[Music]
[Applause]
[Music]
the world’s great problems aren’t going
to be solved by simple solutions but I
believe the solutions to some of the
world’s greatest problems big and small
are within reach in fact I believe that
the people are going to solve those
problems they are students in our
classrooms the engineer who safely
transports humans to and from Mars or
the architect that designs their
habitats the scientist who slows the
rate of global climate change or the
nutritionist who teams up with a farmer
to end hunger in our city in our state
the doctor who explores the rainforest
looking for a new plant that will
eventually need a new drug that will
cure cancer each one of those people is
one of our children our future and our
planet depend on those young people and
their education those young people our
future scientists and doctors and
politicians and activists and
journalists and teachers and ministers
and global leaders they will be change
makers we must allow them to be
inquisitive we must encourage them to
want to learn we must give them the
freedom to be creative and curious and
innovative we must require them to
practice problem-solving in math and
science but in music and geography and
history in English language arts and
foreign languages and art because
friends creativity is required for good
problem solving the world’s great
problems aren’t going to be solved by
answering multiple-choice questions
they’re gonna be solved by people
creative thinkers who say I know we’ve
always done it this way but what about
this
or we haven’t tried this yet or what do
you think let me give you some examples
how did doctors at Duke University’s
brain tumor Research Center get the idea
to inject glioblastoma tumors with a
modified polio virus knowledge of human
anatomy non knowledge of of cancer but I
suggest curiosity creativity bravery
they gave up the fear of failure for the
journalists in National Geographic
Explorer Paul Salopek he is on a
decade-long walk across the surface of
earth why he says it’s to slow down he
says it’s to observe carefully he says
it’s to remind us about our world
through his writing or National
Geographic Explorer dr. sarah park ‘ok
she is also a TED fellow she is teaching
average folks like you and me to
interpret satellite imagery to observe
archaeological sites she is creating
citizen scientist to be a part of her
team and then there’s Danielle Lee she’s
an emerging Explorer Danielle is
training African pouched giant rats to
sniff out land mines she has the
potential to save hundreds of lives how
does she do this knowledge of anatomy
and physiology ability to train animals
but I suggest bravery she gave up the
fear of failure and the fear of being
laughed at so creativity in science is
important so we must infuse these
thought processes in our students so do
you understand now the world’s great
problems
the next inventions they’re going to be
solved by people who have had the
opportunity to practice the mental
gymnastics of problem solving
to do this we must teach our students
how to do this I believe that we have to
get them to think like an explorer to
have an explorers mindset now explorers
we are all very different from each
other
we study different things we study in
different ways we use different methods
we we do it in different places we study
different places and we are definitely
different ages but I think we have three
things in common attitudes skills and
knowledge the attitude of of curiosity
and of responsibility for people and our
planet the attitude that they can make a
difference and that they should the
skills of observation of what’s going on
around us and the ability to communicate
what they see explorers are storytellers
we take our curiosities we take our
ideas we take what we’ve learned and we
share it we communicate it in writing
through presentations and on social
media explorers are collaborators we
understand the importance of a diverse
team we also understand the importance
of listening adults we must model for
our children how to listen we must help
them understand that having different
ideas and different perspectives is good
it doesn’t mean that somebody’s right or
wrong it just means you’re different and
different is good different goes into
solving complex problems and then
there’s knowledge knowledge is the
foundation or the bedrock of these
attitudes and skills knowledge of
different subjects physics and art and
differential equations and programming
and virtual reality and spatial analysis
and poetry and literature when children
start to learn children as early as
kindergarten when they start to learn
they develop these added
foods and skills then they start to see
the interconnections of our people and
our planet and nature and society and
humans in their environment we must
infused infused problem-based learning
and inquiry based learning into all
subjects we must allow students and
teach students how to take those
discrete pieces of information the
things they memorize like facts and
figures and theories and theorems and
chemical compounds and places and people
and locations we must teach them how to
synthesize those things into solutions
to complex problems this will happen
when teachers are allowed to team with
other teachers this will happen when
math teachers team with reading and
writing teachers and science teachers
with history teachers and frankly when
everybody teaches geography because
everything happens someplace when
teachers are given the opportunity to be
creative then they become even more
innovative they become even more curious
and they start to model for our children
what we want them to be explorers this
will happen when school administrators
are forward thinking when they encourage
innovation when they encourage
creativity when they remember that there
are different pathways to learning and
all of these paths are good
this will take parents who stop hovering
who step back but who require their
students to do their homework and not
complain about it and require their
students to take hard classes and allow
their students to take on hard tasks by
themselves because if they fail there is
so much learning and failure this takes
Board of Education members at the state
and local level who remember they may
not be the experts in this area who
remember that their job
is to support innovation to support
creativity to allow the people who are
the trained experts the teachers to do
their jobs it takes all of us leaning in
helping out volunteering but keeping
education at the center of our society
my name is Lisa Keyes Matthews and I am
a National Geographic Explorer and I am
working with teachers in the state of
Alabama to inspire and motivate children
we are working to infuse problem-based
learning an inquiry based learning into
all subjects we are working to take the
the science and the exploration and the
curiosity of National Geographic
explorers and we are moving it into the
classroom and we are developing lessons
that meet state standards but teach big
concepts it’s the only project like this
in our country and it’s supported by
National Geographic Society the best
thing we can do is ask our children to
solve complex problems we must help them
find their passion we must help them
find their place in the world so are our
teachers ready for this absolutely the
teachers I work with are ready for this
and I know there are more out there are
our students ready for this what do you
think the question is are you ready for
this because if you’re ready for this my
team has a place for you join us thank
you
[Applause] [Music]
[Applause]
