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Grant To Allow Khan Academy To Expand, Build a Physical School

Posted by timothy on from the deserves-an-early-nobel dept.

mayberry42 writes with this news snipped from Hack Education: "Khan Academy announced this morning that it has raised $5 million from the O'Sullivan Foundation (a foundation created by Irish engineer and investor Sean O'Sullivan). The money is earmarked for several initiatives: expanding the Khan Academy faculty, creating a content management system so that others can use the program's learning analytics system, and building an actual brick-and-mortar school, beginning with a summer camp program."

4 of 92 comments (clear)

  1. And all... by DWMorse · · Score: 5, Funny

    And all the for-profit schools raise their fists in the air and scream: "KKHAAANNNN!!!"

    --
    There's a spot in User Info for World of Warcraft account names? Really?
  2. brick-and-mortar seems counterproductive by bloody_liberal · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Can someone figure out why they need to actually build their own place? I just don't see how it fits with their strengths...

    1. Re:brick-and-mortar seems counterproductive by Belial6 · · Score: 5, Interesting

      I would disagree. His language is great for younger kids. One of the reasons KA is so successful and kids like him is that he doesn't talk down to them.

      I would also hate to see KA opened up to the general public for content. Our education system is a self feeding monster that would likely get it's fingers involved and break KA. Better would be for Kahn to hand pick some individuals to help create new content.

      I do agree that one of KA's big strengths is that it is online and is largely barrier free. A brick an mortar school is more likely to drag KA down to the level of other schools than it is to raise up KA to a new level.

  3. First: Fund Methods That Have Evidence They Work by bgoffe · · Score: 5, Informative

    At least in physics there is a HUGE body of evidence that telling is basically not teaching, be it lectures or videos. That is, one must confront student misconceptions and more generally understand how people learn. We don't learn deeply by watching. Seriously, what elite athlete learned by watching and listening?

    Try out these links:

    "Khan Academy and the Effectiveness of Science Videos" https://fnoschese.wordpress.com/2011/03/17/khan-academy-and-the-effectiveness-of-science-videos/

    "Improved Learning in a Large Enrollment Physics Class" http://www.cwsei.ubc.ca/SEI_research/index.html

    "Why Not Try a Scientific Approach to Science Education?" http://www.cwsei.ubc.ca/resources/files/Wieman-Change_Sept-Oct_2007.pdf (the author is both a Nobel Laureate and a U.S. University Professor of the Year; he's currently Deputy Science Adviser to the President for science education)

    It is a sad commentary that methods that have rigorously been shown to work, like http://modeling.asu.edu/ , could really use more funding when Khan gets such funding on just the publicity.