나는 공짜로 공부한다

by Salman Khan, 김희경 (Translator), 김현경 (Translator)

살만 칸의 교육 혁신 메시지. 잘나가던 여피족 금융맨이었던 그는 우연한 계기로 강의 동영상을 제작해 유튜브에 올리게 되었다. 2006년의 일이었다. 그런데 이 동영상은 뜻하지 않게 폭발적인 인기를 얻게 되었다. 수학의 핵심을 정확하면서도 너무나도 간단히 창의적으로 설명함으로써 많은 사람들에게 배움의 기쁨을 알게 해준 것이다.

유럽의 도시, 미국의 교외지역, 인도의 작은 마을, 중동의 소도시……. 그중에는 종교적인 이유로 공개적으로는 배움의 기회를 갖지 못했던 젊은 여성이 칸의 동영상 덕분에 집에서 공부하고 있다는 소식도 있었고, 인종차별로 학교생활에 적응을 하지 못했던 흑인 학생이 방학 동안 동영상을 통해 지금껏 부족했던 공부를 보충하고 대학에 진학했다는 감동적인 인생역전 드라마도 있었다.

“처음으로 미분을 하며 미소 지었다”라는 기분 좋은 이야기도, 배움의 끈을 완전히 놓았었다는 어른에게서도 다시 자기계발을 하게 되었다는 감사도 전해졌다. 교육이 세상을 보다 나은 곳으로 바꾸고 있다는 이 같은 작은 신호들은 그에게 사회적 가치의 실현에 대해 눈뜨게 했고 행동하게 만들었다. 수업 동영상을 본격적으로 제작해 서비스를 하다가 2008년 칸 아카데미를 창립한 것이다.

살만 칸은 도전과 성공으로 늘 삶이라는 도전에 직면해있는 모든 이들에게 희망과 용기를 전하는 동시에 칸 아카데미의 교육을 통해 개인의 인생, 더 나아가 세상을 변화시키는 기적을 보여줌으로써 배움의 가치를 되새기게 한다.

Genres: Education, Nonfiction, Philosophy, Teaching, Parenting, Business, Politics

311 pages, Unknown Binding

First published October 2, 2012

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author by this name in the Goodreads database.

Salman Khan is an American educator, entrepreneur, and former hedge fund analyst. He is the founder of the Khan Academy, a free online education platform and a organization with which he has produced over 6,500 video lessons teaching a wide spectrum of academic subjects, mainly focusing on mathematics and sciences.

Reviews

[Karen.s · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am an English teacher in Israel in the Bedouin sector, a sector with multiple handicaps in education. I don't have a background in education but have been quite successful in teaching my students. Many of my unconventional methods were stumbled upon or found by trial and error. Salman Khan of the Khan Academy is someone I have admired since I first heard of him earlier this year and a kindred spirit I believe. I didn't know he had published a book, so when I happened upon his article in Time magazine this week, I immediately downloaded the book. I wish I could make it mandatory reading for every teacher in the world!

This book more or less outlines Khan's vision for the future of schools: that each student should learn according to his own pace and learning style, the fundamentals would be presented in short videos available online or DVDs that would be watched whenever the student wants and class time would be devoted to actual practical application of the fundamentals. Teachers are available to help but students can help each other as well. That's the vision in a nutshell although Khan goes into greater depth and expands the concept of learning. After reading this book, if I can't join his institution, I want to adapt whatever parts I can on my own! That is the definition of an inspiring book.

I had feared that this book would more or less be a blatant advertisement for the Khan Academy. Even though Khan would have every right to brag and push his "business", he seems to be a humble man who just wants to best educational possibilities for every student in the world. He often repeats a line to the effect of "students can use video tutorials from Khan Academy or elsewhere". Though he could envision a business model where his name is stamped on a multitude of schools and he makes millions, he provides simply the well-thought out vision and offers his experiences. This makes him all the more admirable.

Possibly what I liked best about this book, is it's simple and to the point presentation. It is not an education theory textbook, heavily padded with lofty language and concepts. It is concise, easy to read and understand, which makes it easily digested by anyone from student, parent, academic or investor. That's great.

[Roopa · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the best book ever.

I know, I know, but it really is. I love the topics Sal covers, and how he basically lays this book out in an inculcative format that would make a decent knowledge map. The history of American education, the explanations about the science of learning, the way things would/should/could be in Sal's opinion, all of it is great. The story of Khan Academy is nothing less than inspiring and heartwarming, you can't help but love Sal.

Disclaimer: I've been drinking the Khan Academy Kool-aid for a long time now. (I can't believe I waited this long to read Sal's book.) This book did nothing more than amplify my love for the platform and possibilities of incorporating technology into the classroom and home. If you already love growth mindsets, this book feeds that fire as well.

Now if you'll excuse me, I'd like to go reread all those classics that I didn't appreciate as a 14 year old.

[John Stein · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really interesting book on several levels. First, the khan academy online lessons are great, and understanding the guy and vision behind the program is very worthwhile. Second, though a little utopian in its vision, the book is a good starting place for the "how would education be different if we started with a blank page" conversation. And finally, as someone interested in social entrepreneurism, it is an interesting case study - still being written- about how and if a great idea can maybe build into a someone real

[Lars · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love Khan Academy and owe to it many of my late successes in math and other quantitative subjects. Sal is not only a first-rate teacher, but also a brilliant engineer. Case in point, educators and authorities have been worrying for years over how to construct a system that takes into account the varying skillsets, learning styles and countless random variables that go into a student's performance.

KA presents a workable, effective solution; let students learn at their own pace with short, easy-to-understand videos, and make them master their skills with randomly generated problems. Sprinkle some algorithmic magic and videogame-inspired reward systems to tie it all together, and you suddenly have a plausible alternative to the standard classroom setting.

