Teachers Talk

I have always been interested in TED Talks, seeing professionals from various fields discuss their triumphs and failures. I remember thinking about implementing the same concept for teachers. This program could provide an opportunity for teachers with various backgrounds to share their experiences in a way that was not feasible in meetings, councils, and recess times.
However, the execution of this idea was far from straightforward due to the teachers’ hesitation to volunteer as speakers, either due to stage fright or underestimation of the value of their experience to be shared with a broad audience. But gradually we realized that we should start by sharing seemingly trivial experiences with an impact on the behavior or teaching method of the tutor. As a result, we refrained from talking about general ideas and remarks and concentrated solely on practical experiences, which entailed both successful and failed ones, as sometimes learning about failed methods prevents repetition of the same mistakes by others and hence improves the educational system.
Talking merely about the triumphs induces a sense of inadequacy in the audience, and widens the chasm between the speaker and the audience. This defeats the purpose of these talks which are meant to be inspirational. Hearing about the failed attempts and knowing that you are not the only one who might have failed at some point is empowering. This process can become even more efficient by encouraging the audience to interact with the lecturer and propose solutions.
With this framework in mind, we approached our target audience, the teachers. To avoid obstacles in implementing the program, we decided to start with a few lecturers from the non-official section of our complex, such as the research department or magazine editorial staff, who were believed to have novel ideas to make positive changes at school. They in turn gradually recruited the teachers in this process.
Finally, Teacher Talk was initiated by integrating psychological and educational points in the experience narration amidst mild confusion among the teachers. Even though this initiative was not well received at first, it gradually found its place as a pleasant activity as more experiences were shared and the narration of experience transcended to transfer of experience with resultant better understanding and knowledge. That is how the idea of Teacher Talk came to fruition.
At the next step, we decided to expand this idea to the national level with the ultimate goal of going internationally through a connection with Tedex. We intend for Teacher Talk to become a platform for sharing teachers’ experiences. To implement this decision, we started inviting a handful of officials in the education system to help spread the idea on a national level.
Needless to say, teachers already have a platform to speak; entities such as teacher’s trade association is a platform for the teachers that is more focused on their demands rather than the transfer of experiences, therefore, this process might help resurface their demand in the current situation of decreased financial and social assets of teachers.

– Anahita Eslahpazir, CEO