[Music]
the world’s great problems aren’t going
to be solved by simple solutions but I
believe the solutions to some of the
world’s greatest problems big and small
are within reach in fact I believe that
the people are going to solve those
problems they are students in our
classrooms the engineer who safely
transports humans to and from Mars or
the architect that designs their
habitats the scientist who slows the
rate of global climate change or the
nutritionist who teams up with a farmer
to end hunger in our city in our state
the doctor who explores the rainforest
looking for a new plant that will
eventually need a new drug that will
cure cancer each one of those people is
one of our children our future and our
planet depend on those young people and
their education those young people our
future scientists and doctors and
politicians and activists and
journalists and teachers and ministers
and global leaders they will be change
makers we must allow them to be
inquisitive we must encourage them to
want to learn we must give them the
freedom to be creative and curious and
innovative we must require them to
practice problem-solving in math and
science but in music and geography and
history in English language arts and
foreign languages and art because
friends creativity is required for good
problem solving the world’s great
problems aren’t going to be solved by
answering multiple-choice questions
they’re gonna be solved by people
creative thinkers who say I know we’ve
always done it this way but what about
this
or we haven’t tried this yet or what do
you think let me give you some examples
how did doctors at Duke University’s
brain tumor Research Center get the idea
to inject glioblastoma tumors with a
modified polio virus knowledge of human
anatomy non knowledge of of cancer but I
suggest curiosity creativity bravery
they gave up the fear of failure for the
journalists in National Geographic
Explorer Paul Salopek he is on a
decade-long walk across the surface of
earth why he says it’s to slow down he
says it’s to observe carefully he says
it’s to remind us about our world
through his writing or National
Geographic Explorer dr. sarah park ‘ok
she is also a TED fellow she is teaching
average folks like you and me to
interpret satellite imagery to observe
archaeological sites she is creating
citizen scientist to be a part of her
team and then there’s Danielle Lee she’s
an emerging Explorer Danielle is
training African pouched giant rats to
sniff out land mines she has the
potential to save hundreds of lives how
does she do this knowledge of anatomy
and physiology ability to train animals
but I suggest bravery she gave up the
fear of failure and the fear of being
laughed at so creativity in science is
important so we must infuse these
thought processes in our students so do
you understand now the world’s great
problems
the next inventions they’re going to be
solved by people who have had the
opportunity to practice the mental
gymnastics of problem solving
to do this we must teach our students
how to do this I believe that we have to
get them to think like an explorer to
have an explorers mindset now explorers
we are all very different from each
other
we study different things we study in
different ways we use different methods
we we do it in different places we study
different places and we are definitely
different ages but I think we have three
things in common attitudes skills and
knowledge the attitude of of curiosity
and of responsibility for people and our
planet the attitude that they can make a
difference and that they should the
skills of observation of what’s going on
around us and the ability to communicate
what they see explorers are storytellers
we take our curiosities we take our
ideas we take what we’ve learned and we
share it we communicate it in writing
through presentations and on social
media explorers are collaborators we
understand the importance of a diverse
team we also understand the importance
of listening adults we must model for
our children how to listen we must help
them understand that having different
ideas and different perspectives is good
it doesn’t mean that somebody’s right or
wrong it just means you’re different and
different is good different goes into
solving complex problems and then
there’s knowledge knowledge is the
foundation or the bedrock of these
attitudes and skills knowledge of
different subjects physics and art and
differential equations and programming
and virtual reality and spatial analysis
and poetry and literature when children
start to learn children as early as
kindergarten when they start to learn
they develop these added
foods and skills then they start to see
the interconnections of our people and
our planet and nature and society and
humans in their environment we must
infused infused problem-based learning
and inquiry based learning into all
subjects we must allow students and
teach students how to take those
discrete pieces of information the
things they memorize like facts and
figures and theories and theorems and
chemical compounds and places and people
and locations we must teach them how to
synthesize those things into solutions
to complex problems this will happen
when teachers are allowed to team with
other teachers this will happen when
math teachers team with reading and
writing teachers and science teachers
with history teachers and frankly when
everybody teaches geography because
everything happens someplace when
teachers are given the opportunity to be
creative then they become even more
innovative they become even more curious
and they start to model for our children
what we want them to be explorers this
will happen when school administrators
are forward thinking when they encourage
innovation when they encourage
creativity when they remember that there
are different pathways to learning and
all of these paths are good
this will take parents who stop hovering
who step back but who require their
students to do their homework and not
complain about it and require their
students to take hard classes and allow
their students to take on hard tasks by
themselves because if they fail there is
so much learning and failure this takes
Board of Education members at the state
and local level who remember they may
not be the experts in this area who
remember that their job
is to support innovation to support
creativity to allow the people who are
the trained experts the teachers to do
their jobs it takes all of us leaning in
helping out volunteering but keeping
education at the center of our society
my name is Lisa Keyes Matthews and I am
a National Geographic Explorer and I am
working with teachers in the state of
Alabama to inspire and motivate children
we are working to infuse problem-based
learning an inquiry based learning into
all subjects we are working to take the
the science and the exploration and the
curiosity of National Geographic
explorers and we are moving it into the
classroom and we are developing lessons
that meet state standards but teach big
concepts it’s the only project like this
in our country and it’s supported by
National Geographic Society the best
thing we can do is ask our children to
solve complex problems we must help them
find their passion we must help them
find their place in the world so are our
teachers ready for this absolutely the
teachers I work with are ready for this
and I know there are more out there are
our students ready for this what do you
think the question is are you ready for
this because if you’re ready for this my
team has a place for you join us thank
you
[Applause] [Music]
Please follow and like us: