The Khan Academy, (www.khanacademy.org) is a non-profit, free, online learning tool which I first read about in an article in ‘The Economist’, September 17th 2011. The article described traditional lessons being ‘flipped’. Whereas the traditional teaching/learning model has a teacher deliver a topic to a class and the students practise in class with homework, the Khan Academy has students watch online instructional videos at home then practise with online exercises (also at home). Class time can then be used for one-to-one tuition as necessary – hence the flip.
The Khan Academy was put together by MIT graduate Salman Khan and, at the time of writing, has over 2800 videos of micro lessons, lasting on average 10 minutes, covering topics ranging from Maths to Economics. The site has the backing of Bill Gates and Google, to name but a few.
I was intrigued by the concept of the Khan Academy, so in order to get a feel for the site, I organised an account with the website (which is managed by using either a Google or Facebook account) and started doing the exercises. I encouraged my private students to set up accounts and select me as their ‘coach’ thus enabling me to oversee their learning and focus of activity. The benefits of the Khan Academy to my teaching are oversight of student’s activities, confidence building, and paced learning.
Oversight of student’s activities is achieved via the ‘coach’ section. Once a student has assigned me as their coach I am able to monitor their activities and achievements (both video watching and exercises) and through the various reports and class statistics. I can then create one-to-one activities which target problem areas or extend understanding.
Confidence building seems to be a natural result of students finally ‘getting it’. For example, a teenage student who first came to me unable to tell the difference between odd and even numbers is developing a sense of place value and is currently well on the way to being able to do long division. Besides the student’s improvement with Maths, their confidence is growing and, according to the parents, this confidence is spilling over into other academic subjects at school and into the student’s social life.
Paced learning is achieved through the ‘Knowledge Map’ and dashboard. Suggested lessons are highlighted with linked videos and hints guiding the student. Students are awarded points for perseverance, attainment, tenacity, and reaching winning streaks (a certain number of correct answers in a row). A handy revision tool (‘Attaining Mastery’) keeps topics already covered fresh.
It may seem odd that I send my students to an instructional website which may reduce the number of lessons the student needs, but I have found that the students are able to learn more efficiently using this free resource. My greatest motivation is seeing students reach their goals and develop their confidence. If this means that the student no longer needs me, then so be it. This frees me up to help the next student who’s struggling.