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Scavenger Hunt / Real Life Scenarios
Student Experience (2 scenarios) 3-7
Teacher Experience (5 scenarios) 8-24
Planning your Khan Academy Classroom
Common Core & Khan Academy 26
Missions 27-30
When Missions Aren’t Ideal… 31-34
Finding Purpose 35-38
Reference
Getting Ready with Technology 40-41
Sample Permission Slip 42
Start of Year – Logistics 43
Start of Year – Classroom Culture 44-45
Using Data 46
Planning Class Time 47-48
Beyond the First Day 49
Table of contents
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SCAVENGER HUNT /
REAL LIFE SCENARIOS
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STUDENT SCENARIO #1: Get started on your math skills
Create an account by going to www.khanacademy.org.
Follow the prompts and take the tour of the learning
dashboard.
If prompted, take the pretest.
Practice the first 3 skills that have been recommended for you.
The skills that automatically show up on your dashboard are personalized to you! Our algorithm senses what you are ready for next based on your unique math history on the site.
For each skill, your goal is to answer five questions in a row correctly.
Every account is both a coach account and a student account.
Click KHAN ACADEMY at the top of the page to get to your learning dashboard.
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STUDENT SCENARIO #1 (continued)
Did you notice the difference between skills and Mastery Challenges?Skills cover ONE math concept, while Mastery Challenges cover MANY math concepts. As you answer problems correctly in Mastery Challenges, your progress levels will rise. To achieve mastery, you’ll need to answer multiple problems correctly over several days. This system ensures that you practice skills in a context-switching mode and retain them over time.
Complete 2 Mastery Challenges by clicking the blue bar near the top of the screen.
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We’ve got a lot of content on Khan Academy, and it grows every day. We’ve created missions to help students focus on content that is most meaningful to them.
Our math missions provide a way to guide your students through grade-level content, including prerequisites, or “mission foundations.” Your students will be united in one compelling goal: to reach completion of their grade-level mission, even as they start at different places and work at different paces.
As students complete skills in their grade level mission, we’ll recommend new skills based on what they are ready to learn next. We use the student’s math history on our site, as well as what we learn from all of the students on our site, to figure out what will make the best recommendations.
WHAT IS A MISSION?
Click CURRENT MISSION at the top of your learning dashboard and select the grade you’d like to explore.
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STUDENT SCENARIO #2: Check your progressYou’re a 5th grade student who wants to understand how you’re doing in your class so you can brag to your friends.
If you don’t see any PRACTICED skills, try another topic. All topics other than Mission Foundations contain grade-level skills.
Click PROGRESS on the left of your screen.
Set the MISSION to 5TH GRADE to show only skills from this mission.
Set the ACTIVITY range to ALL TIME to show your cumulative progress.
Choose a topic. What is the name of one skill you’ve only
“Practiced”? ___________________________________________
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STUDENT SCENARIO #2 (continued)
Click your name in the top left corner to access your profile.
How many energy points have you earned? ________
What’s one badge you’ve earned?_________________________
What’s one badge you could earn in the future? _________________________
Hint: Pick a grayed-out badge under “Possible Badges.”
Click BADGES.
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TEACHER SCENARIO #1: Set up student accountsYou’re a teacher who wants to sign up your students during the first week of school.
To switch to a teacher’s view, click COACH at the top left of your screen.
The term “coach” refers to any person who guides and supports a learner.
Click CREATE YOUR FIRST CLASS.
Name your class and click CREATE CLASS.
If you don’t see this button, click NEW CLASS on the left.
When you pick a class mission, students will be notified. Your reports will also default to showing you progress in that mission.
Click MANAGE STUDENTS to access your class lists.
CREATE A CLASS
Each class can have its own mission.
Choose a mission for your class.
If your students have…
Then… Things you might want to know
Email Type (or copy and paste) your students’ email addresses in the box to invite them to your class
Students who already have a Khan Academy account will be invited to join your class. Students who don’t will be invited to create one.
An existing KA account
Type (or copy and paste) your students’ email addresses or usernames* in the box to invite them to your class
Once students have accepted your invitation, you’ll be able to see their data.
Neither Click CREATE ACCOUNTS
For each student, you’ll need a birthdate. For students under age 13, you’ll need a parent email address too.
WAYS TO ADD STUDENTS
There are three ways to add students to your class:
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*Students can find their username by opening the menu at the top right of the screen.This student’s username is IsaacAtKA.
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TEACHER SCENARIO #1 (continued)
Ask a peer to add you as a coach by following the instructions below.
Click COACHES in the left sidebar to see the classes you belong to.
Open the LEARN menu and click DASHBOARD to return to “student view.”
Enter the code.
For the next scenario, you’ll need to add a student right now.
Find the code for the class you just created.W
HAT Y
OU
R P
EE
R S
HO
ULD
DO
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TEACHER SCENARIO #2: Find relevant contentYou want to find content on Khan Academy that’s aligned with your upcoming unit.
