TED Talks Education
Activity Overview
Episode publication activity over the past year
Episodes
How to design a school for the future | Punya Mishra
02 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In all the conversations about improving education for children, the voices of students, teachers and community members are often left out. Educationa...
The rise of the "trauma essay" in college applications | Tina Yong
07 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
As if college applications aren't stressful enough, disadvantaged youth are often encouraged to write about their darkest traumas in their admissions ...
How video games can level up the way you learn | Kris Alexander
09 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Video games naturally tap into the way we learn: they focus our attention and track our progress as we head toward a clear goal. Kris Alexander, a pro...
Reviving the legacy of the Black teaching tradition | Sharif El-Mekki
28 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Educator Sharif El-Mekki advocates for the revival of the Black teaching tradition — a set of educational practices grounded in philosophies, values...
How Black queer culture shaped history | Channing Gerard Joseph
01 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Names like Bayard Rustin, Frances Thompson and William Dorsey Swann have been largely erased from US history, but they and other Black queer leaders p...
The board game getting kids excited about school | Joel Baraka
20 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Going to school in a refugee camp can be complicated: students encounter crowded classrooms, rigid curricula and limited access to teachers. Joel Bara...
How play helps a kid's brain grow | Jesse Ilhardt
15 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
A little bit of playtime can have big benefits for a child's developing brain, like a superfood -- but adult participation is a crucial ingredient for...
The most powerful yet overlooked resource in schools | Heejae Lim
30 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
"When teachers and families work together, everyone wins," says education technology entrepreneur and TED Fellow Heejae Lim. She shines a light on an ...
How schools can nurture every student's genius | Trish Millines Dziko
21 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Forget home economics and standardized tests, education visionary Trish Millines Dziko has a much more engaging and fulfilling way for students to dev...
The mission to safeguard Black history in the US | Julieanna L. Richardson
17 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Black history in the US is rich, profound -- and at risk of being lost forever, if not for the monumental efforts of Julieanna L. Richardson. As the f...
What Wikipedia teaches us about balancing truth and beliefs | Katherine Maher
25 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Even with public trust at an all-time low, Wikipedia continues to maintain people's confidence. How do they do it? Former CEO of Wikimedia Foundation ...
My long walk across India for women's freedom | Srishti Bakshi
10 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
There are 600 million women in India -- yet they are rarely seen outdoors after sunset because of safety concerns like harassment and catcalls. On a m...
Ukraine's fight to keep educating its children | Zoya Lytvyn
14 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The Russian invasion of Ukraine has destroyed so much -- including hundreds of schools, where the country's children were forging their futures -- but...
The creativity and community behind fanfiction | Cecilia Aragon
09 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The wildly diverse, thoughtful and hilarious world of fanfiction -- where writers reimagine favorite stories like "Harry Potter," "Pokémon," "My Litt...
Education is a fundamental right for every child | Makhtoum Abdalla
10 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
For children growing up in refugee camps, education is a powerful tool of liberation. In this inspiring talk, Makhtoum Abdalla, displaced as a child i...
3 ways to lower the barriers to higher education | Adrian K. Haugabrook
09 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
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 ...
The dream of educating Afghan girls lives on | Shabana Basij-Rasikh
03 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
In this deeply moving talk, educator Shabana Basij-Rasikh shares the harrowing story of evacuating more than 250 students, staff and family members fr...
A program to empower Black teachers in the US | Larry Irvin
18 Nov 2021
Contributed by Lukas
TED Fellow and education innovator Larry Irvin envisions a world where every child can see themselves reflected in their teachers. With his team at Br...
A close-to-home solution for accessible childcare | Chris Bennett
21 Oct 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Childcare needs a transformation -- but rather than investing billions in new buildings and schools, what if we could unlock the potential of people a...
The small business hustle | The Hartford
18 Oct 2021
Contributed by Lukas
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 lo...
3 myths about racism that keep the US from progress | Candis Watts Smith
16 Jul 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Racism morphs, spreading and hiding behind numerous half-truths and full-blown falsities about where it lives and who embodies it. In this actionable ...