The system has worked very well for me and I am extremely grateful to Sal and his team. However, I do have some reservations about the contents of this book. "The One World Schoolhouse" is seven parts good and three parts bad. Seven parts good for its inspiring anecdotes and thought-provoking ideas. Three parts bad for its occasional overreach and Valley-style evangelism.

Having seen Khan Academy work in some experimental settings, Sal is encouraged by the results to argue for a radical departure from the classic, "Prussian-style" classroom learning with grades, lectures and homework. Instead, he says, kids should be in mixed-grade classes using KA-style videos to learn at their own pace. Instead of giving final grades, teachers should be using a computer-assisted, comprehensive approach to assess a student's potential. A lot of it is really interesting. But then there are parts like this:

"The vari­ous outposts of our schoolhouse would therefore be intercon­nected as well, through things like Skype or Google Hangouts. Students and teachers in San Francisco could interact with those in Toronto, London, or Mumbai. Imagine students in Tehran tutoring students in Tel Aviv or students in Islamabad learning from a professor in New Delhi."

This is utopian dreck. Passages like these are the stuff of Thomas Friedman columns, or a second-rate TED talk, not a serious treatise on school reform.

Many of Sal's suggestions (such as free-form semesters) seem to me to require idealized children, the type that has a genuine desire to learn when not supervised. The kind that does not care for the innumerable distractions of on-demand TV series and first-person shooters, and shows the respect necessary to not indulge in them during school hours. The kind that is not inclined to use time on school iPads to draw dongs and send pictures of cats. Adults frequently develop a blind spot for this side of adolescent behavior, and it grows ever larger when they start having children of their own. Khan Academy does fine when it is presented as an supplement to, or alternative to the traditional system. But what happens when Sal's system is the institutional norm? Does it retain its freshness and appeal to kids? I have my doubts.

Would I recommend this book? In a certain sense, absolutely, because everyone should be supporting Sal and his efforts. Many of the ideas contained in the book are fresh and thought-provoking. But they are too detached, not real enough for me to fully embrace yet.

[Diane · Rating 5 out of 5]

When a colleague asked me about the educational philosophies of Salman Khan and the use of Khan Academy by my students to support their math journey, she wanted to know if this would put teachers out of a job. She wanted to know if I was worried. No way! For anyone who has had the opportunity to investigate or use Khan Academy, reading this book of education reimagined is a must to understand the fundamentals behind how educational reform can and should happen in our 21st century.

When I first started teaching ten years ago, I was looking for something like Khan Academy. I explored a variety of internet based websites that ranged from too cumbersome for my students to navigate, too overloaded with ads, or ultimately too expensive to be accessible by all my students. Khan has achieved the vision I had! I now have this fabulous tool available to supplement what I teach, how I teach it, and when I teach it.

As a teacher, I am not going away. As I tell my students, Mr. Khan is my 24-7 assistant.

Read this book. It is short, sweet, and to the point. You'll find yourself agreeing with Sal. If you haven't discovered Khan Academy yet, it is time to get started.

Thank you Sal for helping me be even more successful with my students in rural Colorado!

[Juliana · Rating 5 out of 5]

First of all a thank you to Lynda Weinman, Lynda of lynda.com for giving every single one of the company's employees a copy of this book over the holidays. Books make the best gifts and when I start a job and first thing they hand me is a stack of free books I know I've landed in the right place.

You have heard of Salman Khan the creator of the Khan Academy and this book published by TwelveBooks serve as an introduction to his story and his thoughts or manifesto on learning. I was inspired by this book. Sal started out tutoring one student--his cousin Nadia and before he knew it he was spending his spare time tutoring more family members. He was very good at it. And from there his teaching starts to spread, his ideas start to catch on and now he is on a mission to create a free world-class education for anyone, anywhere.

I could relate to Nada's issue. She had missed one important concept and that put her on a lesser school track. When I was a freshman in high school in my first Algebra class--maybe I was talking...maybe I was sleeping... but I missed something important. That semester I received my first ever D! My teacher told my mother I was lazy and she needed to take my television and music away from me. (I knew the woman hated me! And yeah I was probably too busy talking.) From then on I was put in the more basic math--not the college prep and I had to repeat the semester in order to change my grade for college transcripts. The next semester when I took the class, I took the textbook and studied on my own. Then it clicked and I spent the rest of semester doing my homework during lectures. This time I received an A.

And I do owe a big apology to my older brother the engineer who didn't talk alot in class and studied harder. He actually tried to sit down and teach Khan-style concepts before I received my D. At the time I just wanted to learn how to do my homework, I didn't want to learn the concepts he attempted teach me. C'mon I had Brady Brunch re-runs to watch! Luckily he seems to have had a better student in my niece.

I like what Salman has to say about learning--covering the basics and practicing until you can prove you've got it to move on, and to also move at your own speed. Okay--you got me. The guy speaks my language. After all my career has been all about learning--first in creating how-to technology books to self-paced elearning, ILT courseware to certs and now in online video training. Not ironically, a career that has also called on my "talking" skills so there Algebra teacher! Technology loves self-learners and there is plenty to learn. This book did make me think about what concepts are basic and essential for the business technology subjects I cover.

I've also spent a lot of time on Khan Academy the past few days. I always regretted that I never really made it past basic Algebra and Geometry. I thought it was because I hated math, but the fact is I've loved puzzles. I've done quilting which requires a lot of math. And I use data analysis and statistics regularly to uncover business insights. So I'm going back to the basics--starting at the beginning just like Salman Khan suggests (and how can you not respect someone that Bill Gates says is his favorite teacher!). His site also has Science, Art History and more. Stuff I want to learn.

Check out his book and the Khan Academy site.