#1: LEARN MENU
Open the LEARN menu.
Choose MATH.
Click a subject that interests you.
Find one video and one skill that you can use in your class in the next month.
Video name: ____________________________________________________
Skill name:____________________________________________________
FOUR WAYS TO FIND CONTENT
The exercises and videos you see here are the same ones students would see in the 5th grade or geometry mission.
#2: SEARCH BAR (always available at the top of your screen)
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TEACHER SCENARIO #2 (continued)
#3: COMMON CORE MAP
#4: SKILL PROGRESS REPORT
Go to khanacademy.org/commoncore/map.
Select a grade level you teach.
Click COACH at the top left.
Click SKILL PROGRESS.
You’ll see the class you created and the mission you chose for it. The topics are the same ones you saw in the LEARN menu.
Click a topic that interests you.
Click any skill to see an example problem.
Khan Academy aims to complete a full suite of Common Core-aligned math missions stretching from kindergarten to 12th-grade calculus by fall 2014. To learn more, visit khanacademy.org/commoncore.
Remember: “Mission Foundations” are prerequisites. They appear in this report but not in the LEARN menu.
Find one skill that you can use in your class in the next month.
____________________________________________________
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TEACHER SCENARIO #3: Recommend contentCoach recommendations are a powerful teaching tool. Here’s how to recommend a skill to multiple students simultaneously.
You’re preparing to teach a unit, and you’d like your students to preview the material.
Click a topic to see a list of skills.
Click a skill to see an example problem.
Click RECOMMEND TO STUDENTS THAT NEED PRACTICE.
Choose students to receive your recommendation.
Isaac “needs practice” because he hasn’t attempted this skill yet.
When you have multiple students in your class, the screen will look like this. You can use checkboxes to pick who should practice this skill. You can also set a due date or adjust the number of problems students must answer correctly in a row. Click RECOMMEND to
confirm.
Your student will directly receive your coach recommendation.
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TEACHER SCENARIO #3 (continued)Now you want one particular student to work on “Expressions with parentheses.” Here’s how to recommend a skill to an individual student.
Click STUDENT PROGRESS.
Scroll down and click a student’s name.
Click MAKE A RECOMMENDATION.
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TEACHER SCENARIO #3 (continued)
To select the skill, check the box.
Start typing the name of the skill.
Click RECOMMEND TO YOUR STUDENT to confirm.
Your student will directly receive the recommendation the same way they did when you used the Skill Progress report.
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TEACHER SCENARIO #4: Track student progress
FIRST, SWITCH TO THE COACH DEMO TO SEE SAMPLE DATA
If you have more than one window or tab open, close out of all but one.
Go to khanacademy.org/coach/demo.
Click the blue or green ACCESS button.
If you don’t see this purple bar at the top of your screen, ask for help.
OR
IMPORTANT:To move forward, you must follow the instructions on this page to access our coach demo.
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TEACHER SCENARIO #4 (continued)
You want to see if your 5th grade students are ready for your upcoming unit on measurement and data.
Click SKILL PROGRESS. Set CLASS to SAMPLE CLASS B and MISSION to 5TH GRADE.
Do the same for the other skills in this topic.Which students have already mastered all six skills?
__________________________ How can you challenge and engage them?There is no one right answer! What would you do in your class?
__________________________________________________________
Click MEASUREMENT AND DATA to see the skills in this topic.
Click the first skill to see who’s studied it and how they’re doing.
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TEACHER SCENARIO #4 (continued)
Now you want to see whether your 7th grade students are on track to complete their mission.
Click STUDENT PROGRESS to access that report. Set CLASS to SAMPLE CLASS A and MISSION to 7TH GRADE to
see a histogram summarizing your students’ mission progress.
The chart above shows that 3 students have mastered 20–30% of mission-level skills.• Mission-level skills are grade-level skills. To complete a mission, a student must master all
mission-level skills.• Mission foundations are prerequisites for mission-level skills. Mission foundations do not
count toward mission completion.
Always shows cumulative data
Use the ACTIVITY filter to show data for only a specific timeframe
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TEACHER SCENARIO #4 (continued)
Look at the overall shape to get a quick snapshot of how the class is doing.
REMEMBER:• Mission foundations = prerequisites• Mission-level skills = grade-level skills• Mission completion = mastering 100% of
mission-level skills
Has anyone finished more than half of the 7th grade mission? If so, who?
__________________________________________________________ Hint: Click any column to see a list of the students at that level of mission progress.
Hint: You can use the arrow keys on your keyboard to move between students.
Who needs the most attention from you?
__________________________________________________ Hint: Are there any students in the 0–10% column?
What advice would you give this student?
__________________________________________________
Hint: There is no one right answer. Remember: the goal is to master 100% of mission-level skills.
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TEACHER SCENARIO #4 (continued)
Staying in the STUDENT PROGRESS report, adjust your settings as follows:• Class: SAMPLE CLASS A• Mission: 7TH GRADE• Activity from: ALL TIME
Finally, you want to reward the students who have accomplished the most on Khan Academy since they started using the program.
