Although this will provide highest quality of academic curriculum, the remote only high school also has disadvantages. Being with peers in a physically colocated space is critical for kids to learn social skills that are equally important as academic skills. Being able to have a hybrid model of teachers or volunteers who can drive these interactions in small physical groups will provide the best experience.
Khan Academy launches Khan World School online high school
51–60 of 263 posts
Re: Khan Academy launches Khan World School online high school
#52Earlier quoted context omitted.
> why deal with a mediocre local math teacher if you can get taught by the best? Because…you actually can’t. Static media (like books and non-interactive lectures) scales easily, but that’s not teaching (even if, especially in large lower-division courses, that’s what university faculty essentially does.) Human interactivity, which is what teaching fundamentally is, doesn’t scale, which is why those large lecture cla…
To be fair, there are "interactive" teaching methods that scale very well. In old-time schools, it was common for a single teacher to teach a large number of students, who would rote learn a teacher-prepared "lesson" and chant it back word-for-word when prompted. Students would similarly be introduced to practice in e.g. grammar or math, simply by hearing problem questions from the teacher and shouting back the right…
[deleted]
Re: Khan Academy launches Khan World School online high school
#53In my mind a "better high school of tomorrow" would be the one that utilizes the best available classes and material available online in a physical class room environment, except for classes that are unique to the national curriculum. So a school would have people employed in some new role of mentor/teacher with whom you take the classes online with help and guidance. What would be the stoppers from implementation of…
Students! Many of them actually want and need to sit in a classroom and have someone teach (!) them. Having a shared syllabus is not really the problem. (I am teaching... I wish more people would actually study independently and I could just mentor them, but in my experience this isn't the case for many students. You may claim it's a matter of habits and education but that's not bureaucracy)
Thanks for the reply. Let me start of by saying that I'm aware that a good portion of students will require a more direct approach the same way they will require "parental" oversight for homework. Perhaps I should have restricted the question to the kids/students who have enough discipline/drive/habits for more self-study oriented education.
Re: Khan Academy launches Khan World School online high school
#54The concept of an online high school may sound terrible, but sooner or later it’s bound to happen: quality education will keep consolidating until there’s one super school left. Outlier is doing the same thing but on the college level: why deal with a mediocre local math teacher if you can get taught by the best?
Because there’s more to high school than just classes. It’s important to learn how to deal with people as well. A purely virtual high school experience sounds extremely lonely and thin for the soul.
The minute I found out I could work, and go to a Communty College, instead of going to high school I thought I won the lottery.
Long story short my high school allowed gave credit for working, and going to a Communty College.
Once I got to the CC it was relief. My classmates were a lot older, but that was great. Their was no BS. I made great friends.
I didn't like high school much. I was respected because I was a good athlete, but hated high school. I also got a few brownie points because I survived a fight with the ultimate school bully. I went to the same school that our CA governor went to. He was ahead of me, but only graduated because his parents helped him out along the way. I could go on, but don't have the energy tonight. He is very open about his learning difficulties.
O.k. so back to my high school memories. My acne was so bad, I just wanted to hide. My hormones were crazy. I remember having to get to the school at 7:00 for no reason other than listening to some disenfranchised tenure teacher rattle on about their gripes in life. The only thing I liked about high school was a kind biology teacher, and looking at those cheer leaders.
Even at the time, I thought those four years in high school could have been condensed to two year if properly administrated.
If I had a kid, and they hated high school like myself, I would walk them into a CC admissions office.
Re: Khan Academy launches Khan World School online high school
#55Earlier quoted context omitted.
> why deal with a mediocre local math teacher if you can get taught by the best? Because…you actually can’t. Static media (like books and non-interactive lectures) scales easily, but that’s not teaching (even if, especially in large lower-division courses, that’s what university faculty essentially does.) Human interactivity, which is what teaching fundamentally is, doesn’t scale, which is why those large lecture cla…
To be fair, there are "interactive" teaching methods that scale very well. In old-time schools, it was common for a single teacher to teach a large number of students, who would rote learn a teacher-prepared "lesson" and chant it back word-for-word when prompted. Students would similarly be introduced to practice in e.g. grammar or math, simply by hearing problem questions from the teacher and shouting back the right…
> To be fair, there are "interactive" teaching methods that scale very well. In old-time schools, it was common for a single teacher to teach a large number of students, who would rote learn a teacher-prepared "lesson" and chant it back word-for-word when prompted.
> […]
> It was not ineffective, though individual tutoring would've been the gold standard even back then.
Then it doesn’t scale very well.
Re: Khan Academy launches Khan World School online high school
#56Imagine a physics class with the budget of a Mythbusters episode. The result is pedagogically sound content, the best presenters, and a budget for graphics and special effects. With enough students, the cost per class is very low, less than what we pay for school now. Students will still need access to people to help when they have questions. And there is a need for some proctoring of exams/certifications. I expect t…
> the cost per class is very low, less than what we pay for school now.
Personally, I think adding back the assistants for questions and proctoring will significantly reduce the cost savings (if not nullifying them completely) depending on how you implement them.
> Then they will partner with local universities and community colleges
> This will wipe out a lot of lower-tier schools.
Aren't the lower-tier schools exactly the schools that would be partnering with the top universities?
Re: Khan Academy launches Khan World School online high school
#57Although this will provide highest quality of academic curriculum, the remote only high school also has disadvantages. Being with peers in a physically colocated space is critical for kids to learn social skills that are equally important as academic skills. Being able to have a hybrid model of teachers or volunteers who can drive these interactions in small physical groups will provide the best experience.
My instinct is to agree. However it depends on the kind of world that we're actually building. If the future is more:
remote working
controlled/elective social interactions only
strong online communities disconnected from their immediate physical community
Then perhaps those offline social skills will be a positive distraction!
Re: Khan Academy launches Khan World School online high school
#58Imagine a physics class with the budget of a Mythbusters episode. The result is pedagogically sound content, the best presenters, and a budget for graphics and special effects. With enough students, the cost per class is very low, less than what we pay for school now. Students will still need access to people to help when they have questions. And there is a need for some proctoring of exams/certifications. I expect t…
> the cost per class is very low, less than what we pay for school now. Personally, I think adding back the assistants for questions and proctoring will significantly reduce the cost savings (if not nullifying them completely) depending on how you implement them. > Then they will partner with local universities and community colleges > This will wipe out a lot of lower-tier schools. Aren't the lower-tier schools exac…
> Personally, I think adding back the assistants for questions and proctoring will significantly reduce the cost savings (if not nullifying them completely) depending on how you implement them.
If the quality of education can be improved while maintaining the same costs, that’s a win-win.
Re: Khan Academy launches Khan World School online high school
#59Offtopic but it kills me Khan Academy doesn't hire outside the US. Would love to work for them
Re: Khan Academy launches Khan World School online high school
#60Online learning resources are amazing. Compared to pre-internet, the depth, quality and accessibility is amazing. It really does open an opportunity route for a lot of people. However... Institutional learning, whether it's K-12, colleges, techs or whatnot have barely changed. The same fundamental dynamics exist, whether it's tertiary sorting and prestige or primary teaching methods. Education still serves and fails…
> I really hope to see online resources develop in such a way that schools can be built around them. You might be interested to know that Salman Khan has built a physical school https://www.khanlabschool.org/about/about-kls
This is interesting, but I was somewhat disappointed by the website.
They call it a "lab school." I was hoping that meant developing a model which other schools can follow. No shade to Sal, obviously. He does plenty, and does it well.