Students, Educators Address 'How We Learn' During TEDxYouth@UH

Inaugural Event Takes Place at UH Honors College on Feb. 23

The University of Houston’s Honors College has long been an incubator for bold ideas and academic innovations. It’s a place where scholars and community members connect and share insights on contemporary issues affecting society.

Soon, the college will be the site of the first TEDxYouth@UH event. Like the popular TED lecture series this independently organized event licensed by TED, a nonprofit organization that presents conferences and lectures around the globe, will feature a collection of insightful speakers addressing the state of contemporary education.

TEDxYouth@UH will feature an afternoon filled with speakers addressing “How We Learn.” The event runs 9 a.m. – 2 p.m., Feb. 23 at UH’s Honors College Commons (second floor of UH’s M.D. Anderson Library).

TEDxYouth@UH speakers will include high school students from Bellaire, DeBakey, Houston Christian, Dawson and Manvel high schools. Scholars and educators scheduled to deliver presentations include:

  • Bernard Robin, UH associate professor in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction and recipient of UH Teaching Excellence Award for Innovation in Instructional Technology
  • Tarhonda Greer, math teacher for Jesse Jones High School and nominee for Houston Independent School District Secondary Teacher of the Year 2011 -12
  • David Mazella, UH associate professor of English and director of UH’s Center for Teaching Excellence
  • Chris Powell, UH Honors College senior and English major
  • Leah Morgan, UH doctoral research fellow in the Department of Educational Psychology
  • Miriam Green, 2012 Cougar Junior Scholar

The event will be emceed by Chris Johnson, on-air host for Classical 91.7 FM and a UH alumnus

Space for TEDxYouth@UH is limited. For more details or to register, visit the TEDxYouth@UH website or contact TEDxYouthatUH@honors.uh.edu.

“TEDxYouth@UH ‘How We Learn’ is part of our Honors and the Schools program,” said William Monroe, dean of the Honors College. “There is a lot of talk about education reform, but most of it is done at 30,000 feet, and the students on the ground are just recipients.  We wanted to challenge students to think about their own education, and various systems of education, and develop ideas for review and reform. We want high school students to think of themselves as makers and developers of ideas because that's what we hope they will become.  In the Honors College, we urge all of our students to get involved in undergraduate research, which is really the development and testing of ideas.  Our hope is that this TEDxYouth experience will motivate the participants to be critical thinkers, problem solvers, and creators of ideas worth spreading.”

The Honors College at UH is a hub of excellence that serves the needs of gifted undergraduates in more than 100 fields of study and reflects the rich diversity of the University of Houston in its courses, faculty and students. For more than 50 years, the Honors College has offered students the best of both worlds: the advantages of a small college together with the comprehensive resources and rich diversity of a large university. For more information about the Honors College, visit http://TheHonorsCollege.com.

 

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About the University of Houston
The University of Houston is a Carnegie-designated Tier One public research university recognized by The Princeton Review as one of the nation’s best colleges for undergraduate education. UH serves the globally competitive Houston and Gulf Coast Region by providing world-class faculty, experiential learning and strategic industry partnerships. Located in the nation’s fourth-largest city, UH serves more than 40,700 students in the most ethnically and culturally diverse region in the country.

 

About TEDx, x = independently organized event
In the spirit of ideas worth spreading, TEDx is a program of local, self-organized events that bring people together to share a TED-like experience. At a TEDx event, TEDTalks video and live speakers combine to spark deep discussion and connection in a small group. These local, self-organized events are branded TEDx, where x = independently organized TED event. The TED Conference provides general guidance for the TEDx program, but individual TEDx events are self-organized. (Subject to certain rules and regulations.)

 

About TED
TED is a nonprofit organization devoted to Ideas Worth Spreading. Started as a four-day conference in California 26 years ago, TED has grown to support those world-changing ideas with multiple initiatives. At TED, the world's leading thinkers and doers are asked to give the talk of their lives in 18 minutes. Talks are then made available, free, at TED.com. TED speakers have included Bill Gates, Jane Goodall, Elizabeth Gilbert, Sir Richard Branson, Benoit Mandelbrot, Philippe Starck, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Isabel Allende and former UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown. Two major TED events are held each year: The TED Conference takes place every spring in on the West Coast (along with a parallel conference, TEDActive), and TEDGlobal is held each summer in Edinburgh, Scotland.

TED’s media initiatives include TED.com, where new TEDTalks are posted daily; the new TED Conversations, enabling broad conversations among TED fans; and the Open Translation Project, which provides subtitles and interactive transcripts as well as the ability for any TEDTalk to be translated by volunteers worldwide.

TED has established the annual TED Prize, where exceptional individuals with a wish to change the world are given the opportunity to put their wishes into action; TEDx, which offers individuals or groups a way to host local, self-organized events around the world; and the TED Fellows program, helping world-changing innovators from around the globe to become part of the TED community and, with its help, amplify the impact of their remarkable projects and activities. For information about TED's upcoming conferences, visit http://www.ted.com/registration. Follow TED on Twitter at http://twitter.com/TEDTalks, or on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/TED.