TED-Ed Student Talks Program FAQs

1. What are the TED-Ed Student Talks resources and who can access the resources? 

The TED-Ed Student Talks program provides free, customizable activities for educators to support their students in discovering, developing and sharing their ideas through a TED-style talk. These resources were created to serve students between ages 6-18, within a school or in an extracurricular youth program setting (please note that TED-Ed Student Talks are not currently available for college/university level students.) We believe that students are filled with curious, innovative, brilliant and thoughtful ideas and we know there is a significant impact when students are not only asked about their passions and perspectives, but when they work to develop and share those ideas to a larger audience. If you are an adult working with students, we invite you to register your school or organization in order to receive the resources and share your students’ voices! 

2. What free resources do facilitators receive? 

Facilitators gain access to a Facilitator Guidebook with activity directions, the Student Idea Journal with activities for students complete, TED-Ed Student Talks logos and branding guidelines, event guidelines and tips, video tutorials, and exclusive digital space to connect with other facilitators and the TED-Ed team. Since the TED-Ed Student Talks resources are free and champion student ideas, facilitators can not use the resources to profit or promote a company, product or organization (and cannot charge a fee for students to participate) or use the resources to indicate that they are employed or affiliated with TED aside from as a volunteer facilitator.

3. How much time does it take for students to develop a TED-style talk?

The Facilitator Guidebook contains 13 Explorations, which are modules with activity blocks, and includes suggestions for students’ final presentations. Completing all of these can take anywhere from 10-20 hours, with an average of 15 hours, and these resources were created to be flexible and adaptable. The time commitment varies depending on the pace of instruction, students’ ages and academic levels, and the facilitators capacity and goals. There is a planner section in the Guidebook to help facilitators plan the time and pacing for their group of students. For example, facilitators may only have some of the students complete all of the Explorations based on their time commitment and progress; it could vary between a 30 minute lunch break once a week, during a one hour class twice a week, and many other formats that facilitators design. 

4. How do facilitators celebrate student ideas and their TED-style talks? 

Facilitators have multiple options for hosting events that celebrate their student ideas. These include planning a TED-Ed Student Talks Showcase event at their school or organization or getting a license to host a TEDxYouth event. If videos of students’ talks are filmed during the event, facilitators have an option of submitting great students’ talks to the TED-Ed team for review. We also encourage facilitators to think of different ways to share their student ideas, like creating a YouTube channel for their organization or publishing talks on the organization’s website/internal platform. There are more guidelines around these options, along with production tips, in the Facilitator Guidebook. 

5. How can I get more information about TED-Ed Student Talks?

Read this information packet which explains the structure of the Guidebook and Idea Journal resources you receive, and gives you a preview of Exploration 1 (the first group of activities).

6. Are TED-Ed Student Talks materials free?

Yes; the registration process and all main materials are free. TED-Ed Student Talks activities also must be administered to students free of charge.

7. How can districts, larger organizations and networks of schools get involved? 

If you work in an administrative role of a school or organization and want to have multiple groups of educators and students involved, you can indicate that during registration and also reach out to tededstudents@ted.com to be directed to a TED-Ed team member who can help you think about scaling the use of these materials among many facilitators and students over time. 

8. Are there resources available in languages other than English?

At this time, the Facilitator Guidebook and Student Idea Journal are also published in Spanish for global use. If you are interested in receiving these resources in Spanish, please visit this page. 

9. What is the recommended group size? 

Our current average group size is 20-30 students. If you’d like to have a larger group of students (more than 30 students) meeting at once, think about finding someone who can help support you during the meetings and share responsibilities.

10. How does TED manage students’ information and privacy? 

TED-Ed operates under TED’s Privacy Policy with respect to all information collected from program participants. Facilitators may submit videos or photos containing the student’s voice and image, and are asked to consult with their organizations media policy and compliance with the child’s legal guardian beforehand. TED will not sell any personal information to third parties, nor do we advertise on the TED-Ed Student Talks YouTube Channel. We use the information collected via the TED-Ed Student Talks program only to provide students with a better learning experience, and to share their ideas. 

11. I'm not a teacher but I work with students (in a school-setting, extra-curricular program or youth organization). Can I still get involved?

Yes! We ask facilitators to register the school or community youth organization they are authorized to represent/volunteer for. Facilitators should make sure they have approval from the organization and from parents before registering. 

12. What are the guidelines around fundraising for a Student Talks Group?

Creating TED-Ed Student Talks is not intended to be a way to make a profit. Any funds raised must go back toward program operations (i.e. swag, your showcase event, program materials etc). And because our goal is for these resources to be as accessible as possible, students should not be charged to participate. If students are paying for a larger program, and TED-Ed Student Talks is one part of that program, that is okay. 

13. Can adults create a TED Talk too? 

We definitely recommend that facilitators create a talk along with their students to help model the behavior! This can help you create a release of responsibility structure. Additionally, if you’re interested in sharing your talk on a TED stage, check out your local TEDx events to connect with a TEDx organizer about sharing your idea on their stage. 

14. What's the difference between TEDx and the TED-Ed Student Talks?

The TED-Ed Student Talks is an initiative that brings students together to go through activities and discover, develop and share their big ideas in a TED-style talk. Students watch and debate TED talks, explore and share their own and each other’s ideas. The TEDx initiative grants licenses to community leaders around the world to organize and host stand-alone TEDx events. A separate application is required to organize such an event. Our hope is that TED-Ed Student Talks facilitators consider organizing a TEDxYouth event in their communities as well as a way to celebrate student ideas on their community stages!