Xixi Wang

Every educator has a spark.

Every educator has a classroom insight, a new approach to learning, a deeply held belief about what students need most. But great ideas don’t thrive in isolation. They need space to grow, tools to take shape, and audiences ready to listen. That’s where TED-Ed’s Educator Talks comes in.

Educator Talks is a free professional learning experience that helps K–12 educators identify, develop, and share their most meaningful ideas. It’s built on a simple but powerful belief: educators hold powerful insights with the potential to transform classrooms, schools, and communities when they’re given the right platform to share them.

What is Educator Talks?

Educator Talks supports K-12 teachers, school leaders, and education innovators in turning their lived experience into ideas worth sharing. Whether it’s a new way to support student well-being, a strategy for making learning more inclusive, or a classroom practice that’s quietly changing lives, the program helps educators reflect on their careers, identify an idea that can change education and effectively communicate what they believe and why it matters.

The experience begins with a one-hour Idea Workshop, an interactive virtual session where educators explore what makes ideas memorable, learn storytelling frameworks inspired by TED Talks, and receive guidance on shaping their message. This workshop is purpose-built to help ideas emerge and take form.

What comes next

After the Idea Workshop, educators gain access to a set of flexible, high-impact resources that support continued growth:

1. TED’s Official Public Speaking Course, helping educators build confidence and clarity in how they communicate ideas.
2. A global online community of practice, connecting educators worldwide to share peer feedback on Talks and public speaking.
3. Opportunities to organize or speak at TEDx events, bringing educator ideas to wider audiences and multiplying community impact.

Why it matters

When educators develop the skills to share their ideas publicly, the impact goes far beyond a single talk. These skills show up in classrooms, staff meetings, parent conversations, community events, and leadership spaces. Educator Talks helps educators strengthen their voice not just for a stage, but for every place where ideas shape learning.

At a time when education is facing rapid change, elevating educator perspectives matters more than ever. Educator Talks creates space for educators to reflect, articulate what they’ve learned, and ensure broader conversations about teaching and learning are grounded in real experience.

Get started

Curious to learn more?

— If you work in K-12 education, register for the Idea Workshop to take the first step

— Even if you’re not a K-12 educator, share program information with an educator in your life

— Check out our Educator Talks channel to see Talks from educators worldwide

Xixi Wang

Since 2014, thousands of student groups across the globe have been developing and sharing their ideas using our free TED-Ed Student Talks resources. To celebrate 10 years of TED-Ed Student Talks, we have been collecting stories of impact from the program’s facilitators as part of our “10 for 10 years” series.

For this installment of the series, we are highlighting Trinidad Algorta, an ESL teacher at a cultural institution in Uruguay.

Here, she speaks with TED-Ed’s Programs Manager, Sasha Rudenko, about incorporating the Student Talks program into an ESL curriculum, the impact it has had on her students, and what advice she has for other ESL educators.

Sasha Rudenko (SR): Tell us about the organization you work for, your role, and the students you work with.

Trinidad Algorta (TA): I am an English as a Foreign Language teacher at the cultural institution Alianza. It’s a bi-national center between the United States and Uruguay where we teach English, along with other subjects. I discovered TED-Ed the same year I had a group of teens from a program supported by the US Embassy and Department of State — they were students from public schools and different NGOs all coming for two years to learn English.

Students working through the activities

SR: How did you implement the Student Talks program? How did it fit into what you were already doing at Alianza?

TA: We were looking for something different to do with our students, and I looked at TED-Ed to create some activities for our courses and came across Student Talks. We incorporated it into our English classes. We had classes twice a week for two and a half hours, which gave us enough time to continue with our usual syllabus and still have time, about an hour once a week, to devote to the program.

“It can be hard because some students don’t feel like they are able to do it. But if they persevere, they’ll find they absolutely can do it.”

SR: If you were to think back and pick a standout moment from your time leading TED-Ed Student Talks, what would you highlight?

TA: The best moment was the event. It was awesome. I really didn’t expect as much as they did, and they surprised me. A challenging part that I remember— that was great at the same time— was when they had to choose their idea. They came up with a lot of ideas, but when they were trying to translate those ideas into a talk, it became more difficult. Some students were connected with their feelings, their interior, and their experiences. But it was hard for them to translate those feelings into a story that they were going to share with everyone. But they learned how to connect those parts and worked together as a group very well. And I was also able to connect with them, so it was a special group.

SR: So, it was challenging to translate their experiences and emotions into talks. What helped them? Was it the collaboration they had within the group?

TA: Yes, collaboration among them. Also, I relied on the Facilitator’s Guide [in the Student Talks materials] for questions to ask students when they got stuck or needed help moving forward, and that helped a lot. There were many ideas the students would say but not give them any importance, and I would tell them “but that’s your story.” And that surprised them, and they began coming up with great stories from those “not important” ideas. Half of the group were immigrants, and so many of them talked about something that happened when they came to Uruguay as it was a very important part of their lives.

Student Kiara Garrido participating in the 2024 event

SR: What skills have you observed improving the most as your students go through the Student Talks activities and events?

TA: First is speaking— English speaking. Second, their body language from standing in front of an audience and performing their speech. Third, they improved their ability to write. It’s a skill they can use in their other courses, as writing a script for a talk is similar to writing an essay. For example, how to structure writing, creating a good hook to capture a reader’s attention. All those things. And I don’t think they realized how much they were learning until they reached more advanced courses and are profiting there from this experience.

“They improved their ability to write. It’s a skill they can use in their other courses, as writing a script for a talk is similar to writing an essay.”

SR: What advice would you share with someone considering being a Student Talks facilitator?

TA: I think the most important thing is to connect with the students. Connect with them and also connect them with their partners, because there’s a lot of group work and they support each other even though the talks are individual. Another thing is don’t give up. Sometimes it can be hard because the students don’t feel like they are able to do it. But if they persevere, they’ll find they absolutely can do it and feel proud of themselves. Last year, I had a student who told me, “Okay, I can give a TED Talk in front of an audience if I don’t know anybody there. So I won’t tell my parents.” And I told him, “No, come on. Your parents must be here.” And now he’s asking me if we are going to have TED Talks this year — he wants to do it again.

The Student Talks group at the 2024 event

Interested in learning more about TED-Ed Student Talks? Check out our Student Talks page here to find out how the program works and how you can get involved.

Check out the other pieces in the 10 for 10 years series here.

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If you’ve ever had a conversation with an impassioned educator, you know that they are overflowing with brilliant, resourceful, innovative, and – in all likelihood – extremely under-circulated ideas.

We celebrate and elevate educator ideas for the sake of improving the experience of students and educators around the world. Over the course of the past year, participating educators hone in on their most important idea in education and develop it into a TED-style talk.

Below, four educators share their big ideas, covering topics from simple apps that promote classroom equity to an impassioned plea for more teacher collaboration in the classroom.

STACEY ROSHAN

How to use simple tech apps to support ALL learners

When Stacey Roshan was in high school, she feared the moment she might be called on in class. A self-described introvert and perfectionist, she needed time to process and formulate a response before she was ready to share. Now, as a math teacher, Stacey leverages technology to create more equitable and empowering forums for discussion in the classroom—shifting away from a culture that praises the first person to raise their hand to one where every individual has a platform to make their ideas seen and heard.

LISA WINER (TED-Ed Innovative Educator)

How to create lessons that showcase students’ diverse cultures

For so long, the norm in teaching has been to assimilate students: instructing each individual in the same way, regardless of their cultural background. Culturally sustaining pedagogy challenges that narrative, arguing that preserving student backgrounds and embracing diversity causes students to feel more comfortable, relaxed, and willing to learn. In this talk, Lisa Winer shares several lessons she uses in her math classroom that combine the principles of culturally sustaining pedagogy with self-determination theory to engage and energize her diverse group of students.

