I watched this THREE times. Seriously. This is important stuff. And, I am proud to say that the school where I teach is forward thinking and ahead of the game when it comes to this stuff, so I am fortunate to work there. I am not forced to take a certain number of grades per week or required to jump through a bunch of meaningless hoops for no reason. We are encouraged to connect with students and to help them to learn.
Khan said his philosophy is based on MASTERY and MINDSET.
He discussed how he started sharing videos online mainly to help his family. Someone needed help, he was great at math, and he was recording videos to help them. And, eventually, others watched and it became something that was filling a niche desperately needed by many students.
He talked about mastery. How when we learn an instrument or martial arts, we have to master something to move forward. Traditionally, academia groups students together and moves them all at the same pace. Teachers lecture, they go home and do homework, come back, repeat a few times, and take a test. Regardless of how well you do (regardless of your gaps) you move on to the next thing....often without a proper foundation to build on.
Then, he compared this with building a home. They hope part of it's done in two weeks, but if it's not done or up to code or the inspector doesn't approve it, they can't move on. The inspector can't say, "Eh, 80% so go ahead and build on top of this. It's not great, but just go ahead and build on. Move on."
He says what is variable should be when and how long they have to work on something and what should be FIXED is that they actually mastered the material. This would reinforce the right MINDSET muscles. You teach them grit, perseverance, and agency over their learning.He said with today's technology, we can better prepare students to embrace a growth mindset. We have the technology available to provide various levels of instruction to different students. We just have to "flip things" and use this technique.
He challenged us to help students to participate. Let them tap into their potential by mastering concepts and having agency over their learning to help them get there.
PERSONAL NOTES: Let me be honest. I was GREAT at playing school. I made straight A's. I stressed about school. I worked hard (in sports, school, and work). I did not embrace failure or see it as part of learning. I did not embrace learning (just wanted the grade). I did not really "like" school, but I was good at school. As a teacher, it seems few students are like me, and those students who are will learn regardless of how great a teacher is or what they truly get out of it for the long term. I wish I would have had teachers who tried to get me to think and appreciate the process of learning (don't get me wrong, I had a few). But, I was too worried about failure and bad grades. I cannot imagine what students who are NOT as motivated, who do not fear (usually because they have done poorly in the past, so what's to lose), and who do not have support systems in place to help them succeed do! As a teacher, I have to reach all students and we must use the technology and other resources at our disposal to do so. We cannot just leave learning in the hands of kids because it's "their job" or "their loss" if they don't do well.
BONUS: See the graphic at the right? It's from something else! Another great video about him from Evan Carmichael-- Salman Khan's Top 10 Rules For Success. Also a great watch.
Let's Teach for Mastery, Not Test Scores!
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