This six-minute TED video features a young farmer from Malawi who taught himself how to engineer windmills to help his family as they struggled through famine.
This is a great accompanying piece to any learning activity that is focused on perseverance through climate impacts, the use of recycled materials, a young person's sheer will to learn, or the power of innovation in the face of difficulties.
This is an inspiring story of creativity, resilience, and imagination.
Extension activities and opportunities to follow this video are plentiful.
Prerequisites
It may be helpful if your students know the basic function of a windmill or wind generation of electricity ahead of watching the video.
Differentiation & Implementation
If your students are interested in learning where wind energy is used around the world, they can check out this interactive resource.
Teachers can use this video after learning about renewable energy, including wind, as a solution to climate change.
There are a ton of opportunities to differentiate the use of this video depending on how the learning activities are designed. Here are some ideas for extension activities:
ActivateStudent Thinking: The innovation and sheer will to solve a problem in the face of adversity that is featured in this video is remarkable. Perhaps pose this scenario/question to your students: "Think of a problem that your family/community/school currently faces. What might you design to help move that problem towards a solution, as William did in the video?"
Scavenger Hunt: The search for construction materials is a key feature of William's story. Consider asking your students to look for materials in their homes or communities that are discarded but might be repurposed into something useful to solve a problem.
Activate Student Thinking: The innovation and sheer will to solve a problem in the face of adversity that is featured in this video is remarkable. Perhaps pose this scenario/question to your students: "Think of a problem that your family/community/school currently faces. What might you design to help move that problem towards a solution, as William did in the video?"
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All resources can be used for your educational purposes with proper attribution to the content provider.