Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

Khan Academy: It’s Different This Time

mathalicious.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

101–110 of 192 posts

Re: Khan Academy: It’s Different This Time

#101

Post by phaus »

JupiterJazz wrote: post #93
jforman wrote: post #86

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This is an incredibly depressing post. The discussion over educational reform has devolved into one side begging for teachers to stop being treated like cattle and the other saying, essentially, "if you cared about the kids, you'd be happy being treated like cattle." Doctors go through significantly more schooling and receive significantly more professional development — yet they are still perceived with respect as p…

Give it time. With the direction healthcare costs are going it's just a matter of time before the hate enters the profession. Soon people will see doctors, nurses, and administrators for what they really are: rent-seekers gouging taxpayers for enormous amounts of money by erecting barriers to entry, keeping accountability to a minimum, and charging endless procedures to the bottomless pits that are medicare and medic…

From my experience a significant percentage of the population already feels this way. Maybe it's because I have mostly dealt with the military health care system(which also uses civilian specialists), but most doctors seem arrogant, uncaring, and incompetent.

Re: Khan Academy: It’s Different This Time

#102

Post by [deleted] »

JupiterJazz wrote: post #93
jforman wrote: post #86

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This is an incredibly depressing post. The discussion over educational reform has devolved into one side begging for teachers to stop being treated like cattle and the other saying, essentially, "if you cared about the kids, you'd be happy being treated like cattle." Doctors go through significantly more schooling and receive significantly more professional development — yet they are still perceived with respect as p…

Give it time. With the direction healthcare costs are going it's just a matter of time before the hate enters the profession. Soon people will see doctors, nurses, and administrators for what they really are: rent-seekers gouging taxpayers for enormous amounts of money by erecting barriers to entry, keeping accountability to a minimum, and charging endless procedures to the bottomless pits that are medicare and medic…

[deleted]

Re: Khan Academy: It’s Different This Time

#103

Post by bambax »

This is what one finds in the "About" page of Khan Academy:

> Sal also found time to get three degrees from MIT and an MBA from Harvard

> Shantanu (...) received four degrees from MIT

> Bilal (...) completed his MBA and MA in Education from Stanford and a BS in Actuarial Science from Urbana-Champaign

> Marcia (...) received her BS and MS in Computer Science from Stanford

> Jessica (...) is an alumna of Stanford and UC San Diego

> Desmond (...) studied mechatronics engineering at Swinburne University, Australia

> Charlotte (...) received her BA from Haverford College

> Elizabeth (...) earned a B.A. in Intellectual History at Penn

> Marcos (...) has an SB from MIT and an MFA from RISD

> James (...) received two degrees from CMU in Physics and Computer Science

> Minli (...) has a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering and M.S. in Management Science & Engineering from Stanford University

http://www.khanacademy.org/about/the-team

What's the point? If traditional education is irrelevant, why does it matter whether Khan Academy's people come from the most prestigious universities...?

Re: Khan Academy: It’s Different This Time

#104

Post by [deleted] »

JupiterJazz wrote: post #93
jforman wrote: post #86

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This is an incredibly depressing post. The discussion over educational reform has devolved into one side begging for teachers to stop being treated like cattle and the other saying, essentially, "if you cared about the kids, you'd be happy being treated like cattle." Doctors go through significantly more schooling and receive significantly more professional development — yet they are still perceived with respect as p…

Give it time. With the direction healthcare costs are going it's just a matter of time before the hate enters the profession. Soon people will see doctors, nurses, and administrators for what they really are: rent-seekers gouging taxpayers for enormous amounts of money by erecting barriers to entry, keeping accountability to a minimum, and charging endless procedures to the bottomless pits that are medicare and medic…

[deleted]

Re: Khan Academy: It’s Different This Time

#105

Post by jdvolz »

JupiterJazz wrote: post #93
jforman wrote: post #86

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This is an incredibly depressing post. The discussion over educational reform has devolved into one side begging for teachers to stop being treated like cattle and the other saying, essentially, "if you cared about the kids, you'd be happy being treated like cattle." Doctors go through significantly more schooling and receive significantly more professional development — yet they are still perceived with respect as p…

Give it time. With the direction healthcare costs are going it's just a matter of time before the hate enters the profession. Soon people will see doctors, nurses, and administrators for what they really are: rent-seekers gouging taxpayers for enormous amounts of money by erecting barriers to entry, keeping accountability to a minimum, and charging endless procedures to the bottomless pits that are medicare and medic…

Don't forget about the true rent-seeking, taxpayer gouging insurance companies. I find that by the time I've paid my $950 a month in insurance, paying another $40 copay to the doctor just makes me angry. When the cost to have semi-decent insurance is the same cost as leasing a BMW it's no wonder that people don't go to the doctor's.

