TED Talks Education in Three Unique Ways

TED, a nonprofit organization devoted to spreading ideas in the form of short, powerful talks, has many influential thinkers leading conversations in the education realm. Because of this, we’ve collected our favorite TED Talks that shed light on education in three very distinct and thought-provoking ways, which provide serious food for thought in the land of higher education.

1. What we’re learning from online education- Daphne Koller, a Stanford professor and a 3rd generation Ph.D who is passionate about education, gives an insightful 20-minute presentation that makes a case for online education. In her talk, she addresses what can be learned via the web and how to apply that to traditional institutions. Through her start-up, Coursera, Koller makes the college experience available to anyone across the globe for free and shows the value not just as a service, but as a way to research how people learn and collaborate through online learning.

2. Bring on the learning revolution- In this poignant 18-minute video, Ken Robinson, a creativity expert, challenges the way we educate our learners. He makes the case for a radical shift from standardized schools to personalized learning — creating conditions where people’s natural talents can flourish so more individuals will start enjoying what they do instead of enduring it. He divulges that life is not linear; it’s organic and our teaching methods should reflect as such.

3. What adults can learn from kids- Adora Svitak, a short story writer and blogger since the age of 7, travels around the United States and speaks to adults and children as an advocate for literacy. Now 12 and still a child herself, she challenges the boundaries of learning, saying the world needs more “childish” thinking: bold ideas, wild creativity, and optimism. She goes further, stating that adults should start learning from children as much as they teach because learning should be reciprocal, even in a classroom setting.

Maybe we agree with all three of these unique points of view, or maybe we agree with bits and pieces from each. But isn’t that what education is all about — to learn about different views and methods and to talk about them openly?

So the real question is, have these bite-sized videos broadened your mind in relation to the field of education, specifically higher education?