Whether it’s from the viewpoint of a teacher, student, principal or psychologist, how our children learn, and how to best educate them, has become a topic attracting increasing attention. So here’s a playlist to get your mind going on approaches to this diverse topic.
Ken Robinson: How schools kill creativity
No self-respecting TED playlist on education could exist without including this one. With more than 30 million views, Sir Ken Robinson’s talk makes a courageous call for change in the way we view the ingenuity and individuality of children.
Rita Pierson: Every kid needs a champion
Kids don’t learn from teachers they don’t like. That’s the position of Rita Pierson, a teacher for more than four decades in this galvanising talk that’s really a call to action for educators everywhere.
Logan LaPlante: Hackschooling makes me happy
Barely into his teens, Logan LaPlante distinguishes between what we will do, and what we will be, when we grow up – and raises some challenging questions about how children learn while he’s at it.
Jihad Dib: School transformation – Our students are worth it
From TEDxSydney 2014, Punchbowl Boys’ High School principal Jihad Dib (pictured) emphasises the importance of community in the school experience.
Alison Gopnik: What do babies think?
Psychology professor Alison Gopnik turns accepted understanding of babies’ cognitive abilities on its head with her enlightening talk about how the very young of our species gather intelligence through the way that they play.
Image: Jennifer Polixenni Brankin