Have you heard of Khan Academy? If not, you’re in for a treat. I’ve just come across it in the last few weeks and I think it’s the greatest thing that has come around for education in a long time.
I think there are a lot of you out there, myself included, who have searched the internet mindlessly to help our children better understand a specific educational concept. Maybe you’ve hired tutors or sat at the kitchen table for hours with our child’s homework and tried your best to help them better understand their assignment. Or on the other side of things, maybe your child is advanced and needs a little more from just their class alone. Khan Academy is such a place. They provide videos on every topic in math and science you could think of. From the very basic to the advanced. And they’ve developed a mastery system, making sure there are no holes in a person’s learning, a perfect supplement for anyone looking for a little something extra.
Don’t get me wrong, I really like each of my children’s teachers, they do a great job. And having taught in schools as well, I know there are times when you can’t teach every child everything they need before it’s time to move on to the next section or topic in class. There’s not enough time, and sometimes too many kids, to teach everything without someone falling behind. Or there might be a child who is advanced and is getting bored in class. Khan Academy allows everyone to learn at their own pace.
The best part, it’s all free. You can watch them on YouTube or visit the Khan Academy site. You don’t need to sign up for anything to watch and learn. Although I highly suggest you create your own account on their site to help keep track of your progress. We each have our own account, even I do. I’m needing a refresher course on a few topics as well!
Watch this TED talk Salman Khan gave a couple of years ago. It explains the academy and will get you excited to start.
You can also see a little more on the starting and growing of Khan Academy as a business, very inspiring, from this video where Salman Khan spoke at an Adobe Conference. It’s a little long, but worth it!
Here are just a few of the videos we’ve been watching. My son is interested in momentum. My daughter is getting a refresher with her borrowing and carrying in math.
Have you already been watching? What do you love about it?
Eliminating the vast search for answers to questions about math is what sites such as Khan or MathTV.com are great for!
Salman Kahn’s TED talk inspired me to branch out from my brick and mortar art school for kids and launch an online version of our art program. There are so many benefits of online learning as you mentioned. Allowing kids to learn at their own pace is huge. It also provides kids with access to teachers and curriculum they wouldn’t otherwise have. You can try a free trial of my online art program here: http://www.thriveart.com/learn-to-draw/
My husband just discovered Kahn recently thru an article and Im actually hoping it will help my son pass his regents.
We use it at my work all the time. Khan is an excellent instructor and educator, and I’m excited for all that he has done for the field. I’m excited to see where Khan Academy will go next.
We found out about it a couple of years ago. It was on CBS or some news station. We actually visited the site today to reinforce teaching on borrowing. I even learned something.
Yes, as did I on that borrowing video. He has a great way of giving examples throughout the lesson!