When looking at data for your own class, you might choose a shorter activity range (such as LAST 30 DAYS) to see only recent progress.
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TEACHER SCENARIO #4 (continued)
Click the clock icon to sort users by minutes online.
Who has spent the most time on Khan Academy?
_______________________________________________________
The time measurement includes all time students have spent actively engaged in the material. After two minutes of inactivity, a student is no longer counted as engaged.
The skill measurements include only skills from the mission chosen at the top of the report. Currently, the numbers include both mission-level skills and mission foundations.
Click the dark blue square to sort by number of skills mastered.
Who has mastered the most skills in this mission?
_______________________________________________________
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TEACHER SCENARIO #5: Focus on struggling studentsYou want to find out who is having trouble and how to help them.
Staying in the STUDENT PROGRESS report, click the red square to sort by number of struggling skills.
Click ISAAC AT KA, a student with one struggling skill.
Find the struggling skill and click the number to the right of it.
This student has attempted seven questions on this skill.
The red squares (circled below) indicate struggling skills.
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TEACHER SCENARIO #5 (continued)Now you want to diagnose this student’s misunderstandings.
A bar graph will appear showing Isaac’s work on this skill.
How many problems did he attempt? ____ Hint:
Count the bars.
How many did he get right? ____ Hint: Count the blue bars.
Hint: Click PREVIOUS and NEXT to see Isaac’s steps.
The camera icon means the student watched a video.
The question mark means the student used at least one hint.
Click the red bars to see Isaac’s answers. What is he doing wrong?
___________________________________________________
TEACHER SCENARIO #5 (continued)
Find someone who can peer tutor your struggling student.
Click COACH and then SKILL PROGRESS to return to your report.
Click FIND and search for CONVERTING FRACTIONS TO DECIMALS.
Who might be a good peer tutor for Isaac? ___________ Hint: Who has mastered this skill?
Click this skill.
Click DONE.
Click the bar to see how students are doing on this skill.
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PLAN YOUR
KHAN ACADEMY
CLASSROOM
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MISSION FAQs
How long does it taketo complete a mission?
Just like putting a man on the moon, missions are meant to represent major commitments, and completing one should be considered a big accomplishment. With that said, the amount of time and effort it takes to complete a mission will depend on who the student is, where they start, and how fast they go. If you expect a student to take about nine months to learn an entire year’s worth of material, it’s reasonable to expect that it would take about nine months to complete a mission.
What is the difference between mission-level skills and mission foundations?
Mission-level skills cover specific grade-level standards, while mission foundations are skills that we’ve identified as prerequisites for mission-level skills.
What does it take to“complete” a mission?
A mission is complete once you’ve mastered all grade-level skills in that mission—we call these mission-level skills. Completing mission foundations, or prerequisite skills, does NOT count towards mission completion.
In order to master skills, students will need to take Mastery Challenges on a regular basis. Mastery Challenges mix together different types of problems and spaces them across days to helps students retain their math skills over time.
I have students who are below grade-level. Which mission should they be working on?
Since each grade level mission contains prerequisites, your students can work through prerequisites (or mission foundations) while working towards the same grade level mission completion as the rest of the class.
What happens when mystudent completes a mission?
We’d hate to spoil the surprise, but let’s just say that your student will have a party on her learning dashboard. The student will also get a coveted mission badge, plus the feeling of great accomplishment. Once a mission is complete, your student can move on to the next one!
How is content curated within each grade level mission?
We have a group of math educators who create and curate the skills within each grade level mission. If you’re an educator in the U.S., you should know that we’ve used the Common Core math standards to drive the creation of all of our math skills. We believe these standards are well-written and offer a great progression through math concepts. For each of our grade level missions, the prerequisite skills from previous missions are also included.
Will more missions be added?
Yes! We hope to have all of K-12 math (including calculus) covered by Fall 2014.
PERSONALIZING YOUR CLASSROOM WITH MISSIONS5 SIMPLE STEPS
Step 1: Select a mission for your class
Click ‘Manage Students’ and choose the appropriate mission for each class. Your students will get a message that notifies them of this mission request.
When you choose a mission for a specific class, your reports will default to looking at student progress within that mission!
Step 2: Create a culture around missions
Make sure your students understand the gravity of accepting a mission, the hard work it will entail, and the sense of accomplishment they’ll feel when it’s completed.
CONSIDER: Have a conversation with your students about
how President JFK challenged the US to put a human on the
moon in 1961. In 1969, Neil Armstrong became the first man
to walk on the moon. Ask your students…
• Was it easy for NASA to complete this mission?
• How long did it take?
• Why was it important?
• How do you think the NASA team felt afterwards?
Relate this conversation back to your classroom and the
missions they’ll be working on throughout the school year in
Khan Academy.
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Step 3: Set a big goal
Students are motivated by feeling like they’re part of a community working towards a big goal. Take this opportunity to set classroom goals that are measureable, ambitious, and realistic.
