TECH TOOL BOX
Using Khan Academy In The Classroom
Using Khan Academy for lesson-aligned practice
In this model, teachers use Khan Academy as a regular practice tool to build student’s procedural fluency and concept development. Khan Academy is often used as part of the guided and independent practice portions of the lesson cycle in this model.
When is Khan Academy used?
During class for 15-30 minutes multiple times each week
What content is typically assigned:
Mostly exercises aligned with year-long pacing guide
What is the cadence for assignments?
Teachers assign work 2-3 times per week before class so it is ready for practice during class. For example, a teacher may assign one exercise and one video every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. The due date for assignments is typically 1-2 days later. Students complete the practice in class either that same day or the following class.
What does a teacher do with assignment reports?
Teachers use item reports to discuss 1-2 problems that were most challenging for students. Reports are sorted to show most challenging items first. Teachers use exercise completion report to identify students for tutoring or in-class small-group instruction. Teachers skim video and article reports for completion during class to see if any students seem to be systematically lacking engagement and motivation. Teachers can view Activity tab to pinpoint how much time is spent and when.
Using Khan Academy for review and remediation.
In this model, teachers use Khan Academy to assign a bundle of review topics approximately two times per month. Students have the chance to start this assignment bundle in class, but teachers may expect students to complete the assignments partially outside of class.
When is Khan Academy used?
During class for an entire period 2-3 times per month. For example, a teacher may use this model every other Friday throughout the school year for a 60-minute class period.
What content is typically assigned:
- Remediation content
- On-grade-level content from the past unit
- Enrichment content
What is the cadence for assignments?
Teacher assigns several resources and exercises once every 1-2 weeks. For example, this may include five videos, two articles, and five exercises. Students have at least one class period to complete the assignments. Students are expected to complete the assignments outside of class by a due date specified by the teacher. Due dates for assignments are typically 1-2 weeks after the assignment is initially posted.
How does a teacher choose the topics to assign?
Teachers identify the topics their students need to review the most and search for aligned content on Khan Academy. Often times, these topics are a mix of content from previous grade levels as well as on-grade level content. For some students, a teacher may assign enrichment content beyond the current unit or grade level to provide an extra challenge.
What does a teacher do with assignment reports?
- During the in-class review period, teachers browse the exercise report to see if students are showing signs of struggle in a specific skill.
- During the time period while students are working on assignments, teachers monitor to see if they should offer tutoring or build extra time for in-class review of topics where students are struggling.
Using Khan Academy for Homework
In this model, teachers use Khan Academy as a frequent source for homework assignments.
Grading homework assignments is faster and more convenient than traditional paper homework assignments. Students can complete Khan Academy homework assignments on computers or on mobile devices by downloading the most recent version of the Khan Academy app.
Variation 1: Exercises. Teachers assign Khan Academy exercises as homework. Students get instant feedback and additional explanations as needed while completing exercises.
Variation 2: Videos, articles and exercises. Teachers assign Khan Academy videos and articles primarily for after class. When students enter class, they are ready to discuss and practice the concepts covered in those resources. Teachers use this model to free up more class time for application and practice of topics.
When is Khan Academy used?
Primarily outside of class, 2-3 times per week
What content is typically assigned:
- Remediation content
- On-grade level content
What is the cadence for assignments?
Daily option: Assignments typically take about 30 minutes to complete. Assignments are intended for completion outside of class time.
Weekly option: Teachers may choose to assign Khan Academy resources once per week for students to complete throughout the week. Assignments are typically longer than the daily option and may take 60-90 minutes to complete.
How does a teacher choose the topics to assign?
Teachers either identify the aligned content for their current lesson, or create a custom assignment based on their student’s specific needs.
What does a teacher do with assignment reports?
Before class begins on the day a homework assignment is due, the teacher browses completion of video and article assignments.
Teacher may project the assignment reports for in-class review of the previous night’s homework.
Teacher also scans assignment report, looking for two things:
Is there a group of students who did not meet the performance expectation of 70% correct who may need support during class?
Are there problems in the exercise item bank with a low success rate that would be worthwhile to discuss during class?
Using Khan Academy for self-paced practice
In this model, teachers use Khan Academy as a tool for students to practice a year’s worth of subject material at their own pace, with less direct guidance from a teacher.
This model is especially popular for:
- Teachers using math Missions, MAP Recommended Practice, and/or Official SAT Practice
- Support, resource, or special education teachers
- Credit recovery courses
When is Khan Academy used?
Highly flexible. This model could be used in-class or out-of-class.
What content is typically assigned:
- Math missions
- MAP recommended practice
- Official SAT Practice
What is the cadence for assignments?
When using self-paced practice, teachers may choose not to assign individual skills to students. Instead, teachers can direct students to the appropriate mission, which combines all the skills for a grade level (ex. 7th grade mission) or topic (ex. pre-Calculus).
Teachers may also combine self-paced practice with other models by choosing to periodically assign skills to students.
How does a teacher guide students to the right content?
Missions: Teachers either assign the grade-level mission to students or use a self-created diagnostic or previous year’s test results to place students into distinct, differentiated missions.
Map Recommended Practice: Teachers input student’s MAP scores and use the personalized practice recommendations.
Official SAT Practice: Teachers have students link their College Board accounts and past PSAT and/or SAT scores to generate a personalized learning pathway.
How do teachers grade missions?
Some teachers grade missions based on overall mission mastery percentage (as viewed in the Progress tab of each class on the Coach Dashboard). Teachers may expect certain milestones throughout the school year (example: at least 20% mastery by end of October, at least 50% mastery by end of January, etc.)
Other teachers incorporate a time requirement and expect students to practice for 30, 60, or 100 minutes per week in addition to reaching specific mastery benchmark goals.
What does a teacher do with mission data reports?
Teachers check the Progress tab to see overall class progress on their designated mission.
- The student screen provides a snapshot for teachers to identify students who are behind, on-track, or exceeding their mastery percentage goals.
The skill portion of the Progress tab allows teachers to:
- Identify specific skills where several students are struggling. This helps a teacher identify topics for small group or whole-class instruction.
- Identify potential peer tutoring pairs. Teachers often pair students who have mastered skills with students who are struggling on that same skill.
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