RICHARD JULIAN: It's a
tremendous impact, actually, that I'm seeing
through Khan Academy. The most impact I see
are for those kids who really need the challenge. And I also see the spark in
the kids who've struggled, who, in a whole
group math lesson, can appear to be lost and
then shy and then try to hide. And now they can hide behind
their computer screen, so to speak, and continue
to work at their own pace. COURTNEY CADWELL:
A lot of students are very cognizant of where they
are in relation to their peers. Some of them won't
want to appear smarter. Some won't want
to appear slower. Those students will
hesitate to ask questions. They just want to be
right there in the middle. Teaching to the middle
only does the middle good. And it seems like you're leaving
out 2/3 of the class that way. And so there has to be
a better way to do it. KAMI THORDARSON:
The Khan Academy offers an assessment
piece that's incredible. It's so right there
and immediate. It's a quick picture of
where students are at, where they are having issues,
where their struggles are. COURTNEY CADWELL: So I know
who I need to visit with, and where I can
help them, where I can come alongside, and
remediate and support. KAMI THORDARSON: They
love those "aha!" moments where they
can be the teacher. And they can tell
me about something that they think I
don't know how to do. RICHARD JULIAN: My students
select weekly goals for themselves, based
on their own data. So I have them looking
at their own data now. COURTNEY CADWELL:
In a graphic way, they're able to visualize,
in a very concrete way, their progress. Usually you just move
through a math classroom. It's like, OK, we
finished this chapter. We finished that book. But the kids don't
really see everything that they've accomplished. And this lets them see it,
and it makes it real for them. RICHARD JULIAN: And
then, at that point, I was excited for my kids,
because I saw that, again, as being a tool for them that
ultimately would help them become responsible for their
own learning, and deciding hey, this is where I need work. COURTNEY CADWELL: The
kids are enjoying it because it's very
engaging for them. I'm enjoying it because my
kids do, my students do. KAMI THORDARSON: Kids go
home excited about math, and that's what parents see. They see that kids are
talking about math. They're discussing
what they did in class. They're showing them
something on the computer that they just
learned how to do. COURTNEY CADWELL: Parents know
their kids better than anyone. So they can encounter
a Khan Academy problem if they're working through
it with their child. They can say, hey, remember
when we were at the beach? And we did this, and this
is what was involved. And so they can really help
me tie these new concepts to previous learning if they
get involved with their kids, with the Khan Academy, at home. RICHARD JULIAN:
Math, I always found after teaching for 21
years, kids love it or kids don't love it. And now I think I've
got 27 kids in my class who could, at some point during
the day say, hey, I love math.