I may be the last person on the planet to discover this, but even so, it’s worth showcasing. The Khan Academy is a website created by Sal Kahn who began it by wanting to tutor his nieces. (Reminds me of Darren K and Ellie.) What started out as a simple way to help them understand difficult math and science concepts is now a storehouse of over 1,000 videos. Listen as Sal explains why he did it and the power of this new form of learning. It’s well worth the 20 minutes.
I’m not convinced the idea of short tutorials works in all disciplines but certainly it does for Math and Science. As much as this body of work is impressive for the content, I’m more impressed by the passion and joy Sal gains from helping others learn. In addition the form factor here is worth exploring. If you skipped the video go back and watch it and perhaps you can answer the following:
What are the implications here? Could a student learn Algebra with this without attending a high school class? What does it make us rethink when it comes to school and learning?
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I’m a huge fan of tutorials to guide learning- especially for observable skills. I was taken by this news story that Ben Grey shared with me a few months back.
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-1962958416930816240&hl=en#
The model flips homework time for the classroom and requires students to view the tutorials or lectures at home. Really interesting idea. I just taught a workshop today for teachers, brought a bunch of my own headphones and required them watch a tutorial. Everyone succeeded. It works.
Thanks for sharing!
Daniel
.-= D. Rezac´s last blog ..Links for 2010-05-17 [del.icio.us] =-.
The Khan Academy is an outstanding resource for any math or science teacher. It can be thought of as a video textbook without the problem sets.
Just as an algebra textbook on its own is no substitute for an algebra class (although it is better than nothing), the Khan Academy videos aren’t a substitute for an algebra class either. While it teaches all the skills, it does not necessarily present learning opportunities. There is no chance to investigate, experiment, collaborate, etc. There is no chance to struggle with difficult situations or apply one’s knowledge to the real world.
But what if you combined this skills-based resource with Dan Meyer’s WCYDWT series of thought-provoking situations? The thing that is missing is somebody to monitor each person’s progress and to moderate discussions.
I believe this is what Scott McLeod is referring to when he speaks of the ‘fungibility of teachers.’ In many instances, we are no longer needed to provide skill instruction. We will earn our money and stay relevant by providing learning experiences that cannot be replicated by others.
.-= Clint H´s last blog ..Keep Your Eye on the Blog =-.
Dean,
We’ve had our eye on Kahn Academy here for about a month, trying to figure out how to best use these tutorials in our classes. It is simply a remarkable collection of short tutorials.
Thanks for posting this… I had yet to see this particular video.
Tony
.-= Tony Baldasaro´s last blog ..A New Era of Leadership =-.
I believe that what the Kahn academy is doing is helping education move to the anytime anywhere model. I DO believe that SOME students could learn algebra by watching the Kahn videos. However, they still need to complete some assignments to practice those skills. Some students NEED a face to face teacher to keep them on task because they ARE NOT intrinsically motivated.
The Kahn videos allow us to let some of our students learn as fast as I they want and others to take more time if they require it.
I have been thinking about how to integrate the Kahn videos into my mathematics teaching. Hopefully, next school year I will test that out in one of my courses.
After you posted this, I decided to watch one of his videos. I had never heard of him before. I picked one that I assumed I had taken in high school so I knew at least something about it. I chose the pythagorean theorem, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. It definitely brought back all the math memories of right triangles and what do when looking for the hypotenuse haha. I have to agree with one of his fan’s letters he read in the video you posted; I think he is a better speaker on You Tube than he is in front of an audience. I’m sure he gets more nervous in front of audiences as we all do, but I found him to be very clear and easy to follow in the math lesson. If only the number of YouTube video views paid!
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Every math teacher could be successful teaching only those who seek out the “methods” that Kahn presents. He does a great job of explaining and the point about being free to go back and check out previous skills is important. I agree with Clint that our classroom teachers need to be asking the “Big Questions” that start students on the road to seeking. Forming those good questions and presenting a bigger picture is a challenging task.
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After watching the videos I admire Mr. Khan. I think he is a better speaker on You Tube than he is in front of an audience. Thanks for sharing.
My younger son was taking Algebra I as a 7th grader, and although I believe his is definitely an advanced learner, I do not always agree with the idea of having middle schoolers taking math courses that are so far in advance of their brain development. The saving factor would be the teacher bridging the gap between advanced skills and the immaturity of most 7th graders. My son did not have a teacher that did that, so we used these tutorials that we found when I did a search online for help.
It helped. I just wished we had been doing it from the start of the year. We are using it for refreshers during summer vacation.