Sharon WickerA new page for MK/TCK resources has recently been added to the SEND U wiki. One of these resources, Khan Academy, is particularly helpful for parents and students alike as a tool for supplemental learning.
What is Khan Academy?
It is NOT: training to join Genghis Khan and his Hordes of the 1300 and 1400s.
It IS: a FREE online personalized learning resource for all ages.
“Khan Academy offers practice exercises, instructional videos, and a personalized learning dashboard that empower learners to study at their own pace in and outside of the classroom. We tackle math, science, computing, history, art history, economics, and more, including K-14 and test preparation.” (from their website)
HOW I first met Khan
(the Academy, not Genghis – I met him in a city square in Ulaan Baatar, Mongolia!!!)
Personally, I first heard about Khan Academy from some other educational consultants. But the best testimony I have is from my adult kids doing high school and university courses. They found Khan very helpful for review, extra practice, and succinct teaching on something their professor had not made clear.
WHAT does Khan Academy offer?
Khan offers subject-specific instruction in the core subjects. They do this through short topic-centered videos, presenting a concept.
WHO should consider Khan as a resource?
Parents:
- with children in a local school (in another country) who are looking for supplemental English-language educational resources.
- homeschooling a gifted child that could use some broadening of their learning.
- homeschooling in a subject they find challenging to teach – especially math and science.
Furthermore, high school and university or college students will also find Khan Academy helpful if they need extra learning and practice opportunities in a certain subject.
HOW do we use Khan?
You can use Khan Academy for as much or as little as you want to do. You can pop on their website and access a specific topic for any level. For example, 6th grade Math: Dividing fractions by fractions or AP Art History: Principles of Composition. You can also sequentially track through a full course.
WHY should we use Khan?
Khan Academy is a succinct and reliable academic resource. Of course, you can find this same information elsewhere online. The benefit of Khan is that they focus competently on the core subjects while still managing to include some humanities and life-skills learning options. TCKs and their parents might benefit, for example, from the (albeit U.S.– based) discussions of “creating a budget” or “easy tips to save money every day” as their children merge into adulthood and transition to their passport country.
When should we NOT use Khan?
DON’T use Khan if you are looking for only a Christian worldview in your educational materials. Also, DON’T use Khan as a complete school curriculum. Khan functions best as a supplement.
If you’ve found other great supplemental websites for academic learning, I’d love to hear about them! Also, check out the other great resources for MKs/TCKs on the SEND U wiki, you’ll find book recommendations, education and transition resources and so much more!
This post is contributed by Sharon Wicker, one of SEND’s MK education consultants.
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