every year. So why bother learning a foreign language? Linguist and Columbia professor John ...
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Why open a school? To close a prison | Nadia Lopez from 2016-09-21T14:59:41
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...
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Let's teach for mastery -- not test scores | Sal Khan from 2016-09-06T14:44:01
Would you choose to build a house on top of an unfinished foundation? Of course not. Why, then, do we rush students through education when they haven't always grasped the basics? Yes, it's complica...
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How to fix a broken education system ... without any more money | Seema Bansal from 2016-06-22T14:54:41
Seema Bansal forged a path to public education reform for 15,000 schools in Haryana, India, by setting an ambitious goal: by 2020, 80 percent of children should have grade-level knowledge. She's lo...
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What's so sexy about math? | Cédric Villani from 2016-06-06T15:15:26
Hidden truths permeate our world; they're inaccessible to our senses, but math allows us to go beyond our intuition to uncover their mysteries. In this survey of mathematical breakthroughs, Fields ...
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This virtual lab will revolutionize science class | Michael Bodekaer from 2016-05-06T15:14:47
Virtual reality is no longer part of some distant future, and it's not just for gaming and entertainment anymore. Michael Bodekaer wants to use it to make quality education more accessible. In this...
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The nit-picking glory of The New Yorker's Comma Queen | Mary Norris from 2016-04-15T15:04:38
"Copy editing for The New Yorker is like playing shortstop for a Major League Baseball team -- every little movement gets picked over by the critics," says Mary Norris, who has played the position ...
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Inside the mind of a master procrastinator | Tim Urban from 2016-03-15T18:36:59
Tim Urban knows that procrastination doesn't make sense, but he's never been able to shake his habit of waiting until the last minute to get things done. In this hilarious and insightful talk, Urba...
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How I stopped the Taliban from shutting down my school | Sakena Yacoobi from 2015-09-21T15:42:30
When the Taliban closed all the girls' schools in Afghanistan, Sakena Yacoobi set up new schools, in secret, educating thousands of women and men. In this fierce, funny talk, she tells the jaw-drop...
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The story we tell about poverty isn't true | Mia Birdsong from 2015-09-15T15:24:12
As a global community, we all want to end poverty. Mia Birdsong suggests a great place to start: Let's honor the skills, drive and initiative that poor people bring to the struggle every day. She a...
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How I learned to communicate my inner life with Asperger's | Alix Generous from 2015-08-17T15:18:51
Alix Generous is a young woman with a million and one ideas -- she's done award-winning science, helped develop new technology and tells a darn good joke (you'll see). She has Asperger's, a form of...
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What explains the rise of humans? | Yuval Noah Harari from 2015-07-24T15:16:16
Seventy thousand years ago, our human ancestors were insignificant animals, just minding their own business in a corner of Africa with all the other animals. But now, few would disagree that humans...
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The nerd's guide to learning everything online | John Green from 2015-07-22T15:14:22
Some of us learn best in the classroom, and some of us ... well, we don't. But we still love to learn -- we just need to find the way that works for us. In this charming, personal talk, author John...
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How to fix a broken school? Lead fearlessly, love hard | Linda Cliatt-Wayman from 2015-06-05T15:11:01
On Linda Cliatt-Wayman's first day as principal at a failing high school in North Philadelphia, she was determined to lay down the law. But she soon realized the job was more complex than she thoug...
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Math is forever | Eduardo Sáenz de Cabezón from 2015-04-07T15:53:05
With humor and charm, mathematician Eduardo Sáenz de Cabezón answers a question that's wracked the brains of bored students the world over: What is math for? He shows the beauty of math as the back...
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A love poem for lonely prime numbers | Harry Baker from 2015-03-04T16:10:25
Performance poet (and math student) Harry Baker spins a love poem about his favorite kind of numbers -- the lonely, love-lorn prime. Stay on for two more lively, inspiring poems from this charming ...
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Why you should care about whale poo | Asha de Vos from 2015-01-05T15:59:38
Whales have a surprising and important job, says marine biologist Asha de Vos: these massive creatures are ecosystem engineers, keeping the oceans healthy and stable by ... well, by pooping, for a ...
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Photos that give voice to the animal kingdom | Frans Lanting from 2014-10-29T15:08:20
Nature photographer Frans Lanting uses vibrant images to take us deep into the animal world. In this short, visual talk he calls for us to reconnect with other earthly creatures, and to shed the me...
