Before widening its remit to sciences and humanities, it was dedicated to maths, hosting a number of lessons ranging in difficulty from basic addition to calculus. The lessons are presented in a tree called a knowledge map, which shows dependencies between lessons. For example, multiplication relies on addition, and lots of trigonometry is dependent on understanding of geometry. The same goes for all other subjects - from finance to American Civics.
The lessons themselves include videos which teach you the basics in a formal style - the teacher narrates a blackboard simulation in the videos I've seen so far - to teach you how it works. Then you can sit the test, answering questions on the subject until you get 10 correct answers in a row, at which point you know you're ready to move further down the knowledge map. To top it all off, in many of the tests an algorithm is used to generate problems on the subject as you go, so you'll never run out of questions.
Two ideas are striking in particular about this concept - firstly, the knowledge map. One problem with the sea of knowledge on the web that I referred to earlier is that it's often unclear as to what you need to know before you dig into something. The Khan academy really emphasises the idea of building blocks, and assists you in plotting out a learning path to ensure you understand fully all the way. The second idea is the testing. The Khan academy takes full use of its cyberspace campus by allowing for automated testing designed to ensure that students are completely confident in their ability on a topic while keeping their learning paths confidential and well advised. Well done to Sal Khan and the whole team on a brilliant service.
No comments:
Post a Comment