Geoffrey Canada is one of those inspiring, funny, committed, well-rounded and profoundly human individuals whose extraordinary energy rubs off on you. During this 17-minute talk, he asks the question: ‘Why is our education system still so similar to that of 50 years ago? Millions of school children didn’t succeed then, and the same applies now.’

Rita Pierson, a passionate, committed and completely inspiring teacher, reminds us in an insightful, funny and moving way of the power of human bonds.

In this funny and inspiring 20-minute presentation, Ken Robinson sets out the three essential prerequisites for the human mind to fulfil its potential and explains how current educational culture operates in precisely the opposite direction. He points the way out of the ‘valley of death’ of today’s education system.

In 20 minutes, Dan Pink introduces us to the arresting ‘science of motivation’, his starting point being a fact which is now well-accepted among sociologists and scientists: traditional rewards are not as effective as we might imagine.

The eminent scientist Adele Diamond, who is a world expert in the development of executive functions, gives a fascinating 20-minute talk on these essential skills, their importance, the way in which they develop and the factors which hinder their development.

In this absolutely galvanising 35-minute lecture, the scientist Adele Diamond, who is a world authority on the development of executive functions, insists on the importance of a supportive attitude and approach and of activities which are effective in developing these skills.

In just 30 minutes, the researcher Manuela Piazza provides a remarkable overview of current research into numerical cognition. Lecture given at the Collège de France on 20 November 2012.

In just 30 minutes, the eminent researcher Stanislas Dehaene summarises the fundamental principles which underpin learning. Lecture given at the Collège de France on 20 November 2012.

In just 13 minutes, the eminent scientist Patricia Kuhl shares with us the fascinating and astonishing discoveries concerning the linguistic genius of babies: how does the human brain specialise in one language rather than another? Can babies learn language without any human input, via a screen?

Are human beings born with an innate altruistic tendency or must they be educated to behave prosocially? Felix Warneken, a researcher at Havard University, reviews the latest social neuroscience research into this fascinating subject.

A fascinating and highly instructive lecture of 1hr 20 by Karen Wynn, Professor of Cognitive Psychology at Yale University. Karen Wynn speaks about the roots of the moral sense in humans: do we have an innate moral sense or do we have to acquire it?

‘Altruism has been around since the dawn of time... and we can prove that scientifically. Better still, it is possible to cultivate it and promote a society which is more centred around cooperation.” Numerous passionate and fascinating contributors, in particular scientists, share their insights in this revealing documentary entitled Towards an altruistic world?, directed by Sylvie Gilman & Thierry de Lestrade. It is available in full on the Arte website.

John Hunter puts all the world’s problem on a tray and gets his 9-year-old pupils to solve them. At TED 2011, he explained why children enjoy his game ‘Peace in the World’ so much and why the complex lessons he teaches – which are spontaneous and always full of surprises - go well beyond classroom presentations.

Logan Laplante is a 13-year-old teenager whose parents have decided to educate him at home. He explains how this has allowed him to adapt his curriculum not only to his own interests but to his style of learning – something which traditional education was not capable of offering him. In 10 minutes, this young man explains how taking control of his own education has helped him to learn and to be happy and healthy.

Lecture by Dr Catherine Gueguen, the author of the bestseller ‘For a Happy Childhood’, at the Canopé centre in Poitiers before an audience of state school teachers. How do we create conditions conducive to human development? Considerable advances have been made in the last decade in affective and social neuroscience and we are now in a better position to answer this question. Her research is fascinating and Catherine is also a wonderful person. Thank you, Catherine!

This documentary by Clara Bellar features parents – in the United States, Germany, France and Britain – talking about their decision not to send their children to school, but rather to have faith in them and allow them to learn freely about the things which really interest them.

Today, volunteers build schools in traditional societies around the world, convinced that school is the only way to a 'better' life for indigenous children. But is this true? What really happens when we replace a traditional culture's way of learning and understanding the world with our own?