[Note: I realize it might just be that my insurance is ridiculous. I'm looking into alternatives.]

Re: Khan Academy: It’s Different This Time

#106

Post by keithpeter »

quanticle wrote: post #91
yequalsx wrote: post #84

Earlier quoted context omitted.

In the same way that a bad parent who becomes a better parent knows they are now a better parent. Some things are not quantifiable. I know of no effective national evaluation system for parenting and yet some parents are good parents. I know that I am a better teacher now than when I first started. I'm not claiming to be a good teacher. I'm just claiming to be a better one. It's common for a practitioner to get bette…

I know that I am a better teacher now than when I first started. Sure, you know that you're a better teacher than when you started. But can you prove it? What can you do that a fresh-out-of-college teacher can't? What can you do better? How can you show that you do your job better? As a programmer, I have a similar problem. But I don't just throw up my hands and say, "Well, some things just can't be quantified." Inst…

What can you do that a fresh-out-of-college teacher can't?

I can plan lessons that include activities tailored for the needs of specific students. Training teachers find this hard and tend to plan for the median.

I can plan lessons more quickly than a training teacher, thus liberating time for more tailoring. I can use technology to differentiate delivery and to save time.

My feedback to each student is more accurately geared to that student's 'zone of proximal development'. I can set targets that mean something to each student.

I can 'reflect in action' in the classroom. I can read the situation in the whole class, and I can understand the logic behind mistakes that individual students make, and suggest alternative approaches.

How can you show that you do your job better?

In the institution where I teach we have QA observations and peer observations in place. That gives me some kind of benchmark.

Education is fuzzy, hard to measure, hard to standardise and quite hard work if you do it properly. As are many human occupations.

Re: Khan Academy: It’s Different This Time

#107

Post by tzs »

aaronbrethorst wrote: post #40

For many of us teachers, this is somewhat disconcerting. Gamification is fine when students are trying to save Zelda, but it’s more problematic when math becomes an obstacle, and eighth grade just another “level.” The author is delusional. That's exactly what 8th, or any other grade, is. Get enough points, proceed to the next grade. Score high enough on the leader board, proceed to the college you want.

I disagree. Gamification is the application of game design techniques to non-game situations to make them more interesting and engaging, in order to encourage people to do things they might otherwise not do because they find them boring or uninteresting.

You can't just take something people don't like and don't want to do, and stick in arbitrary "levels" and have that motivate them. The levels have to represent some achievement that is desirable to the person.

Re: Khan Academy: It’s Different This Time

#108

Post by swcpg »

patio11 wrote: post #13

To address our challenges, we need to do what every other successful country has done: invest in professional development; give teachers more time to collaborate; and provide them with resources that help them not only meet the learning standards, but exceed them. You could have copy/pasted that conclusion without altering a word from the debate about every other educational reform: school choice/vouchers, NCLB, high…

The US does not spend anywhere near tour nations in professional development nor build in the same collaboration time. It does not have as much coaching and other "frippery" . There is plenty of great research on this and while you are right that many pay lip service to improving these areas of US education, little is ever done to meaningfully invest in said improvements.

Also the article did not bring these up as a panacea. These kinds of complicated, cultural, and meaningful improvements will not be made easily, in a short period of time, etc.

Re: Khan Academy: It’s Different This Time

#109

Post by [deleted] »

patio11 wrote: post #13

To address our challenges, we need to do what every other successful country has done: invest in professional development; give teachers more time to collaborate; and provide them with resources that help them not only meet the learning standards, but exceed them. You could have copy/pasted that conclusion without altering a word from the debate about every other educational reform: school choice/vouchers, NCLB, high…

[deleted]

Re: Khan Academy: It’s Different This Time

#110

Post by bambax »

tomjen3 wrote: post #26
patio11 wrote: post #13

To address our challenges, we need to do what every other successful country has done: invest in professional development; give teachers more time to collaborate; and provide them with resources that help them not only meet the learning standards, but exceed them. You could have copy/pasted that conclusion without altering a word from the debate about every other educational reform: school choice/vouchers, NCLB, high…

You seem awefully cynical considering that you sell software to teachers (which they themself pay for) so that they can teach their children more efficiently. I mean I have no love for unions and I am well aware that they have no great love for the students but even so, isn't your point a bit to cynical?

> you sell software to teachers (...) so that they can teach their children more efficiently

Does the whole "Bingo card" concept qualifies as efficient teaching? The word "gamification" seems to have been invented for it.

Post reply on HN