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What I learned from spending 31 days underwater | Fabien Cousteau from 2014-10-23T15:22:59
In 1963, Jacques Cousteau lived for 30 days in an underwater laboratory positioned on the floor of the Red Sea, and set a world record in the process. This summer, his grandson Fabien Cousteau brok...
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The magic of the Amazon: A river that flows invisibly all around us | Antonio Donato Nobre from 2014-09-19T15:04:54
The Amazon River is like a heart, pumping water from the seas through it, and up into the atmosphere through 600 billion trees, which act like lungs. Clouds form, rain falls and the forest thrives....
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How not to be ignorant about the world | Hans and Ola Rosling from 2014-09-11T15:30:03
How much do you know about the world? Hans Rosling, with his famous charts of global population, health and income data (and an extra-extra-long pointer), demonstrates that you have a high statisti...
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Why does the universe exist? | Jim Holt from 2014-09-02T15:02:17
Why is there something instead of nothing? In other words: Why does the universe exist (and why are we in it)? Philosopher and writer Jim Holt follows this question toward three possible answers. O...
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Please, please, people. Let's put the 'awe' back in 'awesome' | Jill Shargaa from 2014-08-29T14:57:52
Which of the following is awesome: your lunch or the Great Pyramid of Giza? Comedian Jill Shargaa sounds a hilarious call for us to save the word "awesome" for things that truly inspire awe.
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The danger of silence | Clint Smith from 2014-08-15T15:46:05
"We spend so much time listening to the things people are saying that we rarely pay attention to the things they don't," says poet and teacher Clint Smith. A short, powerful piece from the heart, a...
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Why I live in mortal dread of public speaking | Megan Washington from 2014-08-08T14:59:43
Megan Washington is one of Australia's premier singer/songwriters. And, since childhood, she has had a stutter. In this bold and personal talk, she reveals how she copes with this speech impediment...
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An ultra-low-cost college degree | Shai Reshef from 2014-08-04T15:08:53
At the online University of the People, anyone with a high school diploma can take classes toward a degree in business administration or computer science — without standard tuition fees (though exa...
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What makes a word "real"? | Anne Curzan from 2014-06-17T14:52:33
One could argue that slang words like ‘hangry,’ ‘defriend’ and ‘adorkable’ fill crucial meaning gaps in the English language, even if they don't appear in the dictionary. After all, who actually de...
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What ants teach us about the brain, cancer and the Internet | Deborah Gordon from 2014-05-13T15:02:17
Ecologist Deborah Gordon studies ants wherever she can find them -- in the desert, in the tropics, in her kitchen ... In this fascinating talk, she explains her obsession with insects most of us wo...
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Comics that ask "what if?" | Randall Munroe from 2014-05-08T14:57:50
Web cartoonist Randall Munroe answers simple what-if questions ("what if you hit a baseball moving at the speed of light?") using math, physics, logic and deadpan humor. In this charming talk, a re...
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A shark-deterrent wetsuit (and it's not what you think) | Hamish Jolly from 2014-04-23T15:14:01
Hamish Jolly, an ocean swimmer in Australia, wanted a wetsuit that would deter a curious shark from mistaking him for a potential source of nourishment. (Which, statistically, is rare, but certainl...
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Teach teachers how to create magic | Christopher Emdin from 2014-04-08T15:14:02
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...
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A new equation for intelligence | Alex Wissner-Gross from 2014-02-06T16:05:34
Is there an equation for intelligence? Yes. It's F = T ∇ Sτ. In a fascinating and informative talk, physicist and computer scientist Alex Wissner-Gross explains what in the world that means.
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Why massive open online courses (still) matter | Anant Agarwal from 2014-01-27T15:43:40
2013 was a year of hype for MOOCs (massive open online courses). Great big numbers and great big hopes were followed by some disappointing first results. But the head of edX, Anant Agarwal, makes t...
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The magic of Fibonacci numbers | Arthur Benjamin from 2013-11-08T16:01:01
Math is logical, functional and just ... awesome. Mathemagician Arthur Benjamin explores hidden properties of that weird and wonderful set of numbers, the Fibonacci series. (And reminds you that ma...
