Big Thinkers on Education
Some of the most compelling visionaries in the world -- from Sir Ken Robinson to Jane Goodall to Martin Scorsese -- are focusing their attention on how to improve education. From innovative classroom concepts to suggestions on how to foster creativity and collaboration, they share their valuable insights for teaching and learning and illuminate new solutions to old problems. Get inspired by their big ideas.
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Barnett BerryThe president and CEO of the advocacy organization Center for Teaching Quality
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Linda Darling-Hammond
Stanford University education professor and adviser to the U.S. Department of Education
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Arne Duncan
The former CEO of Chicago Public Schools, now secretary of education for President Obama
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Elyse Eidman-Aadahl
Co-director of the National Writing Project Elyse Eidman-Aadahl describes how the craft of storytelling is evolving, as new digital tools and communications technologies enable connections for content creators around the globe.
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Howard Gardner
Harvard University professor and author of twenty books, best known for his theory of multiple intelligences
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James Paul Gee
Professor of literacy studies at Arizona State University and author of What Video Games Have to Teach Us About Learning and Literacy
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Daniel Goleman
Psychologist, journalist, and the best-selling author of Emotional Intelligence and other books
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Jane Goodall
Groundbreaking primate researcher and founder of the Jane Goodall Institute
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Mimi Ito
Cultural anthropologist studying new media use, particularly among young people in Japan and the United States
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Henry Jenkins
Media scholar Henry Jenkins describes how to boost kids' civic engagement by tapping their interests
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Salman Khan
The founder of the Khan Academy, a free educational video library that features over two thousand titles
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George Lucas
Maker of the Star Wars and Indiana Jones films and founder and chairman of the George Lucas Educational Foundation
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Wynton Marsalis
Artistic director of Jazz at Lincoln Center and winner of a Pulitzer Prize in music for his work Blood on the Fields
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Randy Nelson
Former Dean of Pixar University, which provides employees of the animation company a broad fine-arts education
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Nichole Pinkard
New media professor and founder of Chicago's Digital Youth Network
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Diana Rhoten
Digital learning expert Diana Rhoten describes how out-of-school learning environments tap into kids' interests
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Sir Ken Robinson
International leader in creativity, innovation, and educational reform and the author of Out of Our Minds: Learning to be Creative
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Katie Salen
Executive Director of the Institute of Play
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Martin Scorsese
Academy Award-winning director of Taxi Driver, Raging Bull, Goodfellas, the Departed, and many other films
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John Seely Brown
Innovative thinker, known for his ideas on merging digital culture and education
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Constance Steinkuehler
Game-based learning scholar talks about her research on online role-playing video games and literacy
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Kurt Squire
Game-based learning scholar explores young people's interest in gaming can create deeper connections to civic and political life
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David Thornburg
Award-winning futurist, author, and founder and Director of Global Operations for the Thornburg Center.
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Alvin Toffler
Futurist and co-author, with his wife, Heidi, of Future Shock and The Third Wave
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Alice Waters
The founder of the Chez Panisse Foundation, which promotes healthy school-lunch programs and runs the Edible Schoolyard projects.
- Learning Curves: Alice Waters
- The Edible Schoolyard Yields Seed-to-Table Learning
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Judy Willis
Neurologist turned educator with the University of California, Santa Barbara's graduate school of education