TAKERU NAGAYOSHI

Why teachers are just like YouTubers

In a 2019 survey of US kids aged 8-12, one third cited being a blogger or YouTuber as their top dream job. In another survey of high school students, only 5% indicated that they wanted to become a teacher. But 2020 Massachusetts Teacher of the Year Takeru Nagayoshi believes that great teachers and great YouTubers are cut from the same cloth, and the more we treat educators with the same respect and prestige that we show to YouTubers, the better chance we have of attracting new talent to the profession.

KIM PRESHOFF (TED-Ed Innovative Educator)

How teacher collaboration strengthens the classroom

When COVID-19 hit schools, many parents and educators worried about the isolating effects of quarantine on students. But longtime educator Kim Preshoff notes that, for decades, teachers have been isolating themselves in their classrooms—often creating lessons, refining skills, and thinking in silos. In this talk, Kim draws on her background as an AP environmental teacher to make the case that the health of an ecosystem is its diversity—and that collaboration between educators in the classroom strengthens outcomes for teachers and students alike.

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Each educator featured here participated in TED Masterclass — a professional learning program that helps people identify, develop and share their ideas with each other … and the world.

Want to bring the TED Masterclass program to your school, district or organization? Learn more here: http://bit.ly/tedmasterclass

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This is part 2 in a series focusing on what educators are building through the TED-Ed Innovative Educator Alumni Innovation Projects. Read part 1 here. 

The TED-Ed Innovative Educator Alumni Innovation Projects launched as a way to solve some of the most pressing issues in education by combining the strengths of inspiring educators who have completed the TED-Ed Innovative Educators (TIE) program. TIEs started the process by developing four Opportunity Statements based on problems they wanted to address in education right now. Those are:

1. Redesign instruction: Reimagine how instruction can comprehensively meet the needs of all students.

2. Redesign how we address inequities: Reimagine how to empower teachers and communities to address race, equity, inclusion, and justice issues.

3. Assess innovations from the COVID-19 pandemic: Assess how to carry forward the innovations created during the pandemic into full-time in-school instruction (and continue to build a culture of school/district innovation).

4. Reinvest in educators’ well-being: Reinvest in how best to support our teachers and admin, professionally, and personally.

Below we highlight some key takeaways from projects that were completed around two Opportunity Statements: assessing innovations from the COVID-19 pandemic and reinvesting in educators’ well-being.

Assessing innovations from the COVID-19 pandemic

Dylan Ferniany, Chief Academic Officer, K-5 (Alabama, USA)

“The COVID-19 pandemic upended the education system overnight. As we re-enter our new normal, we may want to jump right back into the way things were. We have an opportunity to do things differently. This project is a reflection on our pre-pandemic and post-pandemic practices.”

Through the development of her project, Dylan explains that virtual and in-person learning are not mutually exclusive. After conducting a survey, she found that not only have channels of communication between teachers and families become more fluid, but educational practices have also become more transparent – revealing a spectrum of learning options for both children and adults. Dylan suggests that reflecting on and integrating the practices that were introduced during the pandemic is invaluable to education today. These practices can help teachers and school administrators better serve their students across various modes of instruction.

Eric Johnson, 6th Grade Self-Contained Teacher (Indiana, USA)

“We were witnesses to and participants in a real paradigm upheaval, unprecedented uncertainty, and almost constantly changing direction from a lot of different input points. I wanted to capture the focus of changes in instructional practices.”

By speaking with a number of educators and leading external surveys, Eric brought to light the positives that arose from remote learning. His findings indicated that many respondents found their teacher-student relationships to be strong or stronger in virtual classrooms. Eric emphasizes that relationships and empathy are crucial during these times as teachers achieve a greater understanding of students and their environments through literally having windows into each others’ lives.

Lisa Winer, Math Teacher, Doctoral Student in Teaching and Learning (Florida, USA)

“My goal is to share educational findings during the time of COVID-19 on how to best foster student engagement and conversations about math, deepen learning, and lessen anxiety through educational technology and flipped learning.”

Lisa collected data through surveys and a focus group of students to gain a better understanding of how to innovate the teaching of mathematics in the 21st century classroom. She found that– from a student perspective– hybrid models, Google forms for questions, and devices in the classroom (such as a Wacom or an iPad) facilitate effective flipped learning. Lisa suggests implementing traditional teaching methods for new material and flipped learning for less complex material. Additionally, she recommends that educators create videos of their lessons for review so that all students are supported and can grow confidence in their learning.

Maggie Muuk, High School Language Teacher, English and Technology (Kching, Malaysia)

“Many students do not have sufficient access to gadgets or the internet to enable them to stay aligned with lessons and teachers do not have enough exposure [to these tools]. I integrated TED-Ed and I guided them through the ‘how’ and the ‘why.’”

Maggie created a supplementary program at her school using TED-Ed materials to foster students’ critical thinking, deepen their language learning, and develop their discussion skills. By working closely with teachers to promote exposure to a variety of learning tools, Maggie found that many students improved their reading and writing skills while also learning how to construct ideas.

Małgorzata Guzicka, High School Teacher (Legnica, Poland)

“I remember how surprised I was when I started sharing problems with other teachers and other TIEs and seeing how common these problems were. I thought students could have a similar platform where they could connect and share insights.”

After taking inspiration from the TIE program and similar spaces, Małgorzata intends to create an online space where students can learn from each other on an international scale. On this platform, students would be able to meet, learn how to express their opinions, learn about different cultures, improve their language skills, and receive emotional support– all while acknowledging their shared experiences. She was able to lead a call with multiple students and a fellow TIE, Maggie Muuk, and found that her students thoroughly enjoyed participating in the space. With her project, Małgorzata emphasizes the value of connection and collaboration in educational communities, especially during challenging times.

Mitzi Stover Former HS English and Speech Teacher, Current Community College English Teacher (California, USA)

“This is an opportunity to build a better educational system for all students. We should not be looking to ‘return to normal.’ What have we learned in the last sixteen months that we can bring back to our face-to-face classrooms? How can we make education even better?”

Mitzi’s project honed in on the implementation of hard and soft deadlines in the classroom. After identifying improved practices that resulted from virtual learning, Mitzi advocates for flexible deadlines as a way to promote student agency and overall equity. Benefits of hard and soft deadlines include the practice of time management for students and, for teachers, less daunting inboxes and more autonomous students.

Timothy Couillard, High School Physics and Ethics Teacher (Virginia, USA)

“How do we prevent the teacher from being the bottleneck and gatekeeper that stunts what the learning experience could be? How do we encourage authentic collective learning in students that is more than transactional?”

Timothy’s innovation hones in on the value of collective learning and collaborative adventure. For his project, Timothy proposed the creation of a system based on “open world” role-playing game mechanics whereby students have permission to guide their own learning experiences and iterate on each other’s work. Educators can create shared work spaces with an open media component for their students with simple tools like Google Sheets, for example. This framework can then be implemented in more structured core classes that often lack flexibility.

TED-Ed Innovative Educator Alumni

Reinvesting in educators’ well-being

Sarah Harkin, Student and Educator (Shanghai, China)

“I wanted to learn more about the systemic factors that contribute to and hinder teacher well-being. I hope to find real ways to help build teacher capacity and systemic support within schools in order to better prioritize teacher well-being, specifically mental health and work-life balance.”

From research collected from an educator well-being and wellness survey and prior literature, Sarah recognized that there seemed to be three categories of obstacles teachers collectively face: environmental (e.g. the systems they are a part of), personal (e.g. being a caregiver), and career-related (e.g. job requirements, mentorship). She advocates for solutions such as mental health days, restrictions on meetings per week, mental health resources, mentoring, and better training programs for teachers.

Sharon Hadar, Geography Teacher (Raanana, Israel)

“Teachers like nurses, doctors, and other professionals are the base of a community because we teach future generations. What do we need? Is it up to us to deal with our well-being?”

Sharon worked closely with other TIEs to create and distribute a survey regarding educator well-being. She stresses the importance of having a platform to monitor and collect data regarding the individual and collective teacher experience. With this data, members of educational institutions gain incredible insight about how to better serve teachers, students, and families overall.

Check out Part 1, which highlights TIE Innovation Projects addressing inequities in the classroom as well as approaches to redesigning instruction! Many of the TIEs are continuing their alumni engagement and are developing talks on their ideas of how to better education. Updates on TIE talks will be shared in the coming months. And check out our Educator Talks channel, which is dedicated to celebrating and elevating the ideas of educators working in classrooms and schools throughout the world.

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Earlier this year, alumni of the TED-Ed Innovative Educator (TIE) program embarked on their respective Innovation Project journeys – uniting their myriad gifts and experiences to tackle global issues in education. TIEs started the process by developing four Opportunity Statements based on problems they wanted to address in education right now. Those are:

1. Redesign instruction: Reimagine how instruction can comprehensively meet the needs of all students.

2. Redesign how we address inequities: Reimagine how to empower teachers and communities to address race, equity, inclusion, and justice issues.

3. Assess innovations from the COVID-19 pandemic: Assess how to carry forward the innovations created during the pandemic into full-time in-school instruction (and continue to build a culture of school/district innovation).

4. Reinvest in educators’ well-being: Reinvest in how best to support our teachers and admin, professionally, and personally.

Each TIE picked an Opportunity Statement, went through design-thinking exercises to determine their project focus, and went out to test their potential solutions in their communities. Over six months, they met on a call every two weeks, provided updates on their projects, and gave feedback on each other’s progress. Their final learnings were then shared among the group with presentations. Below we highlight some key takeaways from projects that were completed around two Opportunity Statements: redesigning instruction and redesigning how we address inequities.

Explore innovation projects about assessing innovations from the COVID-19 pandemic and reinvesting in educators’ well-being in part 2 of this series.

Redesigning instruction

Georgios Villias, Biology Teacher (Athens, Greece)

“Nourishing student curiosity, offering outdoor opportunities for observation, making inquiry and project-based learning a routine, offering more autonomy that is the recipe for a successful rise in student awareness and empowerment.”

For Georgios, identifying approaches that actively engage students and further their development of knowledge and skill is paramount to education. Being a biology teacher, Georgios surveyed a few of the National Geographic Certified Educators to spotlight successful practices within the National Geographic Learning framework that encourage student engagement and motivation. To effectively implement these practices, he suggests educators must be willing to exit their comfort zones and make necessary adjustments in curriculum, training, and/or policy.

Mahrukh Bashir, Director/Teacher (Tangerang Selatan, Indonesia)

“Education is all about providing rich learning experiences customized to a child’s learning needs, talents, and dispositions. We want an environment that is rich, encouraging, and engaging.”

Mahrukh designed a heutagogical framework where students receive personalized, structured learning based on their interests, capabilities, and talents. With continuous feedback from parents, teachers, and students themselves, Mahrukh was able to successfully implement this framework into her school. As a result, students were able to hone in on their respective passions while also developing their own autonomy in their educational spaces.

TED-Ed Innovative Educator Alumni

Redesigning how we address inequities

Aletha Williams, Lead Teacher (Houston, Texas)

“I chose to participate in the Innovation Project because it gave me the opportunity to speak about the racial inequalities that are happening in schools and because of the things that I was seeing in my own district.”

Aletha’s project aimed to create a framework that allows teachers, students, and parents to address school board members at town halls regarding inequalities occurring in the district. After a successful test run of her town hall meetings concept, the district is now changing the student code of conduct to be more inclusive. Additionally, they are looking into hiring more teachers of color and including a Department of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion to serve the district.

Tim Leistikow, High School Teacher (Minnesota, USA)

“Empowering starts with radical truth-telling. I was humbled by the vulnerability that my colleagues showed while sharing with one another about what it means to be white educators and how whiteness shows up in ways that can negatively impact the learning environment.”

Tim centered his project on discussions about racial and social justice issues in the classroom and leaning into the discomfort that can arise during them. He was inspired by TIEs of color who worked on uplifting marginalized voices and navigating inequity in their communities. He realized that understanding his role as a white, male educator would allow him to show up more authentically for his students. During the past spring, he met with other white educators to unpack their racial identities and explore ways to better learning environments for all students.

Tobye Ertelt, Digital Teacher Librarian (Colorado, USA)

“I want to be able to help students find ways to use their voices without fear. There are too many people within the system right now that are unwilling to change. We have to shift the power source to those who want to see the change and enact the change.”

Tobeye’s innovation consists of creating both an equity center that would serve as a safe-space for students to seek support of all kinds. With these platforms in place, students will learn how to become advocates, find resources to support themselves in various arenas, seek mental support, embrace diversity, and become allies. During the project Tobye was able to start a pilot for the “Virtual Equity Center,” with plans to move it into a physical space down the road.

Wiputra Cendana, Educational Technology Coordinator/Academic Lecturer (Tangerang, Banten, Indonesia)

“This project is to [provide] a new learning model as I synthesize from a particular current teaching experience. I am finding that in lecture we have really high standards and want the students to go up to that standard, but we need to meet the students where they are. We are trying to find a win-win solution and bring them up together.”

Wiputra and his colleagues conducted a research study that tested a framework for approaching inequities in a college classroom, specifically in the context of varying learning speeds. The study demonstrated that modifying the curriculum and providing additional teaching materials enabled slower learners to pass their Computer and Learning Media course. To implement these findings in broader contexts, it is imperative that instructors maintain high flexibility and a design process for each step of learning (before, during, and after lessons).

Check out Part 2, which highlights projects focused on assessing innovation during the pandemic and reinvesting in teacher well-being. Our TIEs are continuing their alumni engagement and are developing Talks sharing their ideas on how to better education. Keep an eye out for updates on TIE Talks in the coming months! And check out our Educator Talks channel, which is dedicated to celebrating and elevating the ideas of educators working in classrooms and schools throughout the world.

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A few years ago, I began to notice that the people I taught about in my World History classes were, more often than not, European men.

When women were included in the state curriculum, they felt like token inclusions who were often related to men and discussed in proximity to them; not as independent actors. They were often queens or empresses, and only a few women of “normal” status made our lessons. I began the work of analyzing my World History lessons to make them more inclusive and diverse. I found that by including women with different backgrounds, fields, and from different parts of the world, I could provide students with role models they could identify with, and remind male students that women are capable of greatness too.

Here’s some additional good news: we don’t need to carve out a single month, special lesson, or unit, to incorporate women into our lessons. First, when planning, I ensure that I include women next to their male colleagues in all my materials. Then, when executing the lessons, I tell these women’s stories in as well-rounded a way as possible because it’s not just who we teach about— it’s how we approach their story that can give it power.

For example, when I teach about Cleopatra, I don’t just talk about her in relation to Julius Caesar or Marc Antony— I spend time discussing how she was a linguist, and the first Greek of the Ptolemaic line ruling Egypt who learned to speak Egyptian; she was a scholar and a woman who understood her people. When I teach about women like the Empress Josephine or Marie Antoinette, I discuss their emotions, letters, relationships, and struggles in unhappy marriages.