[Dina · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think of this book as a dream of Khan's. I do think it has some ideas for practical applications but on a large scale I find it hard to believe that this can be the future of education. The biggest obstacle is motivation for students. Khan doesn't address how to motivate students in general, he believes that all students are motivated in some area and without being disciplined and will engage in online videos of mathematics on their own. I certainly don't think this will happen, for instance, I had many types of mathematics software as a child. But given the choice to work on the software or go play with a friend of mine, I would most certainly play with my friend every time. In his book, Khan suggests an enormous school house where students of all ages are let loose to play with each other and at the same time learn about english, geography, mathematics etc. But nowhere does he address the possibility of all the kids, not engaging with the coursework but instead just having a day long recess. I enjoyed the book, but again, at this point the book is not exactly a guide to education, it is more of a dream that needs to be thought out a bit more carefully. I will take some good points from it, such as trying to engage my students more instead of having them passively listening to every lecture.

[José Luis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Para entender melhor como alguma coisa funciona, temos que usar ou experimentar. E assim eu fiz, me cadastrei na KhanAcademy num curso de introdução à programação com PHP há uns dois anos. Fiz o curso todo, terminei, e achei genial. Saliento que já fui programador Cobol nos anos 1970, e depois professor em Computação em universidade pública até me aposentar. Testei de tudo na sala de aula, e vejo que algumas ideias estão descritas no livro. O estudo cooperativo, com os alunos aprendendo entre si, foi assunto de uma dissertação de mestrado que orientei. Sabendo um pouco do assunto, me senti muito à vontade com o livro, que achei muito bom e lança as bases para uma nova visão no ensino em todos os niveis, até certo ponto revolucionário. Deve ser lido por todos que tiverem oportunidade, valiosas lições para educação de nossos próprios filhos. Mostra também a simplicidade do Khan e a sua genialidade. A melhor lição: como realizar seus sonhos, uma verdadeira aula de espirito empreendedor e inovação. Imperdivel!

[Dragos Pătraru · Rating 4 out of 5]

Încă un strop de inspirație pentru mine, cu proiectul Școala nației, la care lucrăm de mai bine de un an. Și-am ajuns cumva la aceeași concluzie: dacă soluția este educația, atunci e de datoria noastră, a tuturor, să facem educația de foarte bună calitate aceesibilă tuturor. Asta ne propunem și noi, la Școala nației.

[Gail · Rating 4 out of 5]

In “The One World Schoolhouse,” Salman Khan sets forth a compelling - though admittedly imperfect and imprecise - vision for the future of education based upon the success of Khan Academy, a not-for-profit website that features free ten-minute instructional videos, software-generated exercises, and data analysis (e.g., alerting teachers when a student is “stuck” on a particular concept). Despite my initial (and apparently common) “fear that computer-based instruction is all about replacing teachers or lowering the level of skill needed to be a teacher,” Khan largely wins over both the parent and former teacher in me by demonstrating that “[t]he exact opposite is true” in his reimagined classroom where “initial exposure to a concept online” is followed by personal and personalized instruction as well as plenty of socialization.

Driving Khan’s pedagogical philosophy is identification of myriad ways in which schooling as we know it is incompatible with learning as neuro and social science know it: age-organized classrooms, “broadcast lectures,” hour-long class periods, balkanized subject matter (knowledge broken down into discrete lessons, units, and subjects rather than a flow of concepts that facilitates associative learning), testing, homework, summer vacations, grading, and, most importantly, communal pacing.

“[L]essons should be paced to the individual student’s needs, not to some arbitrary calendar[, average student of similar age, or clock].”
“In most classrooms in most schools, students pass with 75 or 80 percent. This is customary. But if you think about it even for a moment, it’s unacceptable if not disastrous [since] . . . basic concepts need[] to be deeply understood if students [a]re to succeed at mastering more advanced ones.”
“Homework becomes necessary because not enough learning happens during the school day. Why is there a shortage of learning during the hours specifically designed for it? Because the broadcast, one-pace-fits-all lecture . . . turns out to be a highly inefficient way to teach and learn.”
“The danger of using assessments as reasons to filter out students . . . is that we may overlook or discourage those whose talents are of a different order - whose intelligence tends more to the oblique and the intuitive.”
“What should be fixed is a high level of comprehension and what should be variable is the amount of time students have to understand a concept.”
“With self-paced learning . . . [i]f a given concept is easily grasped, one can sprint ahead, outrunning boredom. If a subject is proving difficult, it’s possible to hit the pause button, or to go back and do more problems as necessary, without embarrassment and without asking the whole class to slow down.”

I see these points, and I wholeheartedly agree with many of Khan’s big-picture assertions:

“Discovering - and nurturing - the natural bent of the child; isn’t this the proper goal of education?”
“We limit what students believe they can do by selling short what we expect them to do.”
“[I]f you give students the opportunity to learn deeply and to see the magic of the universe around them, almost everyone will be motivated.”
“Since we can’t predict exactly what today’s young people will need to know in ten or twenty years, what we teach them is less important than how they learn to teach themselves.”

I also desperately hope that the efficiency gains he discusses (accomplishing as much as a student currently does during a full school day and several hours of homework at night in just a few hours of computer-based learning followed by practical, physical, creative, and fun exercises) are real and replicable.