Ex. All students will complete their 6th grade mission by the end of the school year
Step 4: GET GOING!
There are 2 main ways you can implement missions.
1) Use missions alongside your curriculum
Use coach recommendations to assign students specific mission-level skills that align to lessons you’re teaching in class. Students can use Khan Academy to get more practice during class and as homework.
Set up rewards and incentives to keep students motivated along the
way.
CONSIDER:
• Keep a poster in your room that celebrates students who
have completed 10 mission-level skills, 20 mission-level
skills, etc.
• Throw a pizza party when everyone has reached 50%
completion
• Create a healthy competition between classes by seeing
which class has made the most mission progress as a group
• Give out certificates to students at an EOY celebration that
recognizes students who completed their missions
2) Use missions to supplement your class
Have your students work on their missions outside of your class, dedicating time on a regular basis to making progress at home or at a computer lab. Make sure you check in with them and monitor their progress regularly.
You can always switch between these 2 ways of
using missions or use them together
depending on which skills align nicely with
your lessons.
When will students have access and time to work
on missions?
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Step 5: Monitor student progress
We encourage you to regularly look at student progress so that you can continue to motivate your classes while tailoring your instruction to the needs of your students.Teacher view:
All reports can be filtered by missions. To see a summary of class progress as well as detailed info for each student, use your Student Progress report.
Mission foundations
are prerequisite skills,
and mission-level
skills cover grade-
level standards. Only
mission-level skills
count towards mission
completion.
Student view:
Students can always see what they need
to accomplish in their missions by
looking at their tile board called ‘Mission
Progress.’
Students can also see a more detailed view of their own accomplishments by clicking “Progress” on the left side of
their learning dashboard.
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WHEN MISSIONS AREN’T IDEAL…
We recognize that not everyone will be able to use missions—you might have a different set of standards, or your students might have extremely limited access to technology. We’ve found that the strategies below can be helpful, and they can even be used alongside missions as well.
SKILLSWhat skills should students learn?
SKILLS PRACTICEList the specific KA practice that aligns
Ex. Evaluating expressions • Evaluating expressions in one variable
• Evaluating expressions in 2 variables
Foundational PlaylistMake a list of the 10 skills that you think all of your students should already know but often don’t when they enter your class. Have all of your students work on these 10 skills first—this will allow you to fill in gaps quickly while also making sure that students can feel successful in other parts of the list.
Unit-aligned PlaylistFind skills that are aligned to the next unit you are teaching, and start planning on how to incorporate KA as part of in-class practice, homework, or test review.
Any 5-10 Skills and any 2 videosIf you are introducing students to KA for the first time, a good way to get them invested is to allow them to pick any skills they want to become practiced in. Set a goal to complete 10 skills by the end of the week—student’s choice. You can also set a goal to have students watch any 2 videos of their choosing.
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PLAYLIST EXAMPLE #1
School, grade, teacher: KIPP Heartwood, 6th grade, Anna GundersonTimeframe: Students worked at their own pace through this playlist during their Fractions unitOther details: Anna used data from her coach reports to focus on struggling students and encouraged peer tutoring
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PLAYLIST EXAMPLE #2
School, grade, teacher: Summit High School, 9th grade, Zack MillerTimeframe: Students work at their own pace within a week and are expected to hit target deadlines for their work on Khan Academy, projects, and activities. They can also work ahead.Other details: Mr. Miller uses data to host seminars for specific groups of students each week. He intentionally integrates hands-on projects and group work alongside Khan Academy.
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PLAYLIST EXAMPLE #3
School, grade, teacher: Oakland Unity High School, 9th grade, Peter McIntosh & Kallie BergTimeframe: Students move at their own pace within a given week and can also work ahead.Other details: OU used this list during their summer school. Students completed work at school and at home, and teachers used data to give mini-lessons during the school day. If students completed all skills by Thursday, they didn’t have to come to school on Friday.
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COMMON PURPOSES & EXAMPLES OF STRATEGIES
1. DIFFERENTIATIONGive your low-performing students time to brush up on fundamental skills, give your high-performing students time to explore advanced concepts
Ex. Tal (12th gr teacher in Philly) lets students use Khan Academy when they have completed classwork quickly and correctly. With missions, students can stay on grade-level content and move at their own pace.
2. FOUNDATION-BUILDINGStart your year / unit by making sure students have all prerequisite knowledge. Investing time up front will save you time later on.
Ex. Bryan (8th gr teacher in San Diego) has students work on a specific list of mission-foundations (prerequisites) during the first few weeks of school. This allows him to fill in critical gaps early.
3. PRACTICE (IN-CLASS and/or HOMEWORK)Assign skills / lessons that align with the concepts taught in class
Ex. Peter (high school teacher in Oakland) uses coach recommendations to assign skills aligned to the lessons he’s teaching. When students complete the recommendation, they get 1 point. When they master that skill within a 2 week timeframe, they get 3 points.