In all narratives that we share, male and female alike, we have the opportunity to humanize history, to make people on pages relatable by talking about their emotions, their mental health, and their experiences. When we bring them to life for students, we draw students into history.

I polled my students, past and present, to ask them which figures they remember most, and I have included some of their favorites as well my own. Here are 10 amazing women you should know and share, from the 300s CE to the 1900s CE:

1. Hypatia (c. 370 CE – March 415 CE) – Ancient Rome

Hypatia of Alexandria was a philosopher, mathematician, and teacher, born in Alexandria, Egypt around 370 CE, just before Christianity became the official religion of the Roman Empire. She was the daughter of a mathematician who taught her math and astronomy, and trained her in Neo-Platonic philosophy. She joined her father as a teacher at the University of Alexandria, and was a beloved teacher who fostered an open environment, teaching pagans, Jews, and Christians.

Both her presence as a female teacher and her insistence on an accepting classroom in an increasingly hostile religious atmosphere of early Christian Rome made her courses unusual and that much more coveted. She was widely known for her love of learning and expertise, but in 415 CE, due to her high profile and power as a non-Christian woman, she was targeted by a mob of Christian monks who killed her in the streets. They then also burned the University of Alexandria, forcing the artists, philosophers, and intellectuals to flee the city. Hypatia’s life models open-mindedness, generosity, and a love of learning, and her death is often discussed as a watershed turning point in the Classical world.

Topics you can connect her to in history include the connections between Roman and Greek philosophy, and the rise of Christianity in the Roman Empire. Students have loved learning about a woman who taught in such an open-minded way, and learning she is one of my role models too.

 2. Empress Theodora (c. 497 – c. 548) – The Byzantine Empire

The Byzantine Empress Theodora was born into a circus family in Constantinople, just after the fall of the Western Roman Empire. Her father likely worked as a bear trainer in the Hippodrome, and a young Theodora, it was said, took work as an actress and dancer. The Byzantine Emperor Justinian encountered her one day and, taken by her beauty, determined to marry her. However, because she was a commoner and had a bit of a reputation, special laws had to be passed in order for them to marry.

Though she never technically co-ruled the empire with Justinian, she had significant influence and power, and was a trusted advisor who promoted religious and social policies, many of which benefited women. Some of which included altering divorce laws and prohibiting the traffic of young women. Her name was listed in nearly all laws passed, she had regular communication with other foreign rulers, and received foreign envoys. Empress Theodora is credited with helping stabilize Justinian’s power after she urged him to stand his ground during the Nika revolt of 532 CE.

Topics you can connect her to in history include the Byzantine Empire, naturally, and students have told me they love her backstory and how she fought for women’s rights. They also enjoy how she pushed Justinian to make him a better ruler.

3. Sappho of Lesbos (c. 620 – c. 570 BCE) – Ancient Greece

Sappho of Lesbos was a lyric poet of Ancient Greece who was so famous during her life that statues were created in her honor. She was praised by Plato and other Greek writers, and her peers referred to her as the “Tenth Muse” and “The Poetess.” Very few fragments of her work survived because she wrote in a very specific dialect, Aeolic Greek, which was difficult for later Latin writers to translate.

Her poetry was lyric poetry – to be accompanied by the lyre – and was sung frequently at the parties of high-ranking Greeks. She wrote about passion, loss, and deep human emotions. Some of her surviving poems imply she may have had romantic relationships with women, and thus from her name we get the etymology of “lesbians” and “sapphic.”

Topics you can connect her to in history include the ancient Greeks and Greek philosophy and art. Every year, I have female students who have told me that they valued her inclusion because it was the first time they had heard about an LGBTQ+ person in their history class, and the representation meant so much to them.

4. Margery Kempe (c. 1373 – c. 1440 CE) – Middle Ages Europe

Margery Kempe was an English mystic and traveler, and is also the author of the first autobiography in the English language. She was the mother to 14 children. After her first child was born, Margery had a traumatic postpartum experience of a form of psychosis; for months she was catatonic, experiencing visions, and was tied to her bed for her own safety. For the rest of her life she would experience these visions, and later on she would leave her family and travel on pilgrimages to Spain, Jerusalem, Rome, and Germany.

Margery was known to weep loudly at various shrines and this behavior did not endear her to leaders in the church. She also insisted on wearing white like a nun, seeking specific permission to do so. She narrated her life and travels upon her return to two clerks who wrote it down on her behalf, so it is a unique book in that it shares her very specific life experiences in her own voice. Margery is a conflicting person to teach about because of her mysticism: do we discuss her experiences and travels through the lens of religion, or mental health? Historians often opt for both, as we seek to understand her contributions and life.

Topics you can connect her to in history include Christianity, the Middle Ages in Europe, and travel narratives like those of Marco Polo and Ibn Battuta. My students remember Margery fondly, and she makes their list of favorites consistently. They like how we talk about her through the lens of mental health and that she pursued what she believed despite naysayers.

5. Njinga of Ndongo and Matamba (c. 1581 – c. 1663 CE) – Post-Classical Africa

Njinga Mbandi was a warrior queen of modern Angola. She was born to a concubine of the king of Ndongo and as a daughter, it was unlikely she would take the throne, so her father allowed her to attend many of his important meetings and negotiations, and also allowed her to be trained as a warrior and educated fully. When her half-brother took the throne after their father’s death, he had her infant son killed and Njinga fled to nearby Matamba, but returned when her brother begged her to negotiate on behalf of her people with the rapidly encroaching Portuguese. Njinga did so successfully, due to her notably diplomatic skills and her insistence on respect from the Portuguese, going so far as to refuse to sit lower than them during the negotiations. She won significant concessions from the Portuguese.

When her brother died, Njinga took the throne; at various points during her reign, Njinga was deposed, regained power, lost territory, and gained it. She struggled against the Portuguese to maintain her peoples’ independence. Ultimately, when Njinga died at the age of 81, she left behind a stable kingdom that would be led by women for the majority of the next 100 years. While Ndongo was eventually taken by the Portuguese, Matamba maintained its independence through the 1900s.

Topics you can connect her to in history include Africa and the age of European exploration, as well as African resistance to Europeans. I think it’s important that we show examples of successful resistance and a powerful legacy.

6. Artemisia Gentileschi (c. 1593 – c. 1654) – Renaissance Europe

Artemisia Gentileschi was born in Rome to a gifted painter. Her father trained her to paint and even hired a tutor for her; ultimately this ended in tragedy, as the tutor raped Artemisia. There was a horrific trial and Artemisia was tortured with thumbscrews for “the truth.” Artemisia left for Florence, had a family, and was the first woman to gain membership to the Academy of the Arts of Drawing. She went back to paint in Rome for a time, as well as London where she painted in the court of Charles I, and then settled in Naples.

While in Florence, she painted for Michelangelo the Younger in the Casa Buonoratti, and was paid more than her male peers for her time and efforts. Artemisia’s work is profound, passionate, unabashed, and reclaims the space of women in the stories told about them. She makes women her focal points, her heroines, and paints them in positions of strength, and often revenge.

A topic you can connect her to in history is of course the Renaissance. Artemisia has stuck for many of my female students who have experienced sexual assault or harassment. They have expressed to me that they are inspired by her strength and find solace in her paintings. One of my students even went on to do her senior capstone all about Artemisia, two years after taking my class.

7. Malintzin/Malinche/Doña Marina (c. 1500 – c. 1550) – Colonial Americas

Born to a local chieftain in Central America and a mother whose family ruled a nearby village, Malintzin (or Malinali, or Malinche) was of high rank on both sides of her family. When her father died and her mother remarried, she was secretly sold into slavery so her brother would inherit the land that was her birthright. Malintzin was sold to several tribes, and over the course of her life would learn to speak Maya, Nahuatl, and later Spanish.