Yet I struggle with some aspects of Khan’s vision. He complains that “[c]onventional curricula don’t only tell students where to start; they tell students where to stop.” I can see his perspective, but I think an artificial stopping point is a two-sided coin. Counterbalancing the risks of boredom, loss of inertia, and lack of growth is the fact that capping kids’ efforts protects childhood and prevents burnout. Internal and external pressure will drive at least some kids off the deep end if pace is totally unfettered, especially when you mix in competition assessed not by grades but by Khan’s alternative measure of work completed vis-a-vis the entire world. Khan also doesn’t totally condemn homework, in my view selling short the burdens on at-risk kids (like working afternoon and evening jobs, caring for siblings, and dodging bullets) in the name of raised expectations. Finally, his justification for mixed age classrooms seems a bit off the mark to me. He writes, “The older ones take responsibility for the younger ones. . . . The younger ones look up to and emulate the older ones. . . . [N]ature would not have made it possible [for twelve year-olds to procreate] unless adolescents were also wired to be ready to take responsibility for others.” I was tasked with teaching a class of thirteen, fourteen, and fifteen year-olds structured around this concept (it mixed "honors" and "special ed" kids on the theory that the former would help teach the latter), and it was an unmitigated disaster. Kids tutoring each other sounds wonderful, but throw hormones and social standing in the mix and things get a lot more complicated. (I also bristle at Khan's treatment of adolescence, a developmental period that needs to be fiercely protected; teenagers in some ways are capable of taking on responsibility but in others are physiologically incapable.) I’m not saying his vision of a bustling, cooperative classroom is naive or impossible, just a bit trickier to accomplish than he makes it sound.

I’m also not sure what to make of Khan’s clear focus on math and engineering. I’d love to hear his ideas fleshed out in the K-12 liberal arts context. I understand how software can generate math exercises, but improved sentence structure? Brainstorming? Outlining? I’m sure there are ways (diagramming sentences, for starters), but they aren't as readily apparent in the context of teaching skills like writing.

At the end of the day, Khan proposes a paradigm shift: “The current system is rife with inefficiencies and inequalities, with tragic mismatches between how students are taught and what they need to know; and the situation grows more urgent with every day that the educational status quo survives while the world is changing all around it.” He presents many smart, intriguing ideas (including ones for higher, adult, and continuing education) as well as a track record of success that is as exciting as it is modest. Like Khan himself, I’m not ready to say Khan Academy ought to be the new paradigm, but I think it’s a contender and that his case for reform is well worth the reading time.

[Sarah Bringhurst Familia · Rating 5 out of 5]

A couple of years ago, I started hearing rumors about some mysterious and amazing online learning tool called Khan Academy. Being well immersed in the literature on the evils of screen time for children and jaded about all the companies springing up to take advantage of insecure parents, I ignored what sounded like just the latest homeschooling fad. Finally though, my curiosity got the better of me. Sure enough, my five-year-old was soon hooked on the math knowledge map, while I myself sampled videos on everything from the Napoleonic Wars to plate tectonics.

So from a functional perspective, I was already in love with Khan Academy. But when I found out that Salman Khan's mission is to provide "a free world-class education for anyone anywhere," he became my hero. This book is about that dream, and the extraordinary man who is making it a reality for millions of people around the world.

The chapters about the "broken system" were similar to what I'd read in a dozen homeschooling books (notably Gatto's The Underground History of American Education: An Intimate Investigation Into the Prison of Modern Schooling). But what I really enjoyed was the story of how Khan Academy came to be, in the exuberant words of Khan himself. Especially interesting were the chapters at the end on how he envisions making Khan Academy available in even the most remote and difficult of circumstances in developing countries. This is a fascinating and inspiring read for anyone who believes that education can change the world.

[Akemi G. · Rating 5 out of 5]

We know the problem: Current school system is broken.
Education is essential for individuals, and in tern, for the sustenance and prosperity of the society. However, few intelligent people want to become teachers (and who can blame them?), public schools are all about following rules and government-defined curriculums, private school are about making money, both are authoritative and no fun for children, therefore kids hate schools. Learning is actually fun, but not many people ever get to know it.

Is there a solution? This book presents a possibility. I have checked their online system (it's open to all ages), and I like it. Great teachers, who know what they are talking about, and a flexible system that allows students to learn at their pace. "At their pace" might sound like the euphemism of "slow" but their game-like presentation might stimulate fast learning. All this for FREE -- and I believe it's basically available worldwide.

The author has a no-nonsense way of discussing issues, which I enjoyed. He is kind, too. The whole thing started quite personally to help his teenage relative. He knew she was smart, and was surprised that she failed at one of the critical exams. He wanted to help. Boom.

And he emphasizes that this online system does not eliminate the need for human interactions. People -- especially rapidly-growing youth -- need mentors and friends.

Their online system is one of the possibilities of new form of education. I think the book can help us start "imagining" other approaches as well.

[Samantha · Rating 3 out of 5]

While Khan has a few solid points, he misses the marks on a lot of things and fails to provide legitimately practical solutions. Overall it sounds like Khan is trying to sell an educational utopia.

Several sections of the book are spent discussing how Khan Academy came about and how it developed into what it is now. There are lots of personal anecdotes scattered throughout the book and and lot of the word "I" and personal experience and opinions by the author. I only mention this to create the distinction that this is Khan's opinion and experience regarding education, and not a book that is completely devoted to presenting evidence to support the argument as would be expected from a collegiate text or article. While Khan does cite some studies and quotes, it isn't to the full extent it should be for making a logical, solid argument. The argument is good, yet it is still lacking in the long term.

Some of the things Khan focuses on are the current model of schools, teacher-student ratio, subject comprehension,testing, homework, and the division of school subjects. While his comments on a few of these make legitimate sense, others fail to hit the mark for me. I personally don't believe that the current school system is broken and I don't believe technological education will be as revolutionary as some people think. I think software like Khan Academy could be good aids if implemented well, but technology won't take over the job of a teacher, nor should they and they shouldn't be the main focus overall. They should be supplements that can add on to the curriculum and help solidify concepts that have been covered to further ensure student comprehension. While I think that schools don't do everything right, I do believe they do a lot of good and with some tweaks could become even better.

