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Literature Review Paper | Grad Project
CI 482
KHAN ACADEMY
The usability of Khan
Academy for High School
Maths teachers: A literature
review
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By Zahran, Yomna Aly
ABSTRACT
Technology in today’s formal education system has become essential to learning. Every Math
class uses a variety of activities which, if supported by Khan Academy curricula, help students
digest complex concepts and visualize the subject better.
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This study focuses on using Khan Academy as a supplementary resource for Math Education in
High Schools. It discussed some of the challenges faced by Math students, presented many case
studies held in various High Schools, and illustrated how it supports their learning.
In this paper, the researcher defined the term flipped-classroom and chose one educational
website to examine: Khan Academy. The researcher also reviewed previous studies on using
Khan Academy to improve the quality of formal Math Education in High Schools in several
countries such as Vietnam, the Philippines, and Turkey and stated specific recommendations for
better use of this website as a complementary resource for teachers and students.
The literature review indicated that the effective use of Khan Academy in a flipped-classroom
environment assists learners to engage more with the subject, results in higher retention rates,
and supports the teachers’ lesson plans and intended activities.
Keywords: Flipped-classroom, technology, Khan Academy.
Introduction
With technology, teachers can reach new horizons with their students. Moreover, the many
problems that are available online support teachers’ endeavors and students’ efforts.
Multimedia platforms are becoming teaching assistants in today’s classrooms, especially in
maths Education.
According to Freudenthal (1983) and Hoyles & Jones (1998), Math Education, supported with
technology, has enabled students to better understand this sophisticated science by giving them
real-life problems to practice in various contexts (Pierce & Stacey, 2011), which serve as
opportunities that enabled them to identify different representations of concepts (Heid &
Edwards, 2001).
A flipped-classroom is an environment where students read materials at home and do
homework at school under their teachers’ supervision (Bergmann, 2012).
Using a flipped-classroom approach, we are moving maths education to the next level and
devoting class time to student collaboration and valuable discussion. It calls on teachers to plan
meaningful activities during class time and students to study before class. (Thanh Chi Nguyen,
Cuong Tuan Le, 2020)
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Khan Academy is a non-profit organization that aims to create “a free, world-class education for
anyone anywhere.” their fund comes primarily from patrons and donors such as Bill Gates,
Google, and the Netflix CEO.
Since Khan Academy is an online learning resource available to anyone anywhere with internet
access, it can be used in informal learning settings to help students self-regulate and learn
throughout their lifetime. Similarly, teachers can use it in formal education where blended
learning or flipped learning environments are applied (Khan, 2020).
The format in which they introduce content is through 10-minute short instructional videos
narrated in the instructor’s faceless voice and displayed on a blackboard using some
neon-colored scrawls. Salman Khan, the founder, aims to imitate the classroom while walking
the extra mile with students through technology. By utilizing Khan Academy materials, maths
anxiety has decreased significantly. (Parsons et al., 2018)
In this review paper, the researcher will review some of the significant benefits of using informal
online educational websites, Khan Academy in particular, to eliminate some of the challenges
faced by High School maths teachers and students and help them better interact with the
subject.
Challenges faced by Maths Teachers in Classrooms
Primary mathematics education in schools faces various multifaceted challenges that demand
critical examination and innovative solutions. The foundational role of mathematics in
cognitive development, problem-solving skills, and the preparation of students for future
academic pursuits underscores the urgency of addressing these challenges.
By delving into these challenges, educators, policymakers, and researchers can develop more
effective strategies to enhance the quality and accessibility of primary mathematics education,
ultimately contributing to students' academic success and broader cognitive development.
Some of these challenges are:
1. Diverse Learning Needs
According to (Kilpatrick et al., 2001), Mathematical competence is defined by five skills:
conceptual understanding, procedural fluency, strategic competence, adaptive
reasoning, and productive disposition. Learners should be able to solve classroom
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problems and transfer their mathematical skills to various contexts in “Operational
Knowledge.”
In a typical classroom, students have varying levels of math proficiency. Each student
needs to tackle the subject at their own pace and practice as many problems as possible
to feel comfortable before moving to the next concept, given that High school math
teachers often have a limited amount of time to cover a wide range of topics.
2. Engagement and Motivation
Studies and surveys conducted by international institutions in teaching and training,
examining classroom practices (European Commission, 2007), show that primary
mathematical education is dull primarily because it is all about memorizing concepts.
Students usually need to know the purpose behind learning mathematical concepts.
Students often need more opportunities to practice more experimental maths problems
in formal education, which results in disengagement with the classroom curriculum.
Research has shown that technology is rarely used in mathematics education and that
students have the least autonomy regarding practice. Instead, they continuously
reproduce already existing activities.
Keeping students engaged and motivated in math is a common challenge. Teachers can
easily get drowned in theories and formulas without giving enough attention to the
instructional methods that enhance engagement and drive curiosity.
3. Feedback and Assessment
Teachers must ensure that students digest the materials with proper assessment tools
for mathematics. It is a common challenge to align the assessments with the curriculum
objectives.
According to UNESCO, assessments must enable all students to express their ideas and
introduce their representations of knowledge and diverse competencies.
