Being touted among many successful users of Khan Academy as a revolutionary in mathematics education, Salman Khan, the creator of KA, could be best described as a visionary who has taken the idea of the classroom lecture and “flipped” it. The “flipped classroom” concept (lectures/practice at home and problem solving with peers in the classroom) and the development of the Khan Academy wasn’t the initial intent of Sal Khan when he first began developing videos to help his cousin, Nadia, with math homework in 2004.1 (Sal’s explanation of how he got started can be found in this TED talk video.)2 Instead, Sal Khan quit his job at a hedge fund when the videos became wildly popular on YouTube and after getting recognition and financial support by major backers like Ann Doerr and Bill Gates, who announced Khan was his “favorite teacher” at the Aspen Ideas Festival.3 The idea quickly expanded into the now widely admired, (yet somewhat criticized among staunch educators) site which was officially founded in 2008. The academy’s mission statement which, in part, states a goal of “changing education for the better” and a “free world-class education for anyone anywhere” has drawn over 10 million users per month since 2012, and has provided 350 million lessons using adaptive features.4
Exactly what the academy has to offer students, coaches, and teachers as educational resources come in three different categories. First, the library of over 5,000 instructional videos provides information over a variety of Math, Science, Economics, Finance, History, and Art topics.
Second, using adaptive, interactive software, students have access to interactive exercises based upon their level of skill.
Additionally, based on each user’s previous site interactions, KA also provides a guided learning experience which helps direct students to lessons appropriate for their learning needs using a dashboard with real-time performance data. All the resources are provided free of charge to any user and are mostly targeted toward pre- and post-secondary students, teachers, coaches, and even adults in need of refresher exercises. Khan Academy encourages use of their resources in a best fit situation for the user’s needs, however, the main areas of use generally fall into school or after school programs (integrated with the curriculum), as a supplemental resource for students, or as a test prep for both students and adults.
With a full-time staff of 52 employees, and looking to hire more, Khan Academy boasts computer science engineers, software engineers, international relations personnel, educators, web designers, and even a happiness coach. Additionally, the team utilizes the services of over 13,000 volunteers to assist with translations and developing exercises to compliment instructional videos. Because the academy is non-profit, funds from Google, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Ann & John Doerr, Reed Hastings, the O’Sullivan Foundation, the Valhalla Charitable Foundation, and the Broad Foundation are used to support the mission and goals of the academy as well as provide salaries for hired employees.5
Upon first visit, navigating the site might seem daunting, however starting with an overview of how to use the features in a video presentation by Sal Khan himself, might prove to be very useful in maneuvering through the many offerings.6 Users may choose to search the site without creating a profile by entering keywords which would generate links to videos and exercise examples related to the selected topic.
However, the most effective way to utilize the academy’s offerings is by signing up as a free user, and establishing a profile by completing suggested activities.
With all the various features constructed to assist practically “anyone anywhere”, however, according to some educational specialists, there remains the missing element of instructional design and pedagogy in the video presentations. In a criticism posted in 2012 on Ed Tech Researcher, Justin Reich sounds off about how the instructional videos teach only procedural mathematics and not the concepts students need for full understanding.7 Additionally, Reich mentions the spoof created by two Grand Valley State Professors who openly bash Sal Khan for errors and sketchy information provided during a video presentation of multiplying positive and negative integers.8 Other noted educators, including educational historian, Diane Ravitch, weighed in on Khan Academy’s approach after reading a Washington Post critique written by a former math teacher, Karim Kai Ani. In the article, Ani states, “…the videos aren’t very good”, citing the same issue the Grand Valley State professors had with lack of conceptual instruction as well as an admitted lack of preparation on Khan’s behalf.9 Ravitch’s blog post following the Post article summed up her thoughts toward the academy and how the nation’s educational system tends to “jump on bandwagons and adopt the latest fad and new thing”. 10
Although the critics have been seemingly harsh toward the methods of Sal Khan’s teachings, most seem to agree the videos are a good resource for reinforcement, especially for students who have had concepts introduced in the classroom, but needed more practice. Even Eric Bean, a coach/volunteer for the Khan Academy, recognizes the need for a more structural approach to the lessons, but gives them credit for being useful for practice and strengthening skills. 11 Additionally, the criticisms the academy has received haven’t been overlooked by Khan, many of which Sal himself posted replies or comments welcoming opposing viewpoints so efforts could be put forth toward improving the videos and other offerings.12
One might conclude the statement made by Gates alone might persuade even the staunchest of critics to give a nod in the direction of Sal’s work, but the praise lauded from users who have experienced success after using the program seems to have been the greatest voice for advocacy.13 From adults returning to school, to students trying to boost ACT/SAT scores, to elementary school students, story after story of success and gratitude have been expressed on the academy’s site, as well as through comments posted following articles written by critics such as Ravitch, Bean, and Ani. Even online sources for evaluating educational materials such as Common Sense Media gave the academy a 4 out of 5 star ranking stating it’s a “solid resource to supplement classroom instruction on basic math skills”.14
PCMag.com also gave a review stating the site was “impressive” and “free and open to all”.15
Having read extensive information from both critics and proponents, and also having created a personal profile on the Khan Academy site, the good (solid reinforcement, adaptive assessments, practice skills) seems to outweigh the bad (some lack of methodology and pedagogy) in terms of the benefits received. Additionally, with the type of support bolstering the academy’s efforts and the team of experts dedicated to making the academy an effective learning tool, the future of Khan Academy and what it can provide its users seems boundless and exceedingly positive.
[1] https://www.khanacademy.org/talks-and-interviews/other-features/v/overview-of-khanacademy-org↩
[2] http://youtu.be/nTFEUsudhfs">Salman Khan: Let's use video to reinvent education↩
[3] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6A07Pj71TUA&feature=youtu.be↩
[4] http://khanacademy.desk.com/customer/portal/articles/441307-press-room↩
[5] https://www.khanacademy.org/careers↩
[6] https://www.khanacademy.org/talks-and-interviews/other-features/v/overview-of-khanacademy-org↩
[7]http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/edtechresearcher/2012/06/dont_use_khan_academy_without_watching_mmt2k_first.html↩
[8]http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/edtechresearcher/2012/06/dont_use_khan_academy_without_watching_mmt2k_first.html↩
[9] http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/answer-sheet/post/khan-academy-the-hype-and-the-reality/2012/07/23/gJQAuw4J3W_blog.html↩
[10] http://dianeravitch.net/2012/07/23/math-teacher-debunks-khan-academy↩
[11] http://www.tonybates.ca/2012/03/14/a-short-critique-of-the-khan-academy↩
[12] http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/answer-sheet/post/sal-khan-responds-to-critic/2012/07/25/gJQA83rW9W_blog.html↩
[13] https://www.khanacademy.org/stories↩
[14] http://www.commonsensemedia.org/website-reviews/khan-academy↩
[15] http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2397123,00.asp↩
Thorough. Thoughtful. An excellent review. Thanks!
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