Khan suggests potential solutions for taking education to a more global level but none of the approaches seem practical in the long term and he mentions money being put in, but my question is why not go for broke? Instead of having tiny technological elements introduced, why not build a technological center and begin improving the entire community? Why haven't Microsoft and Google started that kind of initiative? Is it too expensive for Gate's pocketbook to handle? I doubt it, but it probably wouldn't turn a good enough profit to be a worthwhile investment I suppose.

Khan also runs himself in circles when he says that the arts need to be appreciated, but then says that public schools are doing students a disservice by having extracurriculars such as band.

Even though I understand where he's coming from, I don't feel like he has taken his idea and pushed it to its farthest potential even in his own mind. He hasn't provided any solid, practical solutions to many of the problems raised in the book and the ones he does provide are usually in his and his software's best interest. I don't want to downplay his achievements in the educational field, but more has to be done and some of these ideas aren't the appropriate approaches. The school system isn't broken, it just needs to adapt and become more efficient. I personally feel that my public school education provided each student with equal opportunity from 1st grade on (I did not attend kindergarten so I have no real experience or opinion on it overall). Anything extra in years to come, came from students pushing themelves to achieve more and be more. Everything that happened was not a result of the school's tracking or the testing results, sometimes the student just has to decide to excel and find ways around their own problems. It starts with students, parents, and teachers. You can't change personalities, but you can provide resources that might help each of them get engaged. You can't make a horse drink, regardless of how close to the watering hole you bring it. You can implement all the technology in the world and some people still won't take advantage of it or won't have enough intiative to engage with it. There are many more factors involved than Khan expresses. His system builds student confidence and helps solidify knowledge of certain subjects which is fantastic, but what else can it do for others? Does it present the beauty of literature, the basics of grammar, and the time periods of art? Does it encourage anything outside of STEM? Khan presses that STEM subjects are as creative as the humanities, but can his system create that creativity or will his opinion of that have a difference in societal perspective? He says that "not everyone can major in english or history at a traditional college", but in my experience I've seen more STEM majors turning out than liberal arts ones and the STEM majors get much more respect and overall opportunities offered to them. Everyone cannot major in Engineering or the hard sciences at a traditional university. Furthermore, I don't believe tracking has much overall effect on students. I'm sure I was tracked, but my academic success had nothing to do with it. I was in some APs but I missed out on a couple pre-APs because my school didn't put me in the right courses I registered for, which was pure technical error that wasn't fixable, but that doesn't mean I did any poorer in the classes. I was just surrounded by different students who were more likely to goof off than buckle down in their studies. That is a personal decision made by the students themselves, not a direct product of the school. Whether you are tracked or not, the smartest kids in elementary school were still the ones at the top of the class come graduation. Their potential was theirs to use or waste, as is everyone's. I don't feel like my school did anything to hinder or further me in the long term that would have been considered unequal in comparison to other students.

I enjoyed this book overall, but I think the approach of Khan Academy could be applied in many more ways and needs further tweaking in order to efficiently provide for students across the globe. The current school system isn't broken, it just needs to adapt and realign itself in certain regards and address the current shortcomings. A good book, but not the best supported argument I've ever read or the best book.

[Betul Pehlivanli · Rating 5 out of 5]

Salman Khan’ın 2004-2010 yılları arasında kendi kuzenleri ve yakınlarının matematik derslerinde uzaktan yardımcı olma çabasıyla başlayan ve sonrasında YouTube videolarıyla devam eden bu oluşumun yolu şu noktadan itibaren bambaşka bir şeye dönüşüyor.Ünlü risk sermayedarı John Doerr’in eşi Ann Doerr’in ilk yüklü bağışlarının ardından Bill Gates ile görüşüyor.Melinda-Bill Gates vakfı ve Google desteği ile birlikte;herkese,her yerde,dünya standartlarında bedelsiz eğimi savunan Khan Akademi bugünkü haline kavuşuyor.Öğrenci,öğretmen,veli ya da kişisel gelişimini sürdürmek isteyen,hayat boyu öğrenme ilkesini benimseyen herkese hitap eden bu oluşum ve Salman Khan gibileri iyi ki varlar.
Beş yıl önce,korona virüs tüm dünyayı sarmadan önce ters yüz öğrenmeyi sınıfımda uygulamak istemiş ama internet erişimi dersine girdiğim sınıflardaki öğrencilerin çoğunluğu için sıkıntı olunca maalesef uygulamaya geçememiştim.Benim de hayalimde tam kitaptaki bir okul vardı.Herkesin kendi hızında öğrendiği,eksiklerin sınıfta giderildiği ve proje çalışmalarının sınıfta yapıldığı bir ortam.Bir öğretmen olarak,meslek dışından olmasına rağmen doğuştan yetenekli,zeki ve vizyoner Salman Khan’ın çevrimiçi öğrenme platformundan aynı dönemde haberdar olmuştum ama kendisinin sıfırdan bu noktaya nasıl geldiğini,öğrenme ve öğretme konusunda fikirlerini okumak çok faydalı oldu.Kitabı herkese ama herkese tavsiye ediyorum.

[Mallory · Rating 4 out of 5]

*4.5 stars

Thoroughly enjoyed this one. My favorite part, aside from Khan’s vision and enthusiasm for education, was reading this book with the context of COVID and digital education that came from the pandemic. Khan heavily focuses on the benefits of a virtual education— especially as a mass equalizer— and he has many good points (and I think gets credit as a visionary) but not that we’ve had years of virtual and hybrid education, I think many of his points hold different meaning.

