A Novel Idea: Stimulating Literacy via Students’ TED Talks

Ten years ago, Sir Ken Robinson delivered the most popular TED Talk of all time, which posed the question “Do schools kill creativity?” The impact of this TED Talk on education practice and policy globally is immeasurable. A single idea, expressed over 20 minutes, and a flawless delivery on stage at the annual TED Conference has captured 41 million electronic views and counting. TED.com, home of TED Talks, is a global nonprofit promoting ideas worth spreading.

For the last 10 years, I have been an avid consumer of TED Talks, and I’ve shared quite a few with my staff as a principal and even more now as superintendent. TED curator and CEO Chris Anderson has given us both depth and breadth in ideas to improve education and just about any other field. I am sure many colleagues nationwide have found the same benefit from TED Talks.

Free Materials

In 2014, I had the bucket list experience of giving my own TEDx Talk at San Diego State University via TEDxAmericasFinestCity. I learned a great deal through the experience of working with a TEDx speaker coach and participating in a locally organized TEDx event. Most significantly, it opened the door to a wealth of opportunity for our students and our entire community.

Around the same time, the TED organization launched TED-Ed aimed at providing teachers and students with videos and a lesson platform to keep pace with rapid advances in technology and globalization. In addition to free content and resources, TED-Ed has created TED-Ed Clubs, where teachers can apply to access free TED-created curriculum and connections to other TED-Ed clubs around the world.

The TED-Ed curriculum consists of 13 lessons that teach students how to develop an idea, turn their idea into a presentation and then transform their presentation into a performance on stage in the form of a TED-like talk. Participants in TED-Ed Clubs have the opportunity to upload their finished TED talks to the global TED-Ed YouTube channel to be referenced on a resume or college application.

We launched TED-Ed clubs in each of our 26 schools with the goal of cultivating “presentation literacy” in all students and to enable them to connect their ideas with a global audience. The best student talks will find their way to the main stage at our annual TEDxKids@ElCajon event. Beginning in 2014, we applied for a TEDx license, which permits our district to independently organize and host an official TEDx event for the El Cajon community. Over the past two years, we have promoted and celebrated more than 450 students’ thoughtful ideas, 40 of which made the grand stage at TEDxKids@ElCajon on ways to improve the human condition both locally and globally.

A Solutions Mindset

The Cajon Valley Union School District has earned national distinction for its wise use of technology and advancements in personalized learning. In 2015, Cajon Valley was inducted into Digital Promise’s League of Innovative Schools, an organization authorized by Congress to identify and scale best practices in digital learning across the nation.

We attribute a large part of our success to the work we’ve done with TED-Ed and TEDx. These programs help teach students to be both consumers and creators of content and original ideas. We teach students how to develop a solution-based mindset and coach them to develop the confidence and skills to deliver TED Talks on a public stage. No matter what career path our students choose, presentation literacy gives them a competitive advantage.

In the spirit of TED’s mission of ideas worth spreading, I encourage everyone to explore the free and amazing resources provided by the TED organization. Search TED-Ed and TEDx online to learn more.