10 TED Talks Every Educator Should Listen To

Enjoy the Passion and Insights in These Powerful Talks from Educators and Experts Across the World

As an educator, you’re likely greeted with inspiration daily, whether it comes from your friends, students, or colleagues. Another place to find inspiration is through online TED talks. Start by listening to the following TED talks that will help you in your career as an educator.

How to Fix a Broken School? Lead Fearlessly, Love Hard

In this TED talk, Linda Cliatt-Wayman discusses her experience on her first day serving as principal in a failing high school. Through determination, perseverance, and passion, Principal Linda Cliatt-Wayman was able to turn things around and get her high school removed from the persistently dangerous list within her first year. Her experiences serve as a model for how other passionate educators can make a difference in their own low-income districts.

3 Rules to Spark Learning

High school chemistry teacher Ramsey Musallam discusses the importance of cultivating curiosity in his TED talk. Here, he gives three rules for sparking imagination to help inspire students and get them excited about their education.

What Adults Can Learn From Kids

Whether you teach elementary education, you have children of your own, or you’re never around kids, it doesn’t matter. Child prodigy Adora Svitak argues that adults have a lot to learn from kids. Kids don’t see the world the same way adults do. They don’t think about the limitations; they just come up with good ideas. Adora Svitak suggests that grownups should be willing to learn from kids just as much as they’re willing to teach them, and that “it is imperative to create opportunities for children so that we can grow up and blow you away.”

Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance

What’s the key to success? According to former consultant turned seventh grade math teacher, Angela Lee Duckworth, the answer is “grit.” It’s not just IQ that separates your students; it’s their ability to “live life like it’s a marathon, not a sprint.” Listen to this TED talk to develop a better understanding of your students and their motivations from a psychosocial perspective.

Every Kid Needs a Champion

After 40 years as an educator, Rita Pierson has learned a lot about teaching children. Her biggest piece of advice? “Kids don’t learn from people they don’t like.” In this TED talk, Rita Pierson discusses the value of human connection and relationships and their role in the classroom.

Let’s Use Video to Reinvent Education

In today’s digital world, education has evolved to bring technology into the classroom. In his TED talk, Salman Khan discusses why he created Khan Academy. His successful education program uses educational videos on subjects like math that will help students learn in the classroom and at home. Discover how digital technologies can help improve your classroom in this inspiring, informative TED talk.

Teach Arts and Sciences Together

What’s the secret to creating bold thinkers? Astronaut, doctor, art collector, and dancer, Mae Jemison, suggests that teaching the arts and sciences together can help students think boldly. Here, she discusses her own stories and urges educators to think of logic and intuition as one.

What We Think We Know

Changing someone’s ideas can be difficult as an educator. In this TED talk, Jonathan Drori discusses how we get ideas in our heads and how it’s difficult to change our minds once those ideas are there. He goes on to talk about bad practices for reinforcing those wrong ideas in students along with suggestions for helping students learn more effectively.

Play is More Than Just Fun

If your school has cut down recess time or extracurriculars, this TED talk is for you. Dr. Stuart Brown is a pioneer researcher on play, and in this talk, he shows how play is not just about having fun; it’s actually involved with human development. In fact, plenty of play in childhood can help students grow into happy and intelligent adults. Play, he says, is an important part of life and can end up changing a person’s behaviors.

Teachers Need Real Feedback

In Bill Gates’ TED talk on teacher feedback, he says that everyone needs a coach who can give us feedback. Here, he discusses the importance of teachers receiving smart feedback to help them do their jobs better. He goes on to show how you can use technology to bring feedback into the classroom to better your teaching methods.

With so many TED talks on education, there are plenty of opportunities to find inspiration through educators and non-educators alike. Hopefully these 10 TED talks will inspire you. Which one are you going to watch first?