4. ABSENT STUDENTSGet your absent students up to speed with the appropriate lessons/practice
Ex. Shelby (7th gr teacher in Idaho) made coach recommendations to a student who was suspended for 3 days. She could see from her data that the student was keeping up with the work and even watched videos to learn new concepts. When he came back to class, he didn’t have to spend time re-learning what everyone else had already done.
5. TEST REVIEW AND TEST MAKE-UPAlign skills / lessons to a test and use them as review. If students answer problems incorrectly on the test, have them go back and get more practice on Khan Academy in those specific areas
Ex. KIPP Bayview teachers in California used Khan Academy alongside their internal benchmarks last year. When students missed specific questions, they worked on the KA content aligned to those skills. Before taking their end of year standardized exams, students were given dedicated time to fill in their unique gaps.
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CASE STUDY #1: Happy Hills High School
Mrs. Harlow teaches 9th grade Algebra at Happy Hills. The middle schools that feed into Happy Hills range in quality, however, and Mrs. Harlow often ends up teaching arithmetic while her advanced students get bored and disengage.
Last year, Mrs. Harlow teamed up with the computer lab teacher, Mr. Hyde, to use Khan Academy with all incoming 9th grade students. First, students who were identified as struggling in math had to attend a 6-week summer school in which all students brushed up on basic math. After reviewing all of the missions and looking at the test scores of her summer school students, she decided to use the 6th grade mission as her summer school curriculum. She knew that students would be able to feel successful in this mission—but that there would be many gaps that she’d find as well.
On the first day of summer school, Mrs. Harlow and Mr. Hyde explained to students that their goal would be to complete their 6th grade mission. Each week they would focus small group instruction on a different topic within the mission, although students could move faster if they wanted to. Students were expected to get “practiced” in 10 skills on KA every week. If students completed their 10 skills by Thursday, they didn’t have to come to school on Friday. During summer school, Mrs. Harlow would give mini-lessons to small groups based on who was struggling, while Mr. Hyde helped to manage the rest of the large class.
Mrs. Harlow teaches a traditional math class during the school year, and she uses the Algebra mission alongside her curriculum. She finds the skills that align with her lesson by using KA’s common core map, and she makes coach recommendations every week. Her students go to a computer lab 4 days a week and work on these recommendations, although students who want to work ahead or need extra time to remediate can do so.
Mrs. Harlow uses a point system to grade her students. When students complete her recommendation, they get 1 point. If they master those same skills in a 2 week timeframe, they’ll get an additional 2 points for each skill. This motivates students to continue reviewing and retaining skills with Mastery Challenges.
When students go to Mr. Hyde’s computer lab to practice their skills as “homework” for their traditional math class, Mr. Hyde pulls small groups and does targeted intervention with students because he shares all data with Mrs. Harlow. Mrs. Harlow and Mr. Hyde meet weekly to talk about which students needed more attention while in the computer lab, and which students needed to be challenged even further. By working together and sharing data, Mrs. Harlow and Mr. Hyde became a strong team.
What is the purpose of using Khan Academy for Mrs. Harlow and Mr. Hyde?
What are the main strategies they use to fulfill these purposes?
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CASE STUDY #2: Magnetic Meadows Middle School
Mr. Mason teaches 8th grade math and science. His students are learning a mix of 8th grade content and Algebra because they’re on an accelerated track, but at the end of the year they will take the regular 8th grade standardized test.
Mr. Mason shares a class set of iPads with another math teacher, and he uses KA as part of his math curriculum. He divides his students into 2 groups and every week, his class takes turns spending 2 days on KA and 2 days doing collaborative problem solving in a large group. The last day of each week is intentionally unscheduled so that Mr. Mason can have students work on whatever it is that they need most--for some that means more time on KA, for others it means being in a lesson with Mr. Mason.
When Mr. Mason’s students are working on KA, they are all working quietly and independently--this is important because the other half of the class is working collaboratively in the same room and need to hear each other. Depending on the data, Mr. Mason will sometimes do a mini-lesson with students who are on KA while the other half of his class is working in a group. Students who are working on KA can sit close to other students who are working on similar skills, this way they can peer tutor each other easily and quietly. All students start by working through the 8th grade mission. This not only solidifies the foundations needed for algebra but also helps students prepare for the end-of-year standardized test. Students must complete 50% of the 8th grade mission by winter break and 100% before state testing. When they finish, they move on to the algebra mission. Students keep notebooks, which they use for scratch work and notes.
Every day Mr. Mason looks at his data to make sure students are progressing. At the end of each week, Mr. Mason looks at his Activity report, which tells him the total amount of time each student has spent on KA. He requires students to spend at least 2 hours on KA a week--this plays a big role in grades. Since Mr. Mason allows his students to go at their own pace, he encounters students who fly through the material while others seem to crawl. Mr. Mason keeps his advanced learners engaged by having them do computer programming challenges on KA. Struggling students who need extra time often stay after school, and Mr. Mason also encourages them to use KA at home.
