In a single click to the TED Talks of the World website we have hundreds of talks categorised with the tag 'education'. Today, from St. George's British International School, we have delved deep to make a selection of TED Talks about education that will not leave you indifferent. We chose the talks for being inspiring, for motivating when you need encouragement, for giving that push to be better educators (teachers or parents), and above all, for finding a moment of disconnection with our self, where we find the source of unlimited potential to continue contributing, our grain of sand, and elevate the present and the future of our society.

 

TED Talk 1: The new challenges of education | César Bona | TEDxBarcelona

The only Spanish finalist among the 50 best teachers in the world for the Nobel Prize in Education, César Bona narrates his vision in this TED Talk on education. In it he tells how to educate the new generations, how to be a good teacher, how to transmit attitude and enthusiasm on a daily basis, and above all, how to maintain curiosity. All subjects are important, but it is necessary to incorporate into the school curriculum the fact of educating in values such as respect, tolerance and emphasising emotional intelligence. According to César Bona, "the human factor, which is essential to our development as people, is much more relevant than standardised assessment methods using numerical grades".

 

TED Talk 2: Learning to choose: what career should I study? | Liliana Llamas | TEDxBariloche

The talk by sociologist Liliana Llamas presents, through her experience in vocational guidance, a new point of view when it comes to choosing a professional career: What to study? What career to choose? What is the lifestyle we want in the future? What is the decision that brings us closer to the person we want to be?

 

TED Talk 3: The key to success? Determination| Angela Lee Duckworth

After leaving a prestigious consulting job, Angela Lee Duckworth took a job as a seventh grade maths teacher in a New York public school. She quickly realised that IQ wasn't the only thing that separated the successful students from the struggling ones. Here, she explains her theory of "grit" as a predictor of success.

TED Talk 4: Teach girls courage, not perfection |Reshma Saujani

We are raising our girls to be perfect and raising our boys to be brave, says Reshma Saujani, the founder of Girls Who Code. Saujani has taken it upon herself to socialise girls to take risks and learn to code, two skills needed to move society forward. To truly innovate, we cannot leave half of our population behind, she says. "I need each of us to tell every girl we meet to be comfortable with imperfection.

 

TED Talk 5: Every child needs a champion | Rita Pierson

In the age of influencers this TED Talk is perfect. At our school, we strive to be leaders in our subject area. In this TED Talk, Rita Pierson, an educational professional for 40 years, takes a look at the role of the teacher and what it means for students during their time at school. In this talk, and thanks to her lifelong experience with students, Pierson highlights the importance of the teacher as a reference and how to create a good connection between both parties.

TED Talk 6: You deserve the right to fix your stuff | Gay Gordon-Byrne

This TED Talk is not strictly about education, but we must take care of the planet and teach our students and children that, in the age of consumerism, speed, e-commerce ... before you throw away, or buy again, you can repair. Gay Gordon-Byrne, who declares herself a "repair geek", is a driving force behind the "right to repair" movement, which aims to enable people to repair their things. She describes how this movement is moving forward legislatively and details how moving away from the "throwaway society" can literally turn junk into treasure, so that we can all experience that feeling of "Yes! I fixed it!". A TED Talk to educate on the value of repair.

 

TED Talk 7: How to change your mindset and choose your future |Tom Rivett-Carnac

To end this list of TED Talks on education we turn to attitude. Political strategist Tom Rivett-Carnac advocates adopting a "stubborn optimism", to face climate change, or any crisis that comes our way, and take the necessary steps to build a regenerative future. As he says: "Stubborn optimism can fill our lives with meaning and purpose".

 

In our ongoing quest to enhance the skills of our students, motivational talks have gained a place. Would you like to listen to one?