[Dhvani Parekh · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wish I had read this book sooner in my life. It makes some wonderful points about why our current education model needs to be replaced by something completely different. I love the radical ideas. I love how the book challenges the status quo. Blurring the boundaries between subjects, bringing them together, it all seems great. While I loved reading through all the points Khan makes, there were times when the realistic side of me showed up saying that the implementation/solution side of the book is a bit fuzzy.

For example: Khan argues that instead of the broadcast lecture, students should be able watch videos on their own pace. In the school, which is a one classroom school, the teacher should be a mentor/guide/facilitator to build on those concepts. This scenario has a few problems. First, it assumes that students are able to understand the video completely, at their own pace. It also assumes that without someone to solve their doubts at that moment, they will be able to proceed with the explanation given in the video (especially when learning a new concept). It also assumes that the students will be at a certain comprehension level. The methods of the teacher in the video versus the teacher in the classroom might differ. The student might need to understand the concept using a different example the second time, instead of just rewinding the video with the same example which he/she did not understand the first time. Lastly, can every topic be reduced to a 10 minute video which can engage the child's attention completely? I am not sure, unless we are talking of involving some cool graphics and videos within the video to keep the child hooked in.

The methods proposed by Khan are biased towards mathematics. The other subjects (okay, let's not call them subjects, but the other parts of education that do not involve mathematical ability) require engagement and exploration, which might be difficult to do through a recorded video. Education isn't just about Math. The arts, the social sciences and even science, require immersing into the environment while learning. I'm not saying it's not possible to aid this through technology, I'm just saying that the proposed model in the book doesn't cover it. Another area that's not covered in this visionary school is sports, even though one of the book's best points was that a teacher should be more like a coach: someone who feels is on our side.

This book did a good job at convincing me how technology needn't always be the enemy of everything that's human. Being an educator, I strongly believe in the human element in education, especially in the earlier stages. This book doesn't suggest eliminating that element but empowering it.

Another area that I felt the book could have done better is understanding the ground realities of countries like India, before proposing some seemingly bizzare ways of getting the required data to the teacher. While I do get that the point Khan was trying to make was more of a 'where there's a will, there's a way', this one world schoolhouse might not cut through classes and in India's case, castes. The poor in India have an incredibly long way to go before they're all armed with devices that enable them to learn and before they manage to find the appropriate resources (time, space, money) to learn amid various other life problems that they find themselves surrounded with. The model proposed by the book will work great for the upper and middle class, but there are many questions unanswered when it comes to catering to the poorest.

To summarise, Khan has an incredible grip on the efficiency that technology can bring in. The gentle nudges and pushes that a child requires growing up, to help them make connections and to help contextualise learning for their environment, are still areas only a teacher can excel at. I loved reading the book and I will be championing Khan's 100% mastery rationale, wherever I go.

[Joleigh · Rating 5 out of 5]

For most of my life I have been involved in education. Over those many years I have been saddened by the potential wasted in classrooms. The system has needed change forever! Salman Kahn is making that change happen. This book presents his ideas for the future and should be read by everyone: teachers, administrators, parents, students, entrepreneurs, EVERYONE! The good news is that Bill Gates and others have already recognized the brilliance of this man and are supporting him monetarily and otherwise.

When I was taking education courses back in the 60's and 70's, I came across Summerhill and A.S, Neill. Kahn has, whether knowingly or not, stumbled on a plan for education that echoes Neil, only with computers. I, as a classroom teacher, saw this potential and strove in my English classroom to stick to the curriculum, but still provide as much Neill and computers as possible. My last five years of teaching I was able to team with a special ed teacher in an inclusion classroom where we used computers, and every other adaptive device we could get, to work creating much the same atmosphere as Kahn envisions. We added Kathy Nunely's Layered Curriculum and had a wonderful time. Students were eager to go from activity to activity and, whether labeled or not, took advantage of the the "toys" we had. Many voiced the opinion that our's was the best class ever and the only one they wanted to come to. The good news is that their scores on the tests showed they were learning "stuff."

After those good years, I saw the handwriting on the wall and realized the ideal learning environment my co-teacher and I had created was heading for the trash, as money got tight and "experts" had better ideas about how to provide inclusion. I was lucky enough to retire and go out on a high note.

Mr. Kahn, were I ten years younger, I would be sending you my resume and begging to sign on to work on the language arts and literature for Kahn Academy. Your vision of the future of education from K-12 through college should come to reality. I only hope it happens in time for my granddaughter who is ten and already struggling within the structure of standardized education in New York State.

[Brent · Rating 5 out of 5]

Khan Academy is one of those things I really wish I would have had back in high school. I didn’t discover it until I was toward the end of my undergrad. Sal Khan emphasizes deep learning or mastery learning over the traditional “learn for the test” model that is so prevalent in today’s schools. Students rush to cram for an exam only to forget the majority of what they learned as soon as the test is over. For subjects such as mathematics, which require having a solid foundation of basic principles before moving on to more advanced concepts, this can become a real problem. Sal Khan calls this “Swiss Cheese” knowledge. By.filling in the gaps many students are able to excel in subjects they didn’t think they were good at because they incorrectly believed they weren’t smart enough to be successful in learning a subject. The only reason they weren’t able to advance in a subject is because they didn’t catch on to a core concept before the teacher moved on to a new subject. Once the core concept had been learned many students go on to be high performers. Very interesting book that I highly recommend.

[Shantel U · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 -- Full of great ideas but seemed like an extended magazine article. Light on facts -- heavy on opinion. I read this book because my daughter's sixth grade math teacher tried to implement Khan's ideas and it was a disaster. I'm not blaming Khan -- just wanted a better understanding of the concepts.