She was eventually given to Hernán Cortés and his men in 1519, and upon realizing her skill as a translator, Cortes came to rely on her. Malinztin was baptised as Doña Marina, and traveled with the Spanish for the next few years as they battled or negotiated with various Indigenous groups in the Aztec Empire. She provided cultural context and insight as well as communication skills. Without her, Spanish success in the region would have been difficult to achieve. By 1521, Cortes had conquered the Aztecs and needed her to help him govern. She was given several pieces of land around Mexico City as a reward.

Topics you can connect her to in history include Spanish conquest of the Americas and Indigenous peoples of the Americas. We talk about her complicated legacy as she is viewed by some as a traitor to her people, and to others as a woman who was enslaved and did the best she could to survive in difficult circumstances. My students typically find her a fascinating and sympathetic figure, a woman who did all she could to survive and thrive in adversity.

8. Olympe de Gouges (May 7, 1748 – November 3, 1793) – Enlightenment Europe

Olympe de Gouges, born Marie Gouze, was a political activist and writer during the French Revolution. Married off against her will at the young age of 16, she renamed herself Olympe de Gouges after her husband’s death and moved to Paris. She pursued her education there and rose to a high status in Parisian society. She would host salons for thinkers of the time and would write poetry, plays, and political pamphlets. De Gouges was a pacifist, an abolitionist, and wanted an end to the death penalty. She wanted a tax plan that allowed wealth to be spread more evenly, with welfare for the less fortunate and protections for women and children.

De Gouges was in favor of the French Revolution, but when the Revolution failed to provide the equality it claimed it would, she grew critical. The Revolution was in many ways built on the backs of women: women were some of the first to march against the king and take up arms and they served on the front lines of France’s battles against other European powers. Yet women were not being provided the true “egalite” promised in terms of rights as citizens.

De Gouges wrote her most famous work in response to this, “The Declaration of the Rights of Women” (1791). It was a direct play on The Declaration of the Rights of Man and the Citizen that was part of the first French Constitution. She became increasingly vocal, and in 1793 she was arrested by the revolutionary government and guillotined.

Topics you can connect with Olympe de Gouges, as well as Mary Wollstonecraft, include Enlightenment writers and the Age of Revolutions; it is unfair for Voltaire and Montesquieu to get all the limelight! Her ideas resonate for my students as being very modern, and they appreciate that she never backed down from her convictions and is a model of courage.

9. Manuela Sáenz (December 27, 1797–November 23, 1856) – Revolutionary Americas

Manuela Sáenz is the illegitimate daughter of a Spanish military officer and an Ecuadorian noblewoman. Her childhood included a traditional education in a convent, as well as learning how to ride and shoot. When she was 17,  her father arranged her marriage to an English doctor who was nearly twice her age, James Thorne. She moved with him to Lima, Peru, where she was connected with revolutionaries who were interested in overthrowing the Spanish in Latin America.

She returned to Quito, Ecuador in 1822, and met the revolutionary leader Simón Bolívar. They fell in love and would occasionally live together and go on campaign together. Manuela would go into battle with Bolívar in the cavalry, and was promoted from captain to colonel; she even saved Bolívar from assassination at least twice. She was also given the Order of the Sun, the highest military honor in the revolutionary government. Upon Bolívar’s exile and death in 1830, Manuela had no resources and lived the rest of her life in a small coastal village in Peru, making money by writing letters for sailors, including Herman Melville. She died in a diphtheria outbreak and was buried in a mass grave. Her role in Latin America’s independence has only recently been recognized, and she was granted an Honorary General title in Ecuador in 2007.

Topics you can connect her to in history include Latin American revolutions and the Enlightenment. My students find her time as a soldier and spy endlessly interesting! I enjoy including women, particularly in this period, who went into battle, such as the women of France who fought in the revolutionary wars. I have female JROTC students who like knowing they are part of a long tradition.

10. Lyudmila Pavlichenko (July 12, 1916 – October 27, 1974) – World War II

Lyudmila Pavlichenko was born in Ukraine and was one of the best snipers in history. She pursued sharp shooting when in school and  fought for the Red Army of the Soviet Union during World War II as a trained sniper. She soon began to rack up an impressive tally of kills, reaching 309 in just a few months on the frontline.

The German soldiers knew her by name, and she would engage in some of the most dangerous fighting, sniper seeking sniper. She was wounded four times in battle, and in 1942 she took shrapnel in her face.

She was sent to the United States to tour and drum up American support for the war effort, as the USSR and USA were allies at the time and the USSR depended on continued American engagement. She was often frustrated when asked by American journalists about issues around makeup, clothing, or hair. Finally, she spoke during a tour and said “Gentlemen. I am 25-years-old and I have killed 309 fascist occupants by now. Don’t you think, gentlemen, that you have been hiding behind my back for too long?” This was greeted by a roar of applause.

She got to know Eleanor Roosevelt during this tour and they became good friends. Upon her return to the USSR, Pavlichenko was promoted to major, awarded the Gold Star of the Hero of the Soviet Union, and received the Order of Lenin twice. She continued training other Soviet snipers, and then when the war ended, finished her education at Kiev University and became a historian and research assistant for the Soviet Navy.

Topics you can connect her to in history include World War II and the Cold War. Students adore her story: they find her sass, grit, and action movie skills endlessly fascinating.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Caitlin Tripp is a teacher and curriculum writer for Atlanta Public Schools. Born and raised in West Africa and Latin America, she loves to travel and learn more about the places she visits. She is passionate about women’s history, and in her free time enjoys snuggling up to a history documentary with her husband and their two cats.

Caitlin Tripp originally shared how to incorporate women into history lessons in her Educator Talk submitted through the TED Masterclass for Education program. To learn more about how TED Masterclass for Education inspires educators to develop their ideas into TED-style Talks, visit https://masterclass.ted.com/educator

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If someone forgets your birthday or can’t remember your name, it’s easy to set things right. However, what happens when someone doesn’t include you in your own story? How do you right that wrong?

Throughout history, half the population has been more than ignored by historians: they’ve been erased. Without the tireless organizing work of Ella Baker, would we know Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.? You might know the name of Linda Brown from Brown v. Board of Education in 1954, but have you heard of Mamie Tape, a Chinese immigrant who fought for equal education opportunities for her children in 1885? Or Sylvia Mendez who challenged California education segregation in the 1940s?

In my third year of teaching, I had a class of curious students who didn’t see any value in hearing these stories or hearing of women’s history in general. I asked them to complete this sentence: “Women’s role in the West was…” and they answered with, “unimportant,” “left out,” and “to stay home to cook and clean.” We looked at our textbook and based on the photos there, they were right. I saw women as caregivers only, while men were busy taking action.

So I devised a game-changing activity with my students. The activity creates an experience for students to feel personally erased from the story in order to empower them to listen to more voices. What I did was simple but illuminating, and anyone can do it.

The activity

The idea behind this activity is to give students a sense of what is lost when we tell a story from just one point of view. In this case, the story being told is about them. I write a “textbook chapter” about middle school in the 2020s.  The twist is that the chapter is written using only girls as examples. The narrative and all the photos feature girls, with the occasional boy in the background. I include one boy as a “key term” as well.  As we read through the section, this manufactured oversight is always sure to spark great conversations.

The process

1. I created a survey about the middle school experience, asking students about their favorite classes, teachers, memories, etc., using Google Forms.

2. I created a template in Google Slides that looks like a textbook section. You can use a screenshot of your textbook with boxes covering the text.