Throughout the school year, Mr. Mason does big projects that can take 1-2 weeks at a time. These projects often weave together science and math, such as building a rocket and graphing its projectile arc. At the start of each project, Mr. Mason gives a quick diagnostic that consists of all prerequisite skills needed in order to understand how to do the project. Students that have gaps in the diagnostic are then required to do aligned skills in KA before starting the project--this sets them up for success and enables them to work confidently in groups.
What is the purpose of using Khan Academy for Mr. Mason?
What are the main strategies they use to fulfill these purposes?
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CASE STUDY #3: Eastern Elderberry Elementary School
Ms. Eloise teaches 4th grade to a classroom of 28 students. In her classroom she has 8 computers, and she typically uses them in station rotations so that all of her students get a chance to use them.
The 4 stations that Ms. Eloise sets up are...
Station 1 - Independent practice using a worksheetStudents sit at desks and complete a worksheet that is aligned to the Common Core standards being focused on that week.
Station 2 - Collaborative problem solvingStudents get in groups of 2-3 and solve multi-step word problems that are often focused on math in real life situations.
Station 3 - Khan AcademyMs. Eloise has students work through the 4th grade mission. Each week, she recommends one set of skills to her lower students, another to her average students, and a third to her advanced students. Each set is at a different level, so students can work on skills that may be more remedial or advanced depending on what the student is ready for. Students keep a notebook to keep track of the work they’re doing in KA.
Station 4 - Creating a lessonStudents work in pairs to create their own lesson and questions for a skill that they’ve mastered in the past. Not only does this help students solidify their understanding of a concept--it also helps Ms. Eloise with extra practice questions and excellent peer tutors!
Students spend about a half hour in each station, and typically they go to 2 stations each day. This means that students spend about an hour on Khan Academy each week. While students are in stations, Ms. Eloise sits at a special table and calls students up to provide 1-1 coaching. She looks at the data to target students who are struggling. She also uses this time to routinely check in with students about their overall progress and motivation levels. She often has students look at their own data to analyze what they spent the most time doing over the past week. This gives them a chance to reflect and become self-aware with their own data. Notes from these check-ins also go into the student’s KA notebook.
After seeing how her students react to KA, Ms. Eloise realized that she really would like to have more computers to give her students more time and access to KA. She carefully documents her students’ growing enthusiasm and progress in math and gives a presentation to her principal with a request for more computers. Next year, Ms. Eloise hopes to have a full set of computers so that students can spend at least 2 hours on KA each week.
What is the purpose of using Khan Academy for Ms. Eloise?
What are the main strategies she uses to fulfill these purposes?
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REFERENCE
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This checklist is handy for you and the IT folks at your school.
BANDWIDTH AND CONNECTIVITY
Check that your school’s bandwidth can handle all students on Khan Academy at a given time.We recommend ~1.5 Mbps per machine viewing standard definition video. It’s unlikely all students will watch streaming videos at the same time (skills practice is significantly less bandwidth), but ~1.5Mbps per student is a very safe bet.
Confirm that wifi access points are close enough.Ensure that all students can use wifi simultaneously. To be safe, have one router in each room that will be using Khan Academy.
PRIVACY & FILTERS
Check if your school uses filters that block YouTube.If it does, an easy solution is to sign up for YouTube for Schools. Find out more info about this by going to www.youtube.com/schools
DEVICES & BROWSERS
Try using Khan Academy on the devices to ensure that filters and browsers are set-up properly.
Install the latest versions of browsers. Older versions do not support the latest technologies and encounter more bugs. We recommend faster browsers like Chrome, Firefox, Safari and IE10.
IT SUPPORT
Provide basic troubleshooting strategies and procedures on taking care of technology (ex. rebooting computers) and give IT contact info to teachers.
ACCOUNTS
Figure out any email issues that may relate to creating student accounts. If emails are not used, create student accounts ahead of time and record usernames and passwords.
Tech: Is everything set up to work?
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TROUBLESHOOTING TECHNOLOGYTech difficulties are inevitable. The following will help you avoid the most common tech problems.
What will you do and who will you contact if…
1. Some of your students don’t have school e-mail accounts already set up?
2. Some of your students don’t have usernames or passwords that work?
3. The internet is very slow or not working for some/all of your students?
4. There are computers that will not turn on or work?
5. Your devices are always running out of battery?
6. Your students need earbuds / headphones to listen to videos?
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Dear parent or guardian,This year, we’ll be using Khan Academy in class to personalize learning for all students! Khan Academy is a free online resource that allows students to learn anytime, anywhere, with material that is uniquely appropriate for them. Students can explore new topics and practice their math skills by using interactive exercises, videos, and tutorials. As students learn, their activity feeds into reports that show important information such as strengths and weaknesses in a particular concept. By using Khan Academy, I’ll be able to provide a more personalized learning experience for your child. If you approve of your child participating in this program, please provide the information below.