[Shirley Freeman · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved, loved, loved this book. Everybody who cares about, thinks about, and influences education should read this. Part of the book is personal: Hedge Fund analyst Salman Khan began tutoring his 12 year old cousin in math. Through a process of trial and error, he began making short you-tube videos to help his cousin and her friends gain a deeper understanding of their math work. He wrote software to collect data on how the videos were used, what was helpful and how quickly problem sets were correctly completed - indicating mastery of material. The videos went viral, Khan got more and more involved in learning about education and what worked and what didn't. Gates Foundation and Google began funding Khan Academy. In the process of becoming educated about education and being willing to question everything, Khan developed big ideas and big dreams about how to reimagine education. Why do we divide kids into age-level classrooms? Why do we change classes after 50 or 70 minutes when the bell rings? Why do we divide learning into seemingly unrelated (but not) subjects - science, math, history, etc. What do tests really measure? How did the current system evolve and is it serving 21st century needs? And if it is no longer serving the world's needs, how can we do it better? Khan follows up with many great ideas - some of which involve better use of technology and some of which involve going back a couple hundred years to the one-room schoolhouse concept of multi-age classrooms. I hope this book is a catalyst for discussion in school systems all over the world.

[Daniel Taylor · Rating 5 out of 5]

More than any other individual, Salman Khan is reshaping education. To paraphrase a certain Vulcan, "It's education, Jim, but not as we know it."

Khan started the Khan Academy and its aim now is "A free, world-class education for anyone, anywhere." The first part of the book "Learning to Teach" tells how through a serendipitous series of events he started the Academy. In "The Broken Model" he looks at the problems with conventional education. "Into the Real World" talks about how the Khan Academy is being used inside classrooms to achieve education's real aims. The last part, "The One World Schoolhouse" outlines what the future of education could be like.

I stumbled onto the Khan Academy after watching Salman Khan give a TED talk. My maths skills had vanished since I finished high school nearly 20 years ago and had never used them in the real world. I'm a writer, what use is maths to me? It took me a week to pass through all the primary school topics and get my maths skills up to a high school level. I like this book because I know Khan's approach to education works.

If you're a teacher of any sort or want the best education for your kids, or you are a student - either in school or as a lifelong learner - then you'll benefit from reading how Khan challenges the assumptions our education system is based on and has a solution that works in the virtual and the real worlds.

[Damian · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm as much an admirer of the Kahn academy as the next guy. But reading this book ACTUALLY made me think that Sal Kahn himself does not know that much about the institution he is trying to disrupt. His characterizations of the classroom as it traditionally exists ("teachers lecturing for hours at a time") are wrong, and his insights are often shockingly mundane, at least to teachers with whom I've talked about the book ("children tend to have a 10 minute attention span"? This is not news to anyone.)

Reading about the explosive growth and early success of the Kahn Academy was indeed interesting, and his stats- and feedback-heavy approach make tremendous sense, are, I think, legitimately revolutionary. But as I see it Kahn Academy is going to settle into a given role in our education system -- and that role, while important, will be only a small part of the big picture. I just hope he understands the small picture too.

[Simsim · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cred ca toata lumea ar trebui sa citeasca aceasta carte, dar in special oamenii care lucreaza in educatie, parinti, politicieni, angajatori. E greu sa schimbi un status-quo, dar cartea asta ofera solutii practice si dovada ca se poate si ca rezultatele sunt mult peste asteptari. Revin cu o recenzie detaliata pe blog si pana atunci va las cu citatul meu preferat din carte: "Este complet fals si dureros de arbitrar sa rezervam jocul si invatarea pentru copii, munca pentru adulti si regretele pentru batrani" (Margaret Mead)

[Fabio Ismerim Ismerim · Rating 5 out of 5]

Forte candidato a entrar no top 5 do ano.
Comecei a me interessar pelo temo há dois anos, quando li algumas notícias de que algumas escolas aqui no Brasil já estavam implementando o modelo horizontal com disciplinas integradas.
O autor relata o difícil percurso para criar a Khan Academy, além de propor um modelo novo nas escolas que considero ousado, porém muito pertinente.
Recomendadíssimo

[Erin Barnes · Rating 5 out of 5]

This one will make you take a long hard look at education as it is. I have often said that we need to move away from the old way we educate. I think I am settled in nicely at a school that has a different take on education. After reading this book however, I know we still have room to grow. Salcon uses common sense with his Ivy League education to enlighten the reader.

[Jess d'Artagnan · Rating 2 out of 5]

Salman Khan is most well known as the creator and leader of the Khan Academy, a tool used frequently across education facilities. I think he prefers to go by Sal so he isn't confused with the famous Bollywood actor Salman Khan (rawr). The One World Schoolhouse documents the process Khan went through in creating this resource. It all started when Sal started tutoring his niece long distance and needed some tools to make their work together more effective. This resulted in a set of videos that taught basic math and a fledgling Youtube channel that made the videos easily accessible.

Khan attempts to provide a broad history of the American education system and why the system functions the way it does. This section was highly problematic. Khan cherry picked his research, failing to show the entire story and leaving out seminal, groundbreaking work by scholars like Jean Piaget and Benjamin Bloom. It was almost unethical the way the information was presented. He made it seem like he was giving readers the full story but he really wasn't. I couldn't help but feel like he could benefit from taking a few more courses in research and writing. He bias towards math and sciences over art and humanities was painfully obvious. The arts and humanities were always mentioned as secondary to STEM rather than being a critical part of education.

Another problem with Khan's assessment of the educational system is that he functions under the assumption that the only way students' learning is being assessed is through formal tests (think bubble sheets and scantrons). This is far from what educators are actually doing to assess student learning. Educators are using tests, yes, but they aren't stupid. They understand that a test isn't necessarily the best was to assess learning. That is why there are other assignments (the dreaded HOMEWORK that Khan bagged on in one of his chapters) such as papers, multimedia projects, and group assignments which Khan fails to mention in any way except negatively.