3. Every year I make minor adjustments to the text to reflect the current students. Their favorite field trips and experiences are included, and I feature “class leaders” in the vocabulary list.

4. Print the class a set of copies.

5. At the beginning of class, I tell them that I want to get their feedback on a textbook section I’m writing about middle school in the 21st century.

6. Everyone studies the textbook section carefully, looking for their friends and themselves.

7. As the boys in class realize they’ve been left out of the story or relegated to the sidebar, we discuss how this happens in history:

a. How does it feel to be left out?

b. How does it feel when I say, “I already know about one boy. I don’t need to know about you.”

c. How would it feel to be half the population, but you are left out of the story for centuries?

d. How much more invisible would you feel if your identity wasn’t just a “woman” but an immigrant, a woman of color?

8. As a follow-up, we count the photos in our textbook and analyze how women are portrayed and how often they are included. We also examine intersectional identities: where are women of color? Where are indigenous people? Where are people with disabilities?

The result

After completing the activity, we revisited the sentence, “Women’s role in the West was…” This time they wrote that women were vital, courageous, strong, fighters, essential, independent, brave, curious, and fierce. My student Nick explained, “women make up half of the population and leaving them out would be like leaving out half of the story… Many women were agents of change.” And Yasmina wrote, “without them it’s just a big gap in history.” Now, my students better understand the injustice of being written out of history, and during Women’s History Month we celebrate the stories of the women who have been erased.

Try it yourself

So how can you recreate this transformative experience? With elementary-age children, a picture book about the class could stand-in for the textbook. The key with this activity is to allow adults or students to discover the erasure on their own. Inquiry opens up our minds to be curious about possibilities. Experiencing being left out, or being featured as the main characters in a story, empowers children to take action. At the close of the activity, be intentional about the value of empathy. Our goal is to intentionally inspire inquiry, not injury. Once you’ve trained children to look for who is missing, they will want to investigate and tell those stories. Help them turn up the volume on the voices that have been silenced.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Before entering the classroom, Erin McCarthy captivated students on museum field trips through dance, play, art, and storytelling. For the past nine years, she’s worked to bring the same joy of inquiry and curiosity to middle school students as an 8th-grade social studies teacher in the suburbs of Milwaukee. In 2020, McCarthy was named the Wisconsin Teacher of the Year because she’s made it her mission to ensure every child sees diverse heroes, leaders, activists, and innovators reflected in America’s story. Curiosity, open-mindedness, and asking questions are the key to success in her class, and McCarthy never stops challenging students to look at the world from a new perspective. Middle school kids want to change the world and end injustice, and this is why she loves middle school.

Erin McCarthy originally shared this activity in her Educator Talk submitted through the TED Masterclass for Education program. To learn more about how TED Masterclass for Education inspires educators to develop their ideas into TED-style Talks, visit https://masterclass.ted.com/educator

TED-Ed Innovative Educators

In 2015, TED-Ed launched the TED-Ed Innovative Educator (TIE) program, a year-long professional development program for dynamic educators who are dedicated to celebrating the ideas of students and teachers around the world. Six years later, we have 104 alumni representing over 20+ countries, constantly thinking of new ways to innovate in education.

2020 brought on unpredictable levels of global change: a pandemic, racial reckoning, and world-wide political upheavals. The traditional system of schooling has experienced significant disruptions in the past year.

These changes signaled a call to action: the TIEs, coming from rural, urban and suburban communities, in roles including classroom teachers, adjunct professors, superintendents, librarians, college advisors, district tech specialists, and more, are coming together to build some solutions.

First, the TIEs identified problems in global education and turned them into four main Opportunity Statements:

1. Redesign instruction: Reimagine how instruction can comprehensively meet the needs of all students.
2. Redesign how we address inequities: Reimagine how to empower teachers and communities to address race, equity, inclusion, and justice issues.
3. Assess innovations in pandemic: Assess how to carry forward the innovations created during the pandemic into full-time in-school instruction (and continue to build a culture of school/district innovation).
4. Reinvest in educators’ well-being: Reinvest in how best to support our teachers and admin, professionally and personally.

Next, each TIE has chosen one Opportunity Statement to work on for their Innovation Project. Follow their journey over this year as they collaborate, design, test, and share their innovations; we will be reporting back through the project development.

Explore why some TIEs are working on their chosen Innovation Project:

Redesign instruction

Alejandra Guzman (Texas, USA)

I have worked in the curriculum and instruction department in two different school districts over the last 6 years. I know that in many schools, some parts of instruction, curriculum, and assessment are out-dated, focused too much on standardized assessments and not on deep learning, making connections with other content areas, and application to solve real-world problems. This type of instruction will strengthen student critical thinking, problem solving, and communication skills. I believe rethinking what instruction should and can look like and creating a realistic instructional model will help many educators go back to focus on what the true meaning of education should be.

Christie Simpson (Perth Western, Australia)

I work at school in a low socio-economic area. We have high rates of poverty and transiency and over 60% of our students have some developmental trauma. Only 35% of our Year 7 students arrive at high school able to read at grade level. 35% are still learning to read with fluency and 30% are still learning to decode words. How do teachers cater for this? Mostly, they try to muddle through the vast amounts of content in our curriculum, often using ineffective – though well-intentioned – discovery or inquiry based learning practices. I know there is great value in those models, but I also know that our students need strong foundational literacy and numeracy capacity as well as concrete background knowledge which they can draw on as they start to inquire. I’d like to see us arm teachers at both ends of the instructional spectrum, so that they can competently and effectively meet their students at their point of need.

Georgios Villias (Athens, Greece)

I honestly believe that living in a world which overwhelms us daily with information, it is humanly impossible to stay focused on something unless it is useful, exciting, and meaningful for you. This reality applies to schools as well. Instruction should be much more than just content knowledge. Instruction should also care about developing skills, showcasing each individual’s unique talents, engaging learners to act in real-life situations, nourishing and inspiring youngsters’ minds, teaching moral values in a social context and so much more. Molding students’ character, encouraging active citizenship, and raising the next generation of ethical problem-solvers always start from family and school. I would be honored as an educator to make even a minor, constructive contribution to my students’ lives towards that direction.

“Instruction should be much more than just content knowledge.”

Kristin Leong (Washington, USA)

Students and teachers deserve more diverse, timely, and dynamic resources and more support. Teaching is hard. Online teaching during a pandemic, a civil rights uprising, and an insurrection is really hard. In addition, the news cycle is relentless. The Sisyphean task of educators to constantly find great resources to build an engaging curriculum that responds to quickly-shifting current events is profoundly challenging. Lastly, our students are increasingly diverse in race, culture, sexual orientation, and gender identity, while our teachers remain mostly white, female, and heterosexual. Connecting with young people across these divides, when you instruct 30+ students at a time, only compounds the challenge of designing original curriculum. As a former QPOC teacher myself, I know teachers need more support and a reliable flow of trustworthy and updated resources by diverse sources to connect their classrooms to current events in ways that inspire students to engage with the world and their learning.

My weekly newsletter ROCK PAPER RADIO is one way I’m offering support to teachers. Every Thursday, I share three multimedia stories by diverse thinkers and creatives delivered via email for free. The newsletter is quick (less than five min to read), and organized by format (an audio feature, an essay or article, a human interest story). All stories are linked to current events and framed for personal engagement.

The Black Lives Matter movement has shaken awake all of the systems that make up society, including our education system. Young people are paying attention and rightfully demanding more inclusive and more current curriculum now. I’m thrilled to be part of this TIE alumni group working to usher in that much-needed change with heart, innovation, and more than a little bit of courage.

