Month: September 2023

Have you heard of the Khan Academy? In 2004, Salman Khan began tutoring his younger cousin, Nadia, in maths over the Internet, then other cousins. Such was the interest from YouTube watchers, he quit his job as a hedge fund analyst to start the not-for-profit Khan Academy full time.

Salman “Sal” Khan, aged 46, son of immigrants from Bangladesh, founded the Khan Academy, a free online YouTube education platform, in 2009. His 6,500 YouTube, multi-subject videos have been viewed 1.8 Billion times. In 190 countries and 30 languages. 150 million views per month. Khan, an MIT graduate, is charismatic, funny and smart.

The Khan Academy has now introduced AI so that each student has a personal assistant. He says this doesn’t displace teachers but lessens their workload from administration to more efficient teaching.

Sal Khan Explains It

Khan explains his work, and why his use of AI in the Khan Academy can improve education:

There are other talks by Khan, e.g.: Let’s teach for mastery — not test scores | Sal Khan

He also wrote the book, The One World Schoolhouse: Education Reimagined.

How Does It Work?

The Academy is an aid for school teachers, not a substitute, although it can be for those without a school. Khan says it helps kids catch up.

In a one size fits all classroom, the teacher has to proceed with lessons to meet a curriculum timetable, irrespective of whether all kids are ready to move on. If some don’t understand any part, they switch off. Some fall behind, become frustrated and rebellious. But by allowing them to watch entertaining instructional videos, again and again, with no school room pressure or embarrassment, they get up to speed. They can then join in and keep up.

We have all seen kids struggle in our school days, and it was hard on them, especially if there was no help from home. We had textbooks, but motivation and encouragement were needed. If the Khan Academy is specified as homework, it frees up teachers to spend more time on individual needs. Watching videos is cheaper long-term than buying textbooks each year.

Kahn realised this when teaching his cousin Nadia. She was bright but afraid of failing maths. With his video coaching, she became top of her maths class. Obviously, it may require guidance from parents and teachers to get the kids to watch.

He says the present system leaves some kids only half taught (50% pass), even those with 90% don’t know 10%, etc.

Balancing Kids’ Time

We know kids have to be monitored and restricted in screen time and one very important aspect is to get them outside to play. Balance is the key. Sport is important. It is exercise, which improves learning ability and fun combined. Most kids don’t need motivation.

But some self-motivated kids, particularly in Africa and other poor countries, isolated from any school, have been able to pass their University Entrance equivalent. Some have then graduated from university. Starlink plus several other upcoming satellite internet providers will help further, as they are built for remote, unserviced areas.

Sal Khan Recognized

 Khan has been recognized with many awards, including:

• The American Academy of Achievement’s Gold Medal
• Annual Heinz Award in the Human Condition category
• Sal Khan, was listed among TIME’s 100 Most Influential People for 2012
• In 2016, Khan Academy won a Shorty Award for Best in Education
• Stanford University was inspired to start Coursera, one of the first free online learning platforms.

Inverting the Education Pyramid

Khan says we should invert the education pyramid and the diagram above says it all. More practice, less time on only-theory.

Many schools now have students participating in group projects, often the kids choosing their own projects. Many of us remember being thrown into a situation where some technical problem had to be fixed with time constraints. Maybe we stayed up half the night, but it got fixed and did we learn!? There is no better way.

Education Is Essential for a Rapidly Changing World

• The Digital world will force change, replace repetitive, boring jobs, but planning for and providing prior education will help re-employ those displaced. This needs to happen quickly.
• Education makes lives more interesting and expands interests, reduces crime, wars etc.
• Figures show it will help reduce and eventually plateau a concerning world population increase.

Let’s Have a Conversation:

What resources do your grandchildren use to supplement their studies? Have you heard of the Khan academy? What other resources have you heard about?

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Originally posted at: Venita Aspen’s Eyeshadow

“Don’t let the door hit you in the #@!& (rear end)!” This was the comment one father made to me when sharing that his son was graduating from high school and moving out. My first reaction hearing that was “How sad!” Of course, I didn’t know his whole story. And then I had my own four teenagers go through the “leaving the nest” experience, and that helped me understand a little more.

Empty Nester Emotions

Everyone experiences children leaving home very differently. I know women who struggled with the quiet house, the absence of local sports/other events, and missing their child’s personality. Others were stressed by attitude and behavior challenges, so “out of sight, out of mind” was a blessing. And then there were those who were excited about their child’s new adventures.

More Time for Yourself

Morning coffee is a good example of my first positive change: more time for myself. Maybe your mornings are a bit less rushed and/or your morning routine can be designed more in line with your preferences if your work life allows. I know many women who enjoy a cup of coffee in the morning in silence, or reading scripture, or soaking in the fresh air on the back patio. Being an Empty Nester provides some newfound time that you get to decide how you want to use it.

Taking time to rethink yourself, your values and your priorities can help you recreate your days. Whether it’s more exercise, more socializing, more you time – there’s no right or wrong. You get to decide. I sat outside with my coffee just the other day, feeling the morning breeze, watching an eagle and a crane fly by, hearing the loons in the distance and the woodpecker right behind me while swinging on a creaky swing. Mother Nature has a way of helping you relax enough to focus on the important things you need to think about.

Rekindling Relationships

Whether you have a significant other in your life or friends/family outside of your living environment, being an Empty Nester can free up time to spend with other important people. Isolation poses a real risk to your health, whether you realize it or not. So investing time into nurturing relationships with loved ones is time well spent for various reasons.

Especially if you are thinking about retirement down the road, it is wise to figure out what you enjoy doing in your spare time. Do you already have hobbies? How do you envision spending time together with your loved one and alone? Now is the time to discover and practice those pursuits to help refine that side of retirement later on.

Playing Catchup Financially

Lastly, the next 10+ years until your retirement can be a great time to refocus on your money life. Hopefully, with one less person in the household, not only your time but also your bank accounts can benefit.

Can you beef up that savings account, increase your retirement contributions, and/or organize and update your records/legal documents? One idea is to check out my Empty Nester’s bundle of checklists to help you do all of that and more. No one can do everything, but you can do one thing, and then another and another. That’s the beauty of checklists.

Your Key to Happiness

I read once that the average American thinks about retirement in their 50s and has about $50,000 saved. It’s never too late to take that bull by the horns, but the sooner the better! Look at it as a chance to catch up on re-prioritizing yourself once again. Life is too short to leave the key to your happiness in someone else’s pocket, so I encourage you to take action – all for your benefit now and later.

Grab your coffee, or whatever morning ritual you enjoy, and give this some thought. Throughout life, you’ve seen one door close and another one open. This is no different; be intentional about it and enjoy!

Let’s Have a Conversation:

How did your Empty Nester experience go? Were you excited or dreading it? Any tips for others to help ease the transition?