The rest of the book can be summed up by the last part of the title: reIMAGINED. Imagined. Imaginary. The rest of the book where he discusses the future of higher education was a rambled fantasy. It had no basis in reality or in current research or academic trends. I wish I could meet him so that I could say, "Hey Sal, my university had been doing the things you describe in your book for almost a decade before you published your ideas." Truly, the ideas he had that were solid weren't entirely new (and not ENTIRELY HIS. He tapped dance on plagiarism through the whole book!) and the ideas that were new had no basis in research or educational theory. or even economics.

Bottom line: the best part of this book was learning about how the Khan academy was developed and that would honestly be better told in a magazine article rather than in a book.

Recommended for: readers who like Khan academy and what to learn about how it was create BUT who can also read with a critical eye toward the lack of research in the rest of his writing.

Not Recommended for: readers who want an ACCURATE depiction of the educational system.

[Suman Srivastava · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such an inspiring book. Our current education system was suitable for the early years of the industrial era. Is it still relevant in the Information Age? Sal Khan does a brilliant critique of the system and then offers a solution. I found the story of how he started and funded Khan Academy, truly inspirational.

[Liviu Costea · Rating 5 out of 5]

Am avut sansa de a preda un curs nou, iar cel mai interesant a fost crearea programei, in totala antiteza cu monotonia predarii, a 2-a parcurgere si ultima in cazul meu fiind cea mai plictisitoare.
Astfel conceptele prezentate in carte sunt practice: fiecare sa invete in ritmul sau, constientizarea perioadelor scurte in care putem fi atenti, cresterea interactiunii intre cei prezenti intr-o clasa, profesor si studenti.
Totusi nu cred ca se vor schimba multe in modelul educatiei formale oferita copiilor, cel putin nu in partea asta a lumii, unde sistemul este foarte centralizat (si nu ma refer doar la educatie). Desi inovatia e posibil sa apara in multe locuri periferice, ii va fi greu sa se extinda.

[Rama Bhandare · Rating 5 out of 5]

As the title suggests this book is by Salman Khan the founder of Khan academy talking about the story of how he founded khan academy, what was his vision and thought process behind it and how he envisions education for a better future and upcoming generations.

A great book for anyone who would love to enrich their perspective on the current world education system and thinking about how we can make it better more accessible and relevant to students today.

[Evon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Emerging Tech Book Report – The One World School House by Salman Khan

Evon Pontino

EDUT 522: Emerging Learning Technologies

June 30, 2016

Robert Hayden

Concordia University Irvine

School of Education



















In the book The One World School House Education Reimagined, Salman Khan believes the Information Revolution, the current era we are in, is underutilizing technology. If Americans as a whole were ambitious enough, we could provide a free, world-class education for anyone, anywhere. Khan believes this after guiding his cousin to close the gaps in her “swiss cheese” understanding of math with tutorial videos he posted on YouTube for free. Despite his enormous success as a MIT graduate and successful hedgefund manager, Khan left that career and aims to educate the way he wished he was, actively and at the learner’s pace. Khan, the self proclaimed “stubborn optimist”, seeks to free American students from the “straightjacket” of an educational system by inserting the idea of creativity into our schools.

Our 18th century Prussian model of education of dividing the day into periods and slicing the subjects into disciplines remains unvaried despite the rapidly changing global world we live in. Khan suggests that all subjects should be intertwined to promote mastery learning. “Active learning, owned learning, also begins with giving each student the freedom to determine where and when the learning will occur.” (p. 56) Instead of students taught to be passive learners while the teacher lectures to a full class, students should be given the freedom to determine when and where they will learn. With the use of technology and a blended platform of learning students can view lessons at home and come to school ready to interact. Portability and self-paced learning will aid in active and self-motivated learning.

“All students could learn if provided with conditions appropriate to their needs; no one should have to be “held back” or put on a track that leads to academic failure.” (p.38) Khan’s idea of mastery learning fits no where into our current broken model of education. Khan believes the school day should be set up anticipating that everyone will proceed at varying rates toward the same level of mastery. Our antiquated classroom practice with it’s design to move on at a specific speed will by design leave some students behind. Khan promotes that through individual tutoring, peer assistance, or additional meaningful homework, the amount of time students have to understand a concept is variable.

Khan proclaims that students are in school to fulfill government mandates and produce creditable performances on standardized tests that will keep our nation from falling behind the rest of world. He exposes that these tactics actually produce the opposite effect. This is an idea Khan has an appetite to reconstruct. His recommendation of helping students discover and nurture their particular talents that make each child unique. He doesn’t consider this training to be for after school, but rather as part of the school day. “Using self-paced video lessons, in combination with the computer-based feedback and team-teaching…fundamental coursework can be handled in one to two hours a day.” (p. 248) This would allow students to pursue their interest and talents. This could include writing poems, working with robots, or participating as an apprentice plumber. I too believe school shouldn’t discourage creativity, but provide the academic foundation for these trades to develop and students to engage in life with purpose.

Khan does possess a “stubborn optimist” view of reimagining education for everyone, and doesn’t address how the taxpayer funded institutions will manage public and political demands. However, he produces a convincing argument for transformation into providing free accessible education for everyone when his video lessons on Khan Academy reveal that as of 2012, more than six million people per month have received self-paced tutoring on the website. He exults this volume is more than ten times the number of people who have attended Harvard. These videos cover but are not limited to basic arithmetic, calculus, physics, and biology. I found myself so exited to read what I have been thinking for many years about how our education system needs to change. After reading this book, I am energized to think that day by day in my classroom I can make a change to develop young minds inspired by the ideas of The One World School House.

















References

Khan, Salman. The One World Schoolhouse: Education Reimagined. London: Hodder & Stoughton, 2012. Print.