William Kamkwamba: How I Harnessed the Wind
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Provided by: TED|Published on: April 27, 2021
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Scientist Reviewed This resource has been reviewed by SubjectToClimate's climate scientists and verified for scientific accuracy and up-to-date information. Learn about our review process →
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?"
This 6-minute video is a TED talk given in 2009 by William Kamkwamba from Malawi, in which he tells the story of how and why he built a windmill of available reused parts to help his family generate electricity and pump water. This resource is recommended for teaching.
Teaching Tips
Standards
Resource Type and Format
Scientist Reviewed
This resource has been reviewed by SubjectToClimate's climate scientists and verified for scientific accuracy and up-to-date information. Our review process ensures that every resource in our library reflects the current state of climate science.
Learn about our review process →