Providing timely and meaningful feedback on students' math assignments can be
time-consuming. Balancing between giving customized, meaningful feedback on time
and moving forward with the curriculum at a reasonable pace is a challenging task for
teachers.
It is even harder today to assess students' mathematical capabilities, given that there is a
tendency to develop large-scale implementation at a minimal cost. That results in
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basing assessments on a series of questions with multiple choices that leave students
with the minimal amount of autonomy possible and limit their thought processes to the
preset options.
Khan Academy utilization
According to Light and Pierson (2014), while interviewing teachers of Chilean Schools, they
reported that Khan Academy utilization in formal education has improved procedural skills but
only supports more complex issues.
Some studies have been done on the advantages of using Khan Academy in High School Math
classes. Below, we present some research papers on using Khan Academy’s platform to teach
mathematical concepts in many High Schools across the world:
A Case Study, using Khan Academy in a flipped-classroom Setting
O. Schools, Hanoi, Vietnam
A four-week study on 20 students in grade 10 at a private High School in Vietnam (1) showed
that by using Desmos, which is a graphic calculator program implemented as a browser
application, and Khan Academy videos and materials as pre-class preparations to learn the
topic of Functions, students could better engage in class time with the activities their teacher
designed to strengthen their understanding of the concepts.
One advantage of this setting was that students could self-assess their Mathematical abilities by
accessing their progress on the Khan Academy website, indicating their strengths and
weaknesses and learning how to work on their common mistakes, which therefore enabled them
to ask their teachers for help in specific areas and improve their abilities better than those who
did not. Another advantage is that teachers could monitor their students' activity on the website
and offer help to the struggling ones and motivation to the inactive ones.
In this flipped-classroom setting, classroom hours were spent checking exercises, applying
theories to solve new problems, discussing, and doing group projects. Teachers served as
facilitators and supervisors rather than solely instructors.
This approach to maths Education offered students explorative opportunities during class.
Understanding became easier by using Khan Academy to supplement teaching Functions to
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10th-grade students and setting clear instructional goals for each class. Students were more
engaged with the concepts and more motivated to learn.
A Chinese foreign school, Palawan, Phillippines
Another study that used Khan Academy to supplement teaching Calculus to 12th-grade High
School IBDP Math Standard Level students in Phillippines (2) showed that, although there was
no clear evidence that those who used Khan Academy performed better in tests than those who
didn’t, there was a significant increase in motivation and engagement for those who revised
Khan Academy’s materials and helped students pace their learning and prepare for tests better.
The study was done on two groups in comparison: one experimental group of twenty-one
students who watched a series of twenty video lectures offered by Khan Academy on Calculus.
The other comparison group of twenty-one students was given a revision paper only. Both
groups were subjected to pretest and posttest examinations with a maximum score of seventy,
all taken from the IB test Question Bank.
Some of the participants in the experimental group reported that the learning process was
much more engaging and effective than a textbook. They also reported that vodcasts, in general,
helped them control their cognitive load better and gave them more autonomy in their
educational endeavors by allowing them to pause and replay videos at any given moment.
Some other students from the same group reported that they preferred communicating with
their instructor in a face-to-face setting rather than watching a video narrated by a faceless
instructor. They also reported that using revision papers was more beneficial to them than
watching videos.
California State Schools
Khan Academy selected nine of California’s Schools to participate in a study to determine the
efficacy of using Khan Academy as a supplementary resource in Math Education. The study
observed that teachers used Khan Academy primarily as a supplement to core teacher-led
instruction in most, but not all, schools during the study.
Schools that participated in the study were in different locations and of various types: some
public school districts, charter management organizations (CMOs), independent schools, and
elementary, middle, and high schools. Most of the sites served students from low-income
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communities, and several were using Khan Academy to support Math Education for students
with needs.
The study revealed various possible utilizations of Khan Academy, such as a tool for
personalized learning both in and outside of schools. It is also a supplemental resource where
students can practice more problems in various contexts and have their teachers comment on
their work.
The study also suggested using Khan Academy in a flipped-classroom environment where
students were asked to watch the video lectures, work on the activities at home, and then come
to school to discuss further the concepts they already learned. It also introduced Khan Academy
as a primary learning resource for formal and informal Math learning.
A double Integral Class, College-level, Turkey
Another eight-week study was conducted on twenty-eight Math students in the mathematics
education department at a state university in Turkey(5). Teaching a Double Integral class, the
study has shown that using a flipped-classroom with the aid of Khan Academy materials,
students could visualize the Mathematical concepts better, and their retention rates were
significantly higher.
Students watched Khan Academy’s lectures at home to prepare themselves before class and
familiarize themselves with the subject. Their understanding is complemented by well-designed
activities in classrooms guided by their teachers.
A High School in North Carolina
Moreover, a four-week study was held in a large suburban charter school in North Carolina with
114 seventh-grade participants distributed over three groups. As part of the Math class, they
were assigned an enrichment class, where the teacher incorporated Khan Academy video
lectures in addition to their regular Math class.
In the treatment group of students, the researchers simulated the personal use of Khan
Academy as a supplementary resource by assigning a 30-minute timeframe every class for
students to watch random Math videos.
