TED Talk by Paul Hernandez, Helping at Risk Students

Paul Hernandez is the author of  the Pedagogy of Real Talk featured in my last blog.  He now has a TED talk that would be useful for faculty professional development.  In this TED talk, he illustrates his teaching technique of using real talk to connect with challenging students and improve teaching for all students.  He uses universal themes to connect with his students.  Examples of universal themes include fear, love, and dealing with challenges. He uses these themes to remind students what we have in common, our shared humanity. He shares his story of growing up in poverty, belonging to a gang, and how a few caring faculty changed his life so that he was able to complete his doctorate and change the lives of other students.  You can view this TED talk at:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IH9AruhN4X4  I highly recommend this video for your upcoming professional development sessions this fall.  

Reference:
Paul Hernandez, The Pedagogy of Real Talk: Engaging, Teaching and Connecting with Students at Risk (Thousand Oaks, California: Corwin, 2016).