How dirt bikes and STEM ignite ingenuity in Baltimore | Brittany Young
24 May 2021
Contributed by Lukas
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 B...
Women and girls, you are part of the climate solution | Rumaitha Al Busaidi
03 May 2021
Contributed by Lukas
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 m...
The exploitation of US college athletes | Tim Nevius
05 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Colleges and universities in the US make billions of dollars each year from sports, compromising the health and education of athletes -- who are dispr...
Online learning could change academia -- for good | Tyler Dewitt
18 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Higher education remains rooted in rigid, traditional structures and tracks -- and it's at risk of getting left behind in favor of expanded access, gr...
Technology can't fix inequality -- but training and opportunities could | 'Gbenga Sesan
11 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Centuries of inequality can't be solved with access to technology alone -- we need to connect people with training and support too, says tech inclusio...
What COVID-19 revealed about US schools -- and 4 ways to rethink education | Nora Flanagan
27 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
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...
Why should you read Toni Morrison's "Beloved"? | Yen Pham
05 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
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 Blu...
Lessons on leaving the world better than you found it | Sophie Howe
10 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Sophie Howe is the world's only future generations commissioner, a new kind of government official tasked with advocating for the interests of generat...
Why we must confront the painful parts of US history | Hasan Kwame Jeffries
24 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
To move forward in the United States, we must look back and confront the difficult history that has shaped widespread injustice. Revisiting a signific...
Activism, changemakers and hope for the future | Malala Yousafzai
10 Jul 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Education activist (and recent Oxford graduate) Malala Yousafzai reflects on the defining moments of her life, how she balances passion with personhoo...
A path to higher education and employment for refugees | Chrystina Russell
19 Jun 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Out of the more than 70 million displaced people worldwide, only three percent have access to higher education. The Global Education Movement (GEM) is...
Why students should have mental health days | Hailey Hardcastle
11 May 2020
Contributed by Lukas
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 thei...
How teachers can help students navigate trauma | Lisa Godwin
11 Feb 2020
Contributed by Lukas
"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...
How virtual reality turns students into scientists | Jessica Ochoa Hendrix
28 Jan 2020
Contributed by Lukas
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...
The "opportunity gap" in US public education -- and how to close it | Anindya Kundu
03 Jan 2020
Contributed by Lukas
How can we tap into the potential of all students, especially those who come from disadvantaged backgrounds? Sociologist Anindya Kundu invites us to t...
How motivation can fix public systems | Abhishek Gopalka
23 Oct 2019
Contributed by Lukas
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 st...
A bold plan to empower 1.6 million out-of-school girls in India | Safeena Husain
23 Sep 2019
Contributed by Lukas
"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...
What reading slowly taught me about writing | Jacqueline Woodson
12 Sep 2019
Contributed by Lukas
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 ...
A new way to get every child ready for kindergarten | Claudia Miner
17 Jul 2019
Contributed by Lukas
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 t...
Why we need to fight misinformation about vaccines | Ethan Lindenberger
25 Jun 2019
Contributed by Lukas
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 po...
Why kids need to learn about gender and sexuality | Lindsay Amer
24 Jun 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Lindsay Amer is the creator of "Queer Kid Stuff," an educational video series that breaks down complex ideas around gender and sexuality through songs...
The healing power of reading | Michelle Kuo
06 Jun 2019
Contributed by Lukas
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...
How hip-hop helps us understand science | Danielle N. Lee
19 Apr 2019
Contributed by Lukas
In the early 1990s, a scandal rocked evolutionary biology: scientists discovered that songbirds -- once thought to be strictly monogamous -- engaged i...
Empower a girl, transform a community | Kakenya Ntaiya
15 Apr 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Kakenya Ntaiya turned her dream of getting an education into a movement to empower vulnerable girls and bring an end to harmful traditional practices ...
Creative ways to get kids to thrive in school | Olympia Della Flora
21 Mar 2019
Contributed by Lukas
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,...
An unexpected tool for understanding inequality: abstract math | Eugenia Cheng
08 Mar 2019
Contributed by Lukas
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 fr...
How education helped me rewrite my life | Ashweetha
21 Feb 2019
Contributed by Lukas
There's no greater freedom than finding your purpose, says education advocate Ashweetha. Born to a poor family in rural India, she didn't let the soci...