Student name: _____________________________________________ Does your student already have a Khan Academy account? YES NO Student username: __________________________________________(Letters only, no spaces, ex. JSmith; if your child already has a Khan Academy account, please provide the child’s existing username above) Student password: ___________________________________________(Minimum 5 characters, different from username; if your child already has a Khan Academy account, then you do NOT have to write down the password as long as your child knows it.) Student birthdate: ___________________________________________ Parent/guardian email: ________________________________________(An email will be sent asking you to verify your child’s account, but you will not receive any other emails without your permission.)
If you want to see how your child is learning on Khan Academy, I encourage you to create your own Khan Academy account as well. You’ll be able to see what your child is working on, and there’s plenty of material on the site for you to learn anything you want, too. Simply go to www.khanacademy.org and click Sign Up to get your own account. Check out the links below to learn more:Khan Academy: www.khanacademy.orgTerms of Service: www.khanacademy.org/about/tosPrivacy Policy: www.khanacademy.org/about/privacy-policy Please sign below to give your child permission to use Khan Academy in my class. Parent Signature: ________________________________ Date: ___________Sincerely,[Teacher Name]
SAMPLE PERMISSION SLIP
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START OF YEAR – LOGISTICS
As you prepare to implement Khan Academy, you’ll want to think about when and were students will use the program.
SCHEDULEDecide when and where will your students will use Khan Academy (e.g., two times per week for 45 min in the computer lab)
CLASSROOM LAYOUTImagine the class where students will be using Khan Academy. What does it look like?• Where are the outlets? Can students easily charge their devices?• If you are using a mobile cart full of devices, where will it go?• Where will the students sit? Will they be allowed to sit in
unconventional places (such as on the floor, in a beanbag, etc.)?• Can you easily get to each student?• Will you section off part of the room for teacher seminars, peer
tutoring, non-KA work, etc.?
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START OF YEAR – CLASSROOM CULTURE
We’ve seen the best practices below in the most successful KA classrooms. Consider how you might be able to include similar lessons in your own class.
RULES FOR USING TECHNOLOGYEach school has different rules and procedures concerning technology. We encourage teachers to start off the year explaining these rules and procedures and getting any appropriate forms signed. Some teachers have also used this time as an opportunity to discuss the responsibilities associated with having email accounts and the difference between a work or school email account and a personal email account.
INTRODUCING KHAN ACADEMYWhile it might be tempting to plan how students learn about the site, we encourage you to consider letting students explore Khan Academy individually when they first get on the site. This enables them to see different parts of the site with the element of discovery. Then, debrief as a class to discuss what everyone found. (You may also want to have a backup plan in case technology fails on the first day.)
Keep in mind that your attitude towards Khan Academy will be projected onto your students. If you view it as helpful, they will likely frame it as a helpful tool. If it's seen as a fun activity, likely that enthusiasm will rub off too.
You can set the stage for your classroom in setting a tone of respect when using Khan Academy and technology. It is important for students to understand that everyone learns differently and has different “Swiss cheese holes.” There is no need to feel embarrassed about filling in these gaps. Instead, the emphasis should be placed on meeting goals, regardless of what those specific goals may be.
DISCUSSING KHAN ACADEMYSome teachers encourage students to share their thoughts on how learning with Khan Academy will be different from their previous math classes. We’ve seen some teachers begin this conversation with a formal presentation, while others have been informal.
During this conversation, teachers can correct any misconceptions, identify potential opportunities and challenges, and prompt students to think creatively. Consider covering the following questions:• Think about your previous math classes. How might your
experience with Khan Academy be similar to or different from another student in those math classes?
• What are some advantages to using Khan Academy?• What are some challenges we might face in using Khan Academy?• How can we meet those challenges?
This brainstorm could segue into a discussion of class contracts.
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START OF YEAR – CLASSROOM CULTURE (continued)CONTRACTSStarting the year with an explicit class contract helps establish norms and set expectations. To cultivate values like individual improvement, hard work, and camaraderie, consider including the following in your contract:• We all learn concepts at different paces• We take responsibility for our own learning, and we try our best• We help each other out. When someone is struggling with a
concept we already know, we’ll help him or her understand it
USING A JOURNAL / NOTEBOOKSome teachers might find it useful to have a consistent source of documentation for each student, whether it’s a journal, notebook, binder, etc. This journal can be used to keep track of which videos students have watched and which exercises have been worked on. It can also be a space for scratch work, for keeping track of goals and progress, and for students to reflect on their learning: what questions they have, what new vocabulary terms they’ve learned, etc.
HOW TO BE AN EXCELLENT PEER TUTORSocial interaction is a key component of using Khan Academy, and we expect and hope that students will learn from each other. For many classrooms, you’ll need to explicitly teach students how to be good tutors to their peers. One way to start is to help students brainstorm the characteristics they would like in an excellent tutor (e.g. they don’t just tell me the answer, they ask me questions that guide me to the answer, they are encouraging and positive, etc.).
