Think of TED talks (www.ted.com) as interesting people talking about interesting things. They are a great resource for teachers and students but are often so interdisciplinary in nature that it is hard to find one if you’re looking for an exact topic. A teacher could incorporate them into a classroom by using the actual videos as multimedia resources, use them by showcasing them as a library of interesting people, or employing them as a research tool, allowing students to find someone or something interesting that they want to research further. Since the talks also include information about the speaker, they are a good first stop for one seeking inspiration for a research project.
Like many of my favorite things, TED talks show us how to tell a great story even if the subject area seems boring. They show real people talking about their own work with academics, authors, and entrepreneurs sharing the same venue. Ideally, one could use them to demonstrate a much truer range of science careers.
Here are a few resources to get you started:
A spreadsheet that lists good talks, their links, speaker, and a short description.
There is no sorting mechanism but it is a good place to start.
There is a search function on TED.com and a quick search of some science topics yields some good results. There are many talks about human health, innovation and medicine, and climate change.
The blog www.historyteachersattic.com has a good post on “demystifying TED talks for teachers.” It gives a good overview and highlights some scientific topics in their list.
Meghan Groome is the Executive Director of Education and Public Programs at the New York Academy of Sciences, an organization with the mission to advance scientific research and knowledge, support scientific literacy, and promote the resolution of society’s global challenges through science-based solutions. After graduating from Colorado College in Biology and Theatre, she desperately needed a job and took one as a substitute teacher at a middle school in Ridgewood NJ. She discovered that had a knack for making science interesting and enjoyable, mostly through bringing in gross things, lighting things on fire (but always in a safe manner), and having a large library of the worlds best science writing and science fiction. After teaching in both Ridgewood and Paterson, NJ she completed her PhD at Teachers College Columbia University with a focus on student question asking in the classroom. While at TC, she was a founding member of an international education consulting firm, and worked on projects from Kenya to Jordan with a focus on designing new schools and school systems in the developing world. After graduating, Dr. Groome became a Senior Policy Analyst at the National Governors Association on Governor Janet Napolitano’s Innovation America Initiative. Prior to her work at the Academy, Dr. Groome worked at the American Museum of Natural History and authored the policy roadmap for the Empire State STEM Education Network and taught urban biodiversity in the Education Department. At the Academy, she is responsible for the Afterschool STEM Mentoring program, which places graduate students and postdocs in the City’s afterschool programs and the Science Teacher program where she designs field trips and content talks to the City’s STEM teachers.
