Earlier this week, I've been sharing lists of education-related videos from TED (Technology Entertainment and Design) conferences. While there are tons of good ones to choose from, I wanted to point out a recent video by some of my favorite educators--Hawaiian teachers Amy Burvall and Herb Mahelona, the creators of the music videos based on historical topics that are shared on You Tube as History Teachers.
I have written before about how fun and creative I think these videos are. My son and his friends are living proof that they can watch some of these videos once, and never forget some of the historical content they contain. Sure, they only highlight a few facts and images, but that can be enough to ignite a deeper interest in a topic students might otherwise ignore, overlook, or forget.
I've always thought they seemed like super-cool people, but now that I've gotten to hear them through TED, I know it. They approach education the way I like--as a fun, creative, collaborative process, not merely a set of content to be mastered, or worse, a number on a test to be achieved. In the video, they talk about teachers as artists and storytellers, and say that their videos are not merely educational tools, but acts of human connection and compassion between them and their students.
So if you want to be inspired about how some teachers are still able to avoid the test mania that seems to be running education, watch the approximately 25 minute video below (some of which is devoted to seeing some of their best videos):
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