A Different Kind of Classroom

I recently came across a site called Khan Academy.  The website was started by Salman Khan who was tutoring his cousins across the country.  He posted lessons on YouTube so that his cousins would be able to view at their own pace. Khan began receiving feedback from strangers about how useful these videos.  After Khan realized that a lot of people can benefit from his videos, he founded Khan Academy.  This non-profit organization provides over 2,000 videos and tutorials of subjects ranging from grade school biology and mathematics to college level calculus and economics.

Screenshot of one of Khan's videos

There is an interesting aspect of this website.  During his presentation at a TED conference, Khan envisioned a "flipped" classroom setting.  In this setting, students are assigned videos from the website to watch at home as their homework.  Students can watch at their own pace and back at the classroom, they would do exercises or the supposed "homework."  This type of flipped classroom allows more teacher to student time as teachers are able to help students who do not understand certain subjects or topics.  Khan further expands on this idea by suggesting that students who already understand the topic can tutor the students who cannot.  This whole idea eliminates the traditional classroom situation where some students who are slower learners fall behind due to the speed of the class.  They would not be able to understand the harder topics.  Khan Academy allows students to really understand the material before moving on to a tougher concepts which build upon what they had previously learned.

It is great to see how the Internet and technology can provide a more flexible way of learning.  Khan Academy also provides tracking tools for teachers to see where their students are progressing and which ones need a bit of help.  Khan Academy has begun a pilot program in the Los Altos school district to test out the effectiveness of this type of new classroom setting.

If this resource was available during my high school years, it would have helped me tremendously.

Video of Salman Khan's TED Talks presentation:

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