How to teach kids to talk about taboo topics | Liz Kleinrock
20 Feb 2019
Contributed by Lukas
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 ...
Why Black girls are targeted for punishment at school -- and how to change that | Monique W. Morris
15 Jan 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Around the world, Black girls are being pushed out of schools because of policies that target them for punishment, says author and social justice scho...
A librarian's case against overdue book fines | Dawn Wacek
15 Nov 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Libraries have the power to create a better world; they connect communities, promote literacy and spark lifelong learners. But there's one thing that ...
How I'm using LEGO to teach Arabic | Ghada Wali
13 Sep 2018
Contributed by Lukas
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 Wa...
How teachers can help kids find their political voices | Sydney Chaffee
14 Aug 2018
Contributed by Lukas
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 ...
How farming could employ Africa's young workforce -- and help build peace | Kola Masha
10 Jul 2018
Contributed by Lukas
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...
A crash course in organic chemistry | Jakob Magolan
06 Jul 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Jakob Magolan is here to change your perception of organic chemistry. In an accessible talk packed with striking graphics, he teaches us the basics wh...
Why you should love gross science | Anna Rothschild
21 Jun 2018
Contributed by Lukas
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 s...
Comics belong in the classroom | Gene Luen Yang
25 May 2018
Contributed by Lukas
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 wit...
To learn is to be free | Shameem Akhtar
01 Mar 2018
Contributed by Lukas
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 ou...
This company pays kids to do their math homework | Mohamad Jebara
08 Feb 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Mohamad Jebara loves mathematics -- but he's concerned that too many students grow up thinking that this beautiful, rewarding subject is difficult and...
How we can help hungry kids, one text at a time | Su Kahumbu
06 Feb 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Su Kahumbu raises badass cows -- healthy, well-fed animals whose protein is key to solving a growing crisis in Africa: childhood nutritional stunting....
What we don't teach kids about sex | Sue Jaye Johnson
04 Jan 2018
Contributed by Lukas
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 ab...
The global learning crisis -- and what to do about it | Amel Karboul
03 Nov 2017
Contributed by Lukas
The most important infrastructure we have is educated minds, says former Tunisian government minister Amel Karboul. Yet too often large investments go...
The boost students need to overcome obstacles | Anindya Kundu
25 Sep 2017
Contributed by Lukas
How can disadvantaged students succeed in school? For sociologist Anindya Kundu, grit and stick-to-itiveness aren't enough; students also need to deve...
Why Africa must become a center of knowledge again | Olúfẹ́mi Táíwò
19 Sep 2017
Contributed by Lukas
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 Olúfẹ́mi Táíwo...
To solve old problems, study new species | Alejandro Sánchez Alvarado
12 Jan 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Nature is wonderfully abundant, diverse and mysterious -- but biological research today tends to focus on only seven species, including rats, chickens...
Want kids to learn well? Feed them well | Sam Kass
05 Jan 2017
Contributed by Lukas
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 policyma...
How students of color confront impostor syndrome | Dena Simmons
15 Dec 2016
Contributed by Lukas
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 co...
Math is the hidden secret to understanding the world | Roger Antonsen
18 Nov 2016
Contributed by Lukas
Unlock the mysteries and inner workings of the world through one of the most imaginative art forms ever -- mathematics -- with Roger Antonsen, as he e...
Help for kids the education system ignores | Victor Rios
17 Nov 2016
Contributed by Lukas
Define students by what they contribute, not what they lack -- especially those with difficult upbringings, says educator Victor Rios. Interweaved wit...
How America's public schools keep kids in poverty | Kandice Sumner
01 Nov 2016
Contributed by Lukas
Why should a good education be exclusive to rich kids? Schools in low-income neighborhoods across the US, specifically in communities of color, lack r...
4 reasons to learn a new language | John McWhorter
07 Oct 2016
Contributed by Lukas
English is fast becoming the world's universal language, and instant translation technology is improving every year. So why bother learning a foreign ...
Why open a school? To close a prison | Nadia Lopez
21 Sep 2016
Contributed by Lukas
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...
