We live in a time of information abundance, which far too many of us see as information overload. With the sum total of human knowledge, past and present, at our fingertips, we’re faced with a crisis of attention: which ideas should we engage with, and why? Big Think is an evolving roadmap to the best thinking on the planet — the ideas that can help you think flexibly and act decisively in a multivariate world.
A word about Big Ideas and Themes — The architecture of Big Think
Big ideas are lenses for envisioning the future. Every article and video on bigthink.com and on our learning platforms is based on an emerging “big idea” that is significant, widely relevant, and actionable. We’re sifting the noise for the questions and insights that have the power to change all of our lives, for decades to come. For example, reverse-engineering is a big idea in that the concept is increasingly useful across multiple disciplines, from education to nanotechnology.
Themes are the seven broad umbrellas under which we organize the hundreds of big ideas that populate Big Think. They include New World Order, Earth and Beyond, 21st Century Living, Going Mental, Extreme Biology, Power and Influence, and Inventing the Future.
Browse videos featuring experts across a wide range of disciplines, from personal health to business leadership to neuroscience.
Big Think’s contributors offer expert analysis of the big ideas behind the news.
Big Think’s Edge learning platform for career mentorship and professional development provides engaging and actionable courses delivered by the people who are shaping our future.
Redesigning Learning, Teaching, & Schooling
Alberta, Canada is widely recognized as having one of the best schooling systems in the world. A recent article in Alberta Views highlighted the differences between its system and America's, noting that the United States is an 'anti-model' for how to do school reform: By contrast we can also ...
One evening last week I attended Tech Night at my daughter's elementary school. Sponsored by the Parent Teacher Association (PTA), it's an evening designed to bring parents of the school's community up to speed on what's what vis a vis technology, teaching, and learning. These are common events at ...
I just got back from a glorious week in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. John Nash and I were consulting with two different local grassroots NGOs. Our role was to help build capacity around research methodology. This was my second time in Cambodia and the first for John. I am still digesting the week and ...
Deron Durflinger, a high school principal in Van Meter, Iowa, says: We need a system that isn't based on doing well on NAEP and PISA, but in which students are able to actually develop a love for learning. Being able to adapt and learn more and newer skills is the world our students live in ...
Here's a statement that I'm getting really tired of hearing: "We didn't have computers when I was in school and I turned out okay. There's no reason why kids today need 'em." I'm sure that this argument was offered in the past as well: "Buses? We walked to school barefoot, in the ...
It is widely accepted that educational leadership has great influence on student outcomes, and effective leaders can bring about positive changes even to troubled schools. Leadership is second only to teaching among school influences on student success. Some leaders are said to be “transformational ...
If one walks into any school in the United States, it is obvious that digital technologies are pervasive. It is impossible not to see students using laptops or netbooks, tablets such as iPads, and handheld devices such as iPods or cell phones. Some schools have embraced these devices and now allow ...
I love watching visions of the future from technology companies. Not only are they usually thinking ahead of most of us, they also are trying to actually create the future they envision. Here's a thought-provoking video from Microsoft about what our lives may be like in the years to come. Does this ...
Virtual schooling is a good idea. Over the past decade or so, online education has proven itself a valuable component of the learning system, from elementary to post-secondary. I personally use a lot of online learning in my own teaching, so I am a tried and true advocate for online learning ...
There is a race on to control the architecture of online learning. While that race has been running for the past decade or more, largely dominated by a software for-profit called Blackboard and opensource freeware like Moodle, yesterday was a particularly momentous day. Yesterday it was announced ...
Continuing with our first week of posts (and getting all the particulars out of the way - posts will get more substantive soon), we would like to tell you who we are and why we think that we can bring something valuable to this extremely distinguished blogging group here at BigThink. So, we’re ...
The title to the new collaborative blog is “Education Recoded.” We picked this title for a variety of reasons, but most importantly we feel it is an apt description of the essential task facing education in this century. So, here are 8 reasons why we like this title. 1. Everything in education ...
A school superintendent in Michigan has written a public letter to the editor asking Governor Rick Snyder if his school can become a prison instead. The full text is below. What do you think? —- Dear Governor Snyder, In these tough economic times, schools are hurting. And yes, everyone in ...