If you have not seen any of the TED talks yet, you will want to make browsing the site a priority. TED stands for Technology, Entertainment, and Design; it is an annual conference that started in 1984 to unite the opinion leaders of these fields.
Past speakers include Bill Clinton, Jane Goodall, Bill Gates, and Stephen Hawking. Many of the featured speakers are using their success or fame to pursue humanitarian objectives. Our favorite talk is the one Temple Grandin did about her life with autism and how her differences helped her to better understand the needs of animals. The title of the talk is The World Needs All Kinds of Minds. Can you think of a better talk to feature on a blog about differentiated instruction?!
TED can be used to inspire teachers but most of the talks are also quite appropriate for students- especially secondary education students. And they are a great length to use as part of a lesson-all of them are 18 minutes long!
About Paula Kluth