Let's teach for mastery -- not test scores | Sal Khan
06 Sep 2016
Contributed by Lukas
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'...
How to fix a broken education system ... without any more money | Seema Bansal
22 Jun 2016
Contributed by Lukas
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 child...
What's so sexy about math? | Cédric Villani
06 Jun 2016
Contributed by Lukas
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 thi...
This virtual lab will revolutionize science class | Michael Bodekaer
06 May 2016
Contributed by Lukas
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 ...
The nit-picking glory of The New Yorker's Comma Queen | Mary Norris
15 Apr 2016
Contributed by Lukas
"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,"...
Inside the mind of a master procrastinator | Tim Urban
15 Mar 2016
Contributed by Lukas
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 do...
How I stopped the Taliban from shutting down my school | Sakena Yacoobi
21 Sep 2015
Contributed by Lukas
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 ...
The story we tell about poverty isn't true | Mia Birdsong
15 Sep 2015
Contributed by Lukas
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 poo...
How I learned to communicate my inner life with Asperger's | Alix Generous
17 Aug 2015
Contributed by Lukas
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 j...
What explains the rise of humans? | Yuval Noah Harari
24 Jul 2015
Contributed by Lukas
Seventy thousand years ago, our human ancestors were insignificant animals, just minding their own business in a corner of Africa with all the other a...
The nerd's guide to learning everything online | John Green
22 Jul 2015
Contributed by Lukas
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 u...
How to fix a broken school? Lead fearlessly, love hard | Linda Cliatt-Wayman
05 Jun 2015
Contributed by Lukas
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 r...
Math is forever | Eduardo Sáenz de Cabezón
07 Apr 2015
Contributed by Lukas
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 ...
A love poem for lonely prime numbers | Harry Baker
04 Mar 2015
Contributed by Lukas
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 m...
Why you should care about whale poo | Asha de Vos
05 Jan 2015
Contributed by Lukas
Whales have a surprising and important job, says marine biologist Asha de Vos: these massive creatures are ecosystem engineers, keeping the oceans hea...
Photos that give voice to the animal kingdom | Frans Lanting
29 Oct 2014
Contributed by Lukas
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 w...
What I learned from spending 31 days underwater | Fabien Cousteau
23 Oct 2014
Contributed by Lukas
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....
The magic of the Amazon: A river that flows invisibly all around us | Antonio Donato Nobre
19 Sep 2014
Contributed by Lukas
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. ...
How not to be ignorant about the world | Hans and Ola Rosling
11 Sep 2014
Contributed by Lukas
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 point...
Why does the universe exist? | Jim Holt
02 Sep 2014
Contributed by Lukas
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...
Please, please, people. Let's put the 'awe' back in 'awesome' | Jill Shargaa
29 Aug 2014
Contributed by Lukas
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 "awe...
The danger of silence | Clint Smith
15 Aug 2014
Contributed by Lukas
"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 S...
Why I live in mortal dread of public speaking | Megan Washington
08 Aug 2014
Contributed by Lukas
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 re...
An ultra-low-cost college degree | Shai Reshef
04 Aug 2014
Contributed by Lukas
At the online University of the People, anyone with a high school diploma can take classes toward a degree in business administration or computer scie...
What makes a word "real"? | Anne Curzan
17 Jun 2014
Contributed by Lukas
One could argue that slang words like ‘hangry,’ ‘defriend’ and ‘adorkable’ fill crucial meaning gaps in the English language, even if they...
What ants teach us about the brain, cancer and the Internet | Deborah Gordon
13 May 2014
Contributed by Lukas
Ecologist Deborah Gordon studies ants wherever she can find them -- in the desert, in the tropics, in her kitchen ... In this fascinating talk, she ex...
Comics that ask "what if?" | Randall Munroe
08 May 2014
Contributed by Lukas
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...
A shark-deterrent wetsuit (and it's not what you think) | Hamish Jolly
23 Apr 2014
Contributed by Lukas
Hamish Jolly, an ocean swimmer in Australia, wanted a wetsuit that would deter a curious shark from mistaking him for a potential source of nourishmen...