The future of the educational system in America and possibly the world

[mo matik]

 

[dmxgod]

I'm a teacher and I do not want to sit and watch 20 minutes of a video..cliff notes please and then we can have a discussion

 

[mo matik]

Cliffs:

-Khan Academy offers video lectures for specific topics.  Kids can play, pause, replay, etc.  They already cover a very wide range of subjects
-They have recently added this new form of review problems.  In the math section for example, students need 10 questions in a row to pass on a concept.
-Students watch lectures as homework, and at school they work through the problems.  They can work together well which is good.  It removes the procrastination from homework. 
-Teachers can track the progress of the students really well.  You can see how long it takes for a student to learn, and even track progression on a long term scale.  It can offer useful objective statistics per student that can answer questions about learning. 


It's really worth watching the video though.  Very interesting.

 

[dmbrhs]

Still doesn't mean squat as long as parents aren't taking interest or responsibility in their child's education.

 

[djprestige21]

Used Khan for linear algebra and always recommend his videos to kids I tutor.

He holds a couple graduate degrees from MIT and is getting funds in the hundred millions from Bill Gates to press his videos.

 

[djprestige21]

Originally Posted by dmbrhs

Still doesn't mean squat as long as parents aren't taking interest or responsibility in their child's education.

You and your parents are a prime example of this.

 

[mo matik]

Google threw a crapload of money at him too. I've been using his vids for a while, lately for refreshing on mcat topics.

I think this could really change a lot. When I try imagining a school using this system, it seems so much better.

This program produces answers for some of the issues brought up in this well known video from Oct 2010:

 

[severn]

Originally Posted by dmxgod

I'm a teacher and I do not want to sit and watch 20 minutes of a video..cliff notes please and then we can have a discussion

Right here is the reason this does not work with most people.
As a teacher I can tell you the true problem in education is motivation. Most people just don't care, don't have parents who care or don't have friends who care enough to make them get into their learning. This really only works with motivated students, as do MOST forms of education. Why? Because they want to learn in the first place and will do so even if they have the worst teachers.

Watching videos? Heck we already have text books, the internet and online learning and all that.

In the district that I teach we already have this happening.

The failure rate is roughly 60% mostly because the students just don't do the work when left to their own devices.

Great idea, as are most educational ones, but the problem then becomes that when unsupervised people tend to do what they like and want to, not what they should.

 

[wr]

Modular learning is already taking place in school districts. Esp those that are on the low performing list. It's not a better alternative. It's actually worse because machines are replacing human interaction. the computer is now the teacher rather than the person ( even though it's a person teaching via computer before a naysayer comes in)

 

[hankmoody]

I thought this was the Bollywood actor for a second.
Youtube videos are very helpful. A UChicago PhD candidates videos on economics helped me a bunch a couple years back. 

 

[mo matik]

True. But I think that not having a set time frame on video lectures makes it more of an attractive idea.

Homework is this concept we loosely define and we can demonize it to make it look like it'll take forever. If my homework is to sit there and listen to 5 separate 10 minute videos I'm more likely to do it. I think that applies to a lot of people.

Plus lectures aren't when the real learning happens. It's usually the basis of process of learning. The real learning occurs when you apply it. That's when people should be there to help, and I think it makes sense that schools would provide that type of environment.

 

[omgitswes]

Yo this stuff actually worked
I look up youtube videos for help in calculus. The guy patrickjmt or something like that is amazing.
I wish there were more subjects though, because I really need it. If more lectures were recorded I promise you grades will really improve.

 

[wr]

i agree with u Mo.

But once this takes off + us being in the midst of the budget doing away with the education system, a teacher in a classroom could become a thing of the past.

I mean Im all for it you know. Allowing kids to actually start learning and applying sciences math and literature, but I just think this becoming mainstream will totally cause us as a nation to reconstruct our education system into something else.

 

[mo matik]

It's possible, but I hope not. I think you'd still need someone there who knows the information well enough to communicate it to students.

omgitswes, http://www.khanacademy.org/ contains "a library of over 2100 videos".

 

[dmbrhs]

Originally Posted by DJprestige21

Originally Posted by dmbrhs

Still doesn't mean squat as long as parents aren't taking interest or responsibility in their child's education.

You and your parents are a prime example of this.

 

[upandcoming32]

Im currently taking a sociology course called sociology of education...what Ive learned so far...America's school system SUCKS and has been in DOWNFALL and will continue to unless there is CHANGE...our country is lagging behind many other countries in many fields

 

[theconditioner]

Excellent videos!  Definitely makes me want to change careers!

 

[sole vintage]

posted his site i think a year ago in a math help thread. every much appreciated

his videos are excellent he doesn't skip steps, progressively makes examples difficult not like textbooks or teachers which give you one easy one and tell you to do 20 difficult ones

 

[roc4life24]

Originally Posted by sole vintage



his videos are excellent he doesn't skip steps, progressively makes examples difficult not like textbooks or teachers which give you one easy one and tell you to do 20 difficult ones

word for word.

his videos in current educational systems are like vitamins and protein supplements ....classroom and 20 hours of homework a week are still key.

 

[djprestige21]

Originally Posted by Severn

Originally Posted by dmxgod

I'm a teacher and I do not want to sit and watch 20 minutes of a video..cliff notes please and then we can have a discussion

Right here is the reason this does not work with most people.
As a teacher I can tell you the true problem in education is motivation. Most people just don't care, don't have parents who care or don't have friends who care enough to make them get into their learning. This really only works with motivated students, as do MOST forms of education. Why? Because they want to learn in the first place and will do so even if they have the worst teachers.

Great idea, as are most educational ones, but the problem then becomes that when unsupervised people tend to do what they like and want to, not what they should.

Perhaps this is the extra push that kids on the verge of proper academic performance need? 



Its tough to say but many of the kids you describe are already a sinking ship, of course there is no need to rub this in their faces even if it is frustrating. We can only think positive that these kids will turn out with some type of success.




Despite that, even if Khan academy only helps the kids who are born to be successful it is still worth every cent for every B+ student it has helped have them gain an A.

 

[djprestige21]

sole vintage wrote:

his videos are excellent he doesn't skip steps, progressively makes examples difficult not like textbooks or teachers which give you one easy one and tell you to do 20 difficult ones


This.



Also it builds up a kids confidence when he independently sought after help when he knew he had a problem and starts to progressively understand material in which he never thought possible in the classroom. 




Khan starts from a basic foundation to more difficult ideas/problems. All the while kids can understand the material at their own pace without having the pitfalls of a classroom where if they don't understand something in the first 5 minutes of class they will just give up at the 10 minute mark out of confusion. 




For instance I was tutoring a 1st year undergrad, her course was on the chapter of complex polynomials while she barely knew how to FOIL. I told her to watch some Khan videos and her understanding of college algebra improved 10 fold because she was able to touch up on the roadblocks that stopped her from progressing in previous lectures.

 

[Gill Baka Esq. LLC.]

I wish this was implemented when I was starting elementary school. Really like the idea...

 

[djprestige21]

Mo Matik wrote:






4:30 - 5:00,



Brillant.

 

[2morrowbegins2day]

Thanks for sharing OP, I'm using his site right now.

 

[theknowledgeableprofessor]

Shout out to my boy Salman Khan...! Agreed upon 100%! Dude is SUPER smart too. I use his sight to help my niece/nephew Respect.