Mahrukh Bashir (Tangerang Selatan, Indonesia)

I have encountered instructional models dominated by the ideas of transfer of content and knowledge with the implicit understanding that learners are merely vessels to be filled. This system had, and still has, standardized curricula delivered in standardized ways and the effectiveness assessed using standardized testing. On the other hand, I have been refreshingly greeted by ideas of developing students’ talents and dispositions, differentiation and individual needs. However, the perfect instructional model that takes into account individual needs and delivers academic rigor and deep learning is yet to present itself. I want to explore and implement an innovative model of instruction that comes closest to this, what has effectively become “the holy grail of modern education.”

Reimagine how we address inequities

Craig Zimmer (Ontario, Canada)

I love the fact that we are having some real conversations here. We need to advocate for students and show that, as educators, we are on their side no matter what. In 2021, we have to ensure that education is inclusive and accessible to all students. This is going to require very big changes and it all starts when we go to work to bring about real reform.

Fred Sagwe (Kisii, Kenya)

I believe the approach to inequities on race, equity, inclusion and social justice issues means different things depending on the region and countries. For example in Kenya and most parts of sub-Saharan Africa, the challenges have a gender-based perspective. There was the challenge of FGM among young girls who, after circumcision, are married young, hence dropping out of schools. Also, marginalization in less developed regions in Kenya also hinder favorable educational outcomes. School infrastructure is a concern too, including the availability of reliable internet connectivity. The government is trying to remedy the situations.

Jen Ward (Michigan, USA)

This past year has served to highlight in so many different ways the divides, gaps, and inequalities that are systematized in our educational spaces. I selected this project because I believe as a global group of change-makers, we are able to come together, dig deep, and put forth proposals for real change to ensure that all students have an opportunity to learn, grow, and be heard.

Sandy Chambers (North Carolina, USA)

Working to change a system that perpetuates inequities is my calling. Working with others who believe that change can happen is inspirational and hopeful. As an administrator, I have more “power” than I think. I know we can make a change!

“Empowering starts with radical truth-telling, which means listening to all stakeholders, especially students.”

Shameka Williams (Georgia, USA)

I want better for all students that have unfair disadvantages due to a system that was not historically designed with all children in mind. I want better for each generation, so they do not experience the same setbacks as those before them and have to work harder to prove themselves as equal. Moreover, I want to tackle this problem with others that bring different perspectives so that the narrative and outcomes are inclusive of everyone! One perspective cannot be the solution to this global issue.

Tim Leistikow (Minnesota, USA)

I am not sure how we achieve any meaningful change in our system (I teach in the USA, but I assume similar issues in other countries) until we start telling the truth about the history that led to the inequities that exist and persist today. Empowering starts with radical truth-telling, which means listening to all stakeholders, especially students. I have done a project with students on creating the ideal education system for the past 10 years, and every cohort sees addressing inequities around race, gender, religion, sexuality, socio-economic status, and more, as being a primary first step to making schools a better place for students.

Wiputra Cendana (Tangerang, Banten, Indonesia)

Equity and equality become great challenges especially for the students who have learning difficulties, connectivity issues, and other variables. This project is to give a new learning model as I synthesize from a particular current teaching experience. I truly hope the project will be a small sparkle and idea which can equip educators around the world to confront these issues. Entrust the learning essence and ‘meat’ will be absorbed well by the students across the world. Let’s think globally, connect intentionally, share clearly, and act locally.

Assess innovations during the pandemic

Lisa Winer (Florida, USA)

I found that during Hybrid teaching, I couldn’t see my students’ work – they used to work on whiteboards or I could walk around and see how well they understood. But even then, I didn’t hear from or see everyone. For my capstone project for my EdD, I am researching how to add ed tech to the classroom to help capture student thought and to include the voices of the students who are quiet or who aren’t risk-takers. I want to hear from all students and showcase them all as well. This was something brought forth from the pandemic because never before had I not been able to see the work of my students as they were thinking.

Maggie Muuk (Kching, Malaysia)

I would want to know more about innovation as many of my students were left behind by this pandemic. Many of them do not have sufficient access to gadgets or internet to enable them to stay aligned with the lesson. Currently, we are only using WhatsApp to communicate. I’m looking for low technology to make them want to study.

Małgorzata Guzicka (Legnica, Poland)

I truly believe that because of the pandemic, we have rediscovered online learning. Teachers are learning how to use different platforms and educational apps to enhance online learning; students are doing projects in groups using educational websites. I think it would be awesome if students and teachers from different countries could work and learn from one another, do projects together and meet online. I am thinking about a project that could help teachers and students learn from one another about their cultures.

Shawn T. Loescher (California, USA)

The pandemic has represented a time of tremendous learning for our educational and social institutions. Within the pandemic, nearly 1.5 billion children around the world have had disruptions to their typical educational environment. Through this disruption, we have learned that there are multiple modalities and ways of learning. To me, the challenge we face as we emerge from the pandemic is which of the many successful lessons we’ve learned should be adopted and institutionalized to advance academic performance, address inequities, and redesign our schools, in order to create a more human-centered experience that is sustainable in scale and scope.

“The students we will meet on the other side of this pandemic will deserve better than a return to the ‘old normal.’”

Susan Herder (Minnesota, USA)

Educators and students were forced to change suddenly in the midst of the pandemic, often without adequate support. I chose this project because as we return to a combination of in-person and online classes, teachers need to be able to let go of the practices that are not effective and continue to use innovations that engage students and close gaps and eliminate inequities.

Tim Couillard (Virginia, USA)

Well frankly, there is no going back. The students we will meet on the other side of this pandemic will deserve better than a return to the “old normal.” I suspect (and secretly hope) they will demand it. Amid the toll and tragedy of this past year, I hope we find a way to get education “unstuck,” to shed the lockstep factory model of learning once and for all. Let’s hope that necessity is still the mother of invention. I suspect that we have all had a chance to cultivate some new habits of mind that will be as useful in-person as they are at a distance. I’m excited to see where that leads us.

Lastly, I hope that we abandon, or at least push back against, the anxiety-fueled march of “more is more” when it comes to education. Students are people first, learners second. They are more than the test data the system can coax from them to tout their “success.” If we truly believe in social and emotional learning, we need to reject it as a mere tool to boost productivity. We need to not only mean what we say, but ask ourselves if our actions match our words. Ultimately, I hope we can look back on all this and say, tired as we are, we still found the strength to work for a world where what we have gained from this pandemic will be greater than all we have lost.

Umar Anjum (Lahore, Pakistan)

I am working on this as I have seen that inequalities and gaps in the education system have been growing and merely adding more resources is not helping. That is why I believe the answer is hidden in the Innovations.

Reinvest in educators’ well-being

Sarah Harkin (Shanghai, China)

Self-care isn’t just a buzzword; it’s critical. So much is asked of teachers. I hope to find real ways to help build teacher capacity and systemic support within schools in order to better prioritize teacher well-being, specifically mental health and work-life balance.

“Self-care isn’t just a buzzword; it’s critical.”

Sharon Hadar (Raanana, Israel)

During the pandemic, most things have become accelerated – emotions, thoughts, worries, health issues, financial difficulties, and more. On top of this, education systems and educators have been put under the microscope. We get so much criticism from parents, the media, politicians, our administrators, and more.

We, the educators, are the foundation and base for our communities. Our well-being is essential for our communities; teachers have to support each other, be strong, and stay united. It is also making sure there is a way to release and vent, while at the same time find the strength to continue doing our job the best way we can. I want to find the right way to do this, together with the rest of the TIEs, as a part of a strong and cohesive group that can change people’s viewpoint about teachers. It’s time for us to take care and support each other. I am sure that with this project we will find the best way to achieve this!

