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William Kamkwamba: How I Harnessed the Wind
Provided by: TED |Published on: April 27, 2021
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Synopsis
- 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.
Subjects: Physics
Authors: William Kamkwamba
Region: Africa
Languages: English
Teaching Materials
Positives
- 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:
- 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?"
- 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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