HOW TO WATCH A KA VIDEOIn order to take full advantage of Khan Academy videos, it might be necessary to explicitly teach students how to watch a video. This includes taking notes and stopping and replaying parts that are not clear. Teachers can model active listening by watching a video on a higher concept so that students can observe the learning and note-taking process.
HOW TO SET YOUR OWN GOALSAlthough the specifics will vary for each class, individual goal-setting is a hallmark of using Khan Academy. For this reason, we suggest teaching students how to read their own Progress Reports and set reasonable goals. The goal is to encourage students to be self-motivated and to empower them to discuss their own goals and progress with you.
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USING DATA – NEW & EXPERIENCED
NEW KA COACHES
What is the one piece of information to focus on?
Which coach report shows that metric?
EXPERIENCED KA COACHES
How do missions, mastery challenges, and coach recommendations impact the way you read data?
Based on your class data, how will you teach your next lesson / unit?
Suggestions:
# of minutes – to get students comfortable with using KA on a routine basis
# of mastered skills – to ensure that students are getting practice on specific concepts
Struggling students – to focus on students who are having a difficult time with specific skills
Suggestions:
Incentivize levels of mastery on a longer time frame
Get students used to taking Mastery Challenges on a routine basis (every day if possible)
Use recommendations as a way to review for tests
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PLANNING CLASS TIME – FOR NEW FOLKSHow will you structure your first day of class? Draft your agenda with the tips below.
SAMPLE FIRST DAY AGENDA (90 minute class)9:00-9:15 Class starts, discuss with students how technology will be integrated into
math class this year
9:15-9:30 Pass out Khan Academy notebooks, go over tech rules as a class, discuss procedures for getting a laptop from the mobile cart
9:30-9:40 Pass out laptops, pass out instructions for students with usernames, passwords, and coach ids
9:40-10:00 Have all students log into Khan Academy and add the appropriate coaches (get 2 parent volunteers), when done, make sure they have stored their username and password somewhere safe
10-10:15 Allow students to explore the site on their own
10:15-10:20
Quick debrief: what have we learned about Khan Academy so far?
10:20-10:30
Go over procedures for putting away laptops and charging them, put away laptops, pack up and get ready for next class
BE SURE TO COVER Introducing Khan Academy by discussing how it will benefit students in
math Go over tech rules or contracts Establish systems and procedures around tech Make log-in instructions as clear as possible (e.g., write instructions on the
board, haves students write down their usernames and passwords) Ask for volunteers to help manage the class on the first day
YOUR FIRST DAY AGENDATime Activity
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PLANNING CLASS TIME – FOR EXPERIENCED FOLKSWhat will a day look like next semester? Draft your agenda with the tips below.
SAMPLE AGENDA (60 minute class)9:00-9:15 Mastery Challenges
Students settle down with their computers and work independently on Mastery Challenges
9:15-9:30 Mini-lessonBased on the data, pull a small group of students that need practice or are struggling with a specific skill. The rest of the class can focus on working through a playlist / recommendations.
9:30-9:40 Tutor BarDuring this time, sit at a designated table and allow students to come to you with specific questions they might have.
9:40-9:55 Check-ins for 2 studentsEach week you focus on 10 different students. During this time, you review their KA progress with them, congratulate them on their successes, and discuss upcoming goals.
9:55-10:00
Rocket Runs!Each half of the class gets 90 seconds to get as many energy points as they can.
SUGGESTIONS Intentionally build in time to respond to data with mini-lessons Include time for students to receive on-demand help from you by creating
a tutor bar Start / end each day with independent time working through Mastery
Challenges Energize the class with a Rocket Run, where half the class competes
against the other using the Real Time report projected onto a screenA DAY IN NEXT SEMESTERTime Activity
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BEYOND THE FIRST DAY
Every implementation evolves. As you use Khan Academy with your students, you’ll become more comfortable with our tools and discover more effective ways to use them. Here a few goals you might set for yourself as the school year continues:
Continue to progress through Khan Academy as a student Aim to have 100% of students logged in, started on particular
skills, etc., by a certain date (e.g., end of the first day/week ) Set classroom norms and monitor student behavior Check your coach reports at the end of each day - note which
students are focused solely on videos or are not making as much progress and check in on them
Have students set up and use journals Use Khan Academy reports to decide what topics to teach After the initial push, evolve the implementation model and
explore ideas like peer tutoring, small groups or 1:1s, and projects Prioritize individual improvement over performance on grade-level
material• Some students may race ahead, while others spend time
filling gaps in their knowledge rather than working on grade-level standards. In the short term, these students may not perform as well on grade-level assessments, but they may ultimately become better math students thanks to their strong foundation.
To reinforce a positive classroom culture, recognize students who put in extra work or meet their goals
• Encourage spontaneous applause from the whole class when a student completes a goal that's been particularly challenging for them
• Have students share accomplishments or challenges from the day or week at the end of class
• Praise students for tutoring their peers Keep your mind open to new ideas and to the concept of
continuous improvement