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A South Texas school district is inspiring student voices by utilizing the TED-Ed Student Talks curriculum in all their 6th grade writing classrooms.

Here, educator Corinne Spellane discusses how they incorporated the program into the ELA curriculum, and how it helped students find their passion, organize their ideas, build their confidence, and share their own TED-style Talks.

Los Cuates Middle School 2020 showcase

Check out Los Cuates Middle School’s showcase promo and their 2020 Talk showcase.

Rolling out the program

It all started with the little ones! Several of our feeder elementary schools have established TED-Ed Clubs in their after-school programs. When we saw and heard what these kiddos were capable of, we knew we had to help it grow. We decided to start with 6th grade students so that they could rely upon their elementary TED-Ed Club experience.

In Los Fresnos, we provide middle school students with a separate writing class. Preparing for a speech involves organization akin to that required in writing essays and compositions. Therefore it just seemed natural to incorporate the TED-Ed Student Talks curriculum in the writing classes. It was such a treat to watch their ideas snowball from their experience in elementary school!

Making it work in the classroom

The 6th grade ELA department is a pioneering group of eager educators willing to try innovative approaches to give students a voice and strengthen their writing skills. We began by eagerly sifting through the TED-Ed Student Talks Guidebook and other TED-Ed resources. We then reviewed the district’s pacing guide and important dates to establish a basic schedule for the project. Teachers continually shared their feedback and we adjusted accordingly. Once the timeline was established, we set non-negotiable goals and checkpoints to ensure students had adequate time to complete and share their Talks. Teachers had a wide range of negotiable items that allowed them the freedom to make personal and classroom adjustments.

We really had to evaluate our timeline and make the necessary adjustments sometimes on a class-by-class basis. For one class in particular, we noticed that the kids’ passions from Activity 3 in the Guidebook changed after they’d gone through Exploration. This most likely was due to the time and opportunity to think, reflect, and watch more Talks. When they got to the “What are my great ideas?” activity, students found that their passions had evolved. We realized that students need more time to talk out their ideas and reflect on what they truly wanted to say.

Liberty Memorial Middle School

One of my favorites was a student who originally identified her passion as “Raising Show Cattle for Future Farmers of America.” After some extended conversation, she eventually discovered that her “great idea” was actually about her feeling of empowerment when showing animals well over a thousand pounds. Her Talk then shifted to the idea of “Girl Power in the Show Ring.”

Additionally, for Exploration 7 around researching the idea, many of the teachers recommended the use of laptops or computer lab time to help with the research process and teachers provided ample class time for research. Some teachers also encouraged students to continue the research process at home. In many cases, students chose to continue their work beyond class time because it was so interesting to them.

Supporting educators

Teachers need patience, flexibility, and time! For some of the activities teachers asked me to join them. It was helpful to have an additional adult in the room to aid the students during specific parts of the process. This was important especially at the beginning when students were coming up with ideas.

My favorite part was watching this process evolve across the three different middle schools. Teachers were able to share and collaborate on their challenges and success while still adding their personal teaching styles. Our group of teachers tried to come together regularly, so that could share our experiences as facilitators, but it was difficult. Fortunately, every middle school had a team of two teachers that were able to collaborate. In the future, it would be very beneficial to have regularly scheduled meetings between the facilitators, and a forum of some kind where teachers could post ideas and suggestions.

Utilizing the Student Talks curriculum

The Student Talks Guidebook was the cornerstone of our timeline. We also watched tons of TED Talks and TEDx Talks to help us through the process. Some of our favorites were: how to grow from underdog to basketball and social media icon, school strike for climate, and the danger of a single story.

Once I gathered all of the materials, we came together to develop our timeline. I first reviewed Idea Book and materials, then worked with teachers to create a timeline and list of resources, which can be seen here: TED Talk Passion Project and Showcase.

The TED-Ed curriculum provides the common core standards, which we don’t use in Texas. But, it was easy to match the activities provided in the Idea Book with our Texas curriculum standards. For example, one Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills standard states, “develop drafts into a focused, structured, and coherent piece of writing by: organizing with purposeful structure, including an introduction, transitions, coherence within and across paragraphs, and a conclusion.” Similarly, the “Discover” section of the TED-Ed Student Talks Idea Journal guides the students through the brainstorming and organizing process in a new and fun way! It was easy to tag our standards with this activity. The kids really didn’t see it as work and it was almost as if we tricked them into writing an essay because they were developing their Talk.

Developing a throughline activity at Liberty Memorial Middle School

Some parting advice

I recommend that teachers work through the student guide book themselves first to develop their own Talks. If you are able to participate in TED Masterclass that would be even better! Having the experience first really helps you to understand the process and be able to assist your students. Be patient and expect your students to struggle, as this process is challenging and a novel concept for most kids.

TED

The world is continuing to experiment with virtual events, and to recognize that we need ideas and dialogue that can connect us more than ever.

So in June 2020, we created the TED-Ed Building Together event to celebrate educators’ ideas in the TED-Ed community. District leaders, principals, teachers, organization leaders, program directors, and more joined from all over the United States and all over the world.

To put this event together, we first identified what was most important to our audience during this time and decided our format and platform. We then surfaced important ideas that were submitted by educators through the TED Masterclass course. Next, we came up with a run of show: we decided to highlight Talk clips from five amazing educators, interview the speakers after showing their Talk clips, and create two spaces for breakout discussions during the 90 minute event.

Here are the five incredible educators that presented at the TED-Ed Building Together event. Take a look at their ideas:

What we lose when we stop telling our stories – Harpreet Parhar

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion training is vital, but are we missing something when we prioritize standardized curricula over personal storytelling? Harpreet Parhar’s suggestion for finding our way back to the human side of education? Stories.

Impact students by investing in relationships – Quentin Lee

What do we teach our students through the relationships we build with them? Today, as a principal and school administrator, Quentin Lee sees firsthand the impact meaningful relationships can have on students.

4 paths for productive conversations about bias – Amber Cabral

Diversity and inclusion strategist Amber Cabral gives 4 tips to help you have healthy and productive conversations surrounding identity and bias.

When you’re an educator, ignorance is not an excuse – George Iannuzzi

The key to being an educator students can trust? Be proactive in your own learning. Educator George Iannuzzi learned from his own experiences not to wait for students to teach adults the difference between right and wrong.

The real test? Bouncing back from disaster – Lucio Padilla

Principal Lucio Padilla was determined to bring his school’s test scores up, but in the face of a natural disaster he learned what success really looks like.

Leading up to the event, we also collected reflections from community members from around the world to acknowledge and reflect on the difficulties that the year 2020 has presented to students, educators, and families everywhere. We turned these reflections into short videos on the resilience demonstrated by educators teaching during a pandemic and collected educators thoughts on how we can all grow and chart a path forward.

“Giving us a chance to get together on a platform like this can really allow educators to respond to what is happening in the world in real time (as opposed to a conference on a larger scale in which we may have to wait for months to learn or have conversations.) I had a vivid daydream yesterday at one point during the event of TED-Ed creating these kind of “pop-up” type experiences to allow educators to come together as necessary when new challenges arise in our world…I really believe that having different types of opportunities for us to share our ideas…matches up so well with a major concept that educators believe in: differentiation.” 

– George Iannuzi, District of the Chathams in Chatham, New Jersey

The Building Together event was a chance to honor educators, their ideas, and the hard work they do every single day. While different from our usual events, Building Together allowed us to continue sharing ideas to inspire discussion and reflection among our community. We can’t wait to see what your virtual events look like!

To also see how student ideas are being celebrated in the virtual space, check out this blogpost about our TED-Ed Student Talk community’s virtual events.