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The pursuit of ignorance | Stuart Firestein from 2013-09-24T15:03:56
What does real scientific work look like? As neuroscientist Stuart Firestein jokes: It looks a lot less like the scientific method and a lot more like "farting around ... in the dark." In this witt...
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Why I fell in love with monster prime numbers | Adam Spencer from 2013-09-03T15:07:46
They're millions of digits long, and it takes an army of mathematicians and machines to hunt them down -- what's not to love about monster primes? Adam Spencer, comedian and lifelong math geek, sha...
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How to escape education's death valley | Sir Ken Robinson from 2013-05-10T15:08:52
Sir Ken Robinson outlines 3 principles crucial for the human mind to flourish -- and how current education culture works against them. In a funny, stirring talk he tells us how to get out of the ed...
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Grit: The power of passion and perseverance | Angela Lee Duckworth from 2013-05-09T14:59:48
Leaving a high-flying job in consulting, Angela Lee Duckworth took a job teaching math to seventh graders in a New York public school. She quickly realized that IQ wasn't the only thing separating ...
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Our failing schools. Enough is enough! | Geoffrey Canada from 2013-05-08T15:08:01
Why, why, why does our education system look so similar to the way it did 50 years ago? Millions of students were failing then, as they are now -- and it’s because we’re clinging to a business mode...
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My story, from gangland daughter to star teacher | Pearl Arredondo from 2013-05-08T15:05
Pearl Arredondo grew up in East Los Angeles, the daughter of a high-ranking gang member who was in and out of jail. Many teachers wrote her off as having a problem with authority. Now a teacher her...
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3 rules to spark learning | Ramsey Musallam from 2013-05-08T15:03:54
It took a life-threatening condition to jolt chemistry teacher Ramsey Musallam out of ten years of "pseudo-teaching" to understand the true role of the educator: to cultivate curiosity. In a fun an...
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Teachers need real feedback | Bill Gates from 2013-05-08T15:01:20
Until recently, many teachers only got one word of feedback a year: "satisfactory." And with no feedback, no coaching, there's just no way to improve. Bill Gates suggests that even great teachers c...
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Learn to read Chinese ... with ease! | ShaoLan from 2013-05-07T15:13:31
For foreigners, learning to speak Chinese is a hard task. But learning to read the beautiful, often complex characters of the Chinese written language may be less difficult. ShaoLan walks through a...
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Every kid needs a champion | Rita Pierson from 2013-05-03T14:02:17
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...
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4 pillars of college success in science | Freeman Hrabowski from 2013-04-08T15:14:49
At age 12, Freeman Hrabowski marched with Martin Luther King. Now he's president of the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC), where he works to create an environment that helps under-rep...
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A girl who demanded school | Kakenya Ntaiya from 2013-03-07T16:02:27
Kakenya Ntaiya made a deal with her father: She would undergo a traditional Maasai rite of passage, female circumcision, if he would let her go to high school. Ntaiya tells the fearless story of co...
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Build a School in the Cloud | Sugata Mitra from 2013-02-27T22:38
Onstage at TED2013, Sugata Mitra makes his bold TED Prize wish: Help me design the School in the Cloud, a learning lab in India, where children can explore and learn from each other -- using resour...
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Dare to educate Afghan girls | Shabana Basij-Rasikh from 2013-02-11T16:08:19
Imagine a country where girls must sneak out to go to school, with deadly consequences if they get caught learning. This was Afghanistan under the Taliban, and traces of that danger remain today. 2...
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Hey science teachers -- make it fun | Tyler DeWitt from 2013-02-05T16:02:47
High school science teacher Tyler DeWitt was ecstatic about his new lesson plan on bacteria (how cool!) -- and devastated when his students hated it. The problem was the textbook: it was impossible...
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Let's teach kids to code | Mitch Resnick from 2013-01-29T16:01:42
Coding isn't just for computer whizzes, says Mitch Resnick of MIT Media Lab -- it's for everyone. In a fun, demo-filled talk Resnick outlines the benefits of teaching kids to code, so they can do m...
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Kids need structure | Colin Powell from 2013-01-23T16:18:25
How can you help kids get a good start? In this heartfelt and personal talk, Colin Powell, the former U.S. Secretary of State, asks parents, friends and relatives to support children, starting befo...
