Television that inspires learning

Carl Sagan

I was recently lucky enough to get hold of a copy of the Cosmos television series on DVD. This is a 13-part ‘personal journey through space and time’, written and hosted by Carl Sagan. The TV series ran in the early 1980s and was an inspiration to many people, in no small part thanks to Sagan’s enthusiasm and powers of communication. It’s fair to say that this series had a profound impact on my own interest in science, the universe (and everything), and to an extent helped influence some of the choices I later made about my educational pathways.

Readers in the United States can access the entire series through Hulu, but unfortunately this service is not available in the UK. There are some clips available on YouTube, and I’ve posted one of my favourites below.

I’ve just started re-watching the entire series with my 10 year old son, and although TV special effects (not to mention some of the science) has moved on, the series still stands scrutiny as an insightful and moving programme.

This has got me thinking about what a powerful influence well-crafted television can have as an inspiring learning experience. One other that I would pick out as an influence on me (earlier in life!) is Sesame Street. I can’t think of any other programme from my early childhood that so effectively blended great characters, humour, variety and learning. Apparently it is still running in the US, and here is an amazing statistic:

A 1996 survey found that 95% of American preschoolers have watched the show by the time they are three years old

If you were going to devise a programme that would touch 95% of a country’s populace before they were four years old, could you come up with anything better than Sesame Street?

If you have any of your own favourite television progamming that has inspired learning then please feel free to comment. I may even compile a top ten…