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However, the researchers prevented students from accessing Khan Academy or any other type of
computer-based intervention in the two control groups of students. Then, all groups were given
a posttest, with no significant differences in scores.
Conclusion
In this paper, the researcher reviewed some advantages of using Khan Academy in a
flipped-classroom setting to enhance retention rates and engagement with Math in High
Schools.
The complementary utilization of Khan Academy in maths Education prepared students for
classes more. Learning became more than rote memorization of concepts by incorporating more
visualization into the process.
Students reported becoming more self-reflective and self-regulating while studying math at
Khan Academy. As a result, they were becoming more interested in math. They also reported
their need for face-to-face instruction and regular feedback from their teachers while revising
the materials on Khan Academy.
On the other hand, no research proves the efficacy of using Khan Academy on test scores or,
generally, student performance. However, students liked the platform's features, which gave
them extra enthusiasm and made them report a positive perception of using it for learning.
Recommendations
In the following section, the researcher presents some recommendations for High School Math
teachers to incorporate Khan Academy curricula in their lesson plans:
1. Even if Khan Academy materials were proven to increase engagement during N=Math
classes, some students needed help using the platform correctly. That being said,
educators need to teach students media literacy courses first to equip them with the
required skills to use Khan Academy.
2. Some studies mentioned above have used both Khan Academy materials and Math
education software. Furthermore, some results indicate that students knew the
importance of using software and Khan Academy’s lectures. Educators must think of
creative ways to seamlessly integrate the platform with software to design meaningful
in-class activities to better achieve the pre-set learning goals.
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3. While one of Khan Academy’s advantages is its availability to all students equally, we
know that some locations are less privileged than others regarding internet availability,
stability, and consistency. Suppose educators are willing to use Khan Academy as a
supplementary resource in Math Education. In that case, they need to ensure that all
students Maintain an adequate internet connection to participate equally in the
learning process.
4. If this paper convinces you to use Khan Academy in your teaching practices, discuss it
with the learners before implementation. Try to help your students manage their time
better and reasonably schedule Khan Academy activities. Figure out a set time for
watching the video lectures and solving the associated problems because students
reported needing more time to keep up with the process.
5. While watching video lectures grabs learners’ attention and helps some of them retain
information more efficiently, other students reported that they believe textbooks were
more beneficial to their learning than videos. To balance this situation, try to keep a
hard copy of the learning materials for your students to get back to and revise at their
convenience before examinations.
6. We saw in some of the introduced papers that several schools have used Khan Academy
materials as a primary source of instruction, where teachers only served as guides in the
process with minimal to no instructions from their side. Try having Khan Academy as a
supplementary to face-to-face instruction rather than instead of it to help your students
benefit the most from their educational experience and for the school value to be
maintained next to other interventions.
7. Individual learning is making a massive shift in our students’ mindset. They no longer
rely on schools to practice a concept or to experience a new skill. However, research
showed that collaboration and communication in education add value to the learning
process and help students construct their representations of ideas (Marc Schwartz). As
an educator, encourage your students to use the community section at Khan Academy
and ask them to involve you so they can get timely feedback while working with
materials independently.
References
1. A CASE STUDY BY USING KHAN ACADEMY, AN OPEN-SOURCE ENVIRONMENT. Thanh
Chi Nguyen1,+, Cuong Tuan Le2. 1Faculty of Pedagogy, VNU University of Education,
Vietnam; 2Olympia school, Hanoi, Vietnam
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2. APPLICATION OF KHAN ACADEMY AS A WORKED-EXAMPLE VIDEO PODCAST TO
SUPPLEMENT HIGH SCHOOL CALCULUS LEARNING, Rudyr S. Bacolod and
DonnalynBlacer-Bacolod*. Palawan State University, Palawan 5300, Philippines
3. Enhancing Usability of E-Learning Platform: A Case Study of Khan Academy. Sir Syed
Journal of Education & Social Research, Vol. 4, Issue 2, 2021 (April – June)
4. Şan, İ. & Aykaç, T. (2020). Effect of English language teaching aided by Khan Academy
on students’ academic success. Cypriot Journal of Educational Science. 15(5),
1107–1116. https://doi.org/10.18844/cjes.v15i5.5174
5. Zengin, Y. (2017). Investigating the Use of the Khan Academy and Mathematics Software
Use with a Flipped Classroom. Approach in Mathematics Teaching. Educational
Technology & Society, 20 (2), 89–100.
6. International Review of Research in Open and Distributed Learning Volume 18, Number
4. Khan Academy as Supplemental Instruction: A Controlled Study of a Computer-Based
Mathematics Intervention, Kelly and Rutherford.
7. Les dé s de l’enseignement des mathématiques dans l’éducation de base Published in
2011 by the United Nations Educational, Scientic and Cultural Organization.
8. Marc Schwartz, University of Texas at Arlington. Khan Academy: The Illusion of
Understanding. Journal of Asynchronous Learning Networks, Volume 17: Issue 4
9. Jill Fielding-Wells & Katie Makar, The University of Queensland, Student
(dis)engagement in mathematics.