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Your brain on video games | Daphne Bavelier from 2012-11-19T16:19:24
How do fast-paced video games affect the brain? Step into the lab with cognitive researcher Daphne Bavelier to hear surprising news about how video games, even action-packed shooter games, can help...
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The tragedy of orphanages | Georgette Mulheir from 2012-11-08T16:03:16
Orphanages are costly and can cause irreparable damage both mentally and physically for its charges -- so why are they still so ubiquitous? Georgette Mulheir gravely describes the tragedy of orphan...
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What I've learned from my autistic brothers | Faith Jegede Cole from 2012-11-02T15:03:34
Faith Jegede tells the moving and funny story of growing up with her two brothers, both autistic -- and both extraordinary. In this talk from the TED Talent Search, she reminds us to pursue a life ...
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Talk nerdy to me | Melissa Marshall from 2012-10-11T15:00:14
Melissa Marshall brings a message to all scientists (from non-scientists): We're fascinated by what you're doing. So tell us about it -- in a way we can understand. In just 4 minutes, she shares po...
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The self-organizing computer course | Shimon Schocken from 2012-10-04T15:00:47
Shimon Schocken and Noam Nisan developed a curriculum for their students to build a computer, piece by piece. When they put the course online -- giving away the tools, simulators, chip specificatio...
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How we can eat our landscapes | Pam Warhurst from 2012-08-09T15:04:02
What should a community do with its unused land? Plant food, of course. With energy and humor, Pam Warhurst tells at the TEDSalon the story of how she and a growing team of volunteers came together...
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What we're learning from online education | Daphne Koller from 2012-08-01T15:02:44
Daphne Koller is enticing top universities to put their most intriguing courses online for free -- not just as a service, but as a way to research how people learn. With Coursera (cofounded by Andr...
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A teacher growing green in the South Bronx | Stephen Ritz from 2012-07-31T15:02:20
A whirlwind of energy and ideas, Stephen Ritz is a teacher in New York's tough South Bronx, where he and his kids grow lush gardens for food, greenery -- and jobs. Just try to keep up with this New...
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Every city needs healthy honey bees | Noah Wilson-Rich from 2012-07-28T14:01:55
Bees have been rapidly and mysteriously disappearing from rural areas, with grave implications for agriculture. But bees seem to flourish in urban environments -- and cities need their help, too. N...
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Reinventing the encyclopedia game | Rives from 2012-06-26T15:26:42
Prompted by the Encyclopaedia Britannica ending its print publication, performance poet Rives resurrects a game from his childhood. Speaking at the TEDxSummit in Doha, Rives takes us on a charming ...
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The 100,000-student classroom | Peter Norvig from 2012-06-21T15:34:21
In the fall of 2011 Peter Norvig taught a class with Sebastian Thrun on artificial intelligence at Stanford attended by 175 students in situ -- and over 100,000 via an interactive webcast. He share...
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The electric rise and fall of Nikola Tesla | Marco Tempest from 2012-06-20T15:02:33
Combining projection mapping and a pop-up book, Marco Tempest tells the visually arresting story of Nikola Tesla -- called "the greatest geek who ever lived" -- from his triumphant invention of alt...
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Archaeology from space | Sarah Parcak from 2012-06-14T15:00:42
In this short talk, TED Fellow Sarah Parcak introduces the field of "space archaeology" -- using satellite images to search for clues to the lost sites of past civilizations.
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Why is 'x' the unknown? | Terry Moore from 2012-06-06T15:00:59
Why is 'x' the symbol for an unknown? In this short and funny talk, Terry Moore gives the surprising answer.
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What's left to explore? | Nathan Wolfe from 2012-05-21T14:38:34
We've been to the moon, we've mapped the continents, we've even been to the deepest point in the ocean -- twice. What's left for the next generation to explore? Biologist and explorer Nathan Wolfe ...
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Feats of memory anyone can do | Joshua Foer from 2012-05-10T15:00:12
There are people who can quickly memorize lists of thousands of numbers, the order of all the cards in a deck (or ten!), and much more. Science writer Joshua Foer describes the technique -- called ...
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Massive-scale online collaboration | Luis von Ahn from 2011-12-06T17:39:04
After re-purposing CAPTCHA so each human-typed response helps digitize books, Luis von Ahn wondered how else to use small contributions by many on the Internet for greater good. In this talk, he sh...
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