Learning the Rules of the Game: Walter Swanson at TEDxSpringfield

A former Peace Corps volunteer in Cape Verde, West Africa, Walter Swanson is currently Director for the Center for Entrepreneurial & Global Studies (CEGS) at Wilbraham and Monson Academy.

In this TEDx talk, Walter discusses Learning the Rules of the Game: Creating Learning Environments where Diversity and Innovation Feed each Other. Walter shares his perspectives on how to accomplish this through personnel/student diversity, educational/learning changes and innovation, and creating an environment where conflict and failure are acceptable as they will later yield more creative results.

The theme of TEDxSpringfield's inaugural event held on October 18, 2013, was "Driving Innovation Through Diversity and Inclusion". We are a group of passionate volunteers that believe Springfield and its surrounding areas are full of Ideas Worth Spreading. Springfield is the "City of Firsts" -- the first basketball game, the first motorcycle, the first "Springfield". This event focused on how to use our diversity to bring back the innovation.

In the spirit of ideas worth spreading, TEDx is a program of local, self-organized events that bring people together to share a TED-like experience. At a TEDx event, TEDTalks video and live speakers combine to spark deep discussion and connection in a small group. These local, self-organized events are branded TEDx, where x = independently organized TED event. The TED Conference provides general guidance for the TEDx program, but individual TEDx events are self-organized.* (*Subject to certain rules and regulations)