Key points:
In education, there is no shortage of debate. Conversations about competition, assessments, grading systems, and professional development are all too familiar.
In a time of immense change and innovation in education, with influencing factors such as the rise of personalized learning and the explosion of artificial intelligence, it is worth analyzing some of the pillars of today's classrooms.
Could the school year be different? Why are the ratings set up the way they are? Do schools encourage enough creativity?
TED-Ed Lessons Explore some of these same questions. The TED-Ed platform allows educators to create lessons around any TED-Ed Original, TED Talk, or YouTube video.
Educators can use TED-Ed lessons for brain breaks, to introduce new lessons, or to inject some fun and engaging conversation into their class.
Here are 4 videos about the current education system that might be fun for educators and students to discuss:
1. Why perfect grades don't matter: Most American students strive for a 4.0 GPA and the highest test scores, but research shows that this pursuit of perfection actually discourages creativity and reduces academic risk-taking. In this episode of “School Myths” The AtlanticAlice Roth investigates why grades aren't everything when it comes to education.
2. Why do American schools have such long hours? The structure of the American school calendar may seem contradictory, and in many ways it is. The Atlantic investigates some pressing questions, such as why American students have long summer vacations between school years and yet such short intervals between each class.
3. Should we get rid of standardized testing? Although standardized testing is a particularly hot topic in education right now, this measurement approach has been used for two millennia. And while standardized test results can help us understand some things, they can also be misleading if used incorrectly. So what do these tests actually measure? And are they worth it? Arlo Kempf investigates.
4. Do schools kill creativity? Sir Ken Robinson makes an entertaining and deeply moving argument for creating an education system that encourages (rather than undermines) creativity.
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