Five quick questions

Matt Henderson teaches history, law, and economics. He’s keenly interested in social justice and inquiry-based teaching. Matt is passionate about inspiring young people to synthesize prior knowledge with the collective knowledge they create in learning communities. TEDxManitoba is thrilled that Matt will take the stage at our February, 2012 event.

What motivates you?

I’m motivated when I see learners do really cool things that they have traditionally been told they can’t do. I am equally motivated when people tell me I can’t do things.

What do you do for a living and why?

I teach high school law, economics, and history at St. John’s-Ravenscourt. I do it because it doesn’t feel like work or a “living.” Exploring big ideas and deconstructing them with young people is the best thing in the world to do. Students don’t have the cynicism that most of us do, and it’s refreshing to look at who we are through a fresh lens.

Which TED talk do you think everyone should watch?

William Kamkwamba’s Building a Windmill

Why are you excited to speak at TEDxManitoba?

I’m really excited to speak at TEDxManitoba so I can hear the other speakers! I think this is just a brilliant opportunity to share ideas and meet people that perhaps we wouldn’t otherwise meet. I’m also excited that some people might think my ideas are relevant, too.

What is your idea worth spreading?

What if we were honest with kids and ourselves about the disconnect between the world and some of what we’re teaching them? We’ve created an unsustainable model, and we really need to start fessing up to kids: these social, political, and economic constructs don’t compute. How do we start to engage kids so they can challenge these norms and start building a sustainable world that reflects equity and our connection to each other? Instead of teaching kids the way things are, maybe we should teach them how things were and where we might go from here.