End of grade testing, field days, parties, camps, and vacations are topics of discussion as school days wind down. Kids who have not yet been dismissed for the summer are squirming in their seats with anticipation. Schoolwork from the year is coming home in piles and being tossed into the recycling bin. They quickly look the other way, as learning is something most want to put away for the summer. However, as parents, we understand that summer can also be an opportunity to learn and gain more confidence in many academic areas. The brain is like a muscle: the more we use it, the stronger it gets. Imagine our bodies not moving all summer. Now equate that to our brains not being used all summer. Chime in the moans, groans, cries of pain, and angry faces. But it doesn’t have to be this way. Enter Kahn Academy.
Khan Academy offers practice exercises, instructional videos, and a personalized learning dashboard that empower learners to study at their own pace in and outside of the classroom. Subjects covered are math, science, computer programming (learn how to program games like Crossy Road), history, art history, economics, drawing and more. Their program identifies strengths and learning gaps, so you can see where your child may need additional help. The dashboard also allows you to see how your child compares to other children in that subject area. Kahn Academy partners with institutions like NASA, The Museum of Modern Art, The California Academy of Sciences, and MIT to offer specialized content to create a unique learning experience. The site’s content has been created by dozens of individuals who specialize in their particular field.
Are you smarter than a fifth grader? Admittedly, I am losing when it comes to math. When my sixth grader came to me with math questions, I found myself searching all over Google. Well search no more! Kahn Academy offers free math tutors 24/7. You child can take advantage of Kahn’s free instructional videos and exercises to help them work through a problem. If your child isn’t being challenged enough, there are opportunities to work ahead of current material at their own desired pace. Or maybe you have child who would like to be introduced to the next grade level material and reduce any anxieties. Kahn Academy can help them in countless ways and you can track their progress through the parent dashboard.
Summer should be less scheduled and less hectic than the school year, as our kids do need a break. But going back to the brain/muscle analogy, we should help them be a strong as they can be for the next school year. Try aiming for a couple hours a week that are committed to academics. The dashboard at Kahn makes it easy to commit and keep track of the hours. To get started, go to khahnacademy.org and click “parents” and then add your students. Motivate your kids by explaining to them that their minds need exercise. Each time they struggle, their brains grow stronger by forming new neural connections. And lastly, implement a reward system for progress attained, like eating out at their favorite restaurant or making sundaes at home. Avoid the summer brain drain and help your kids be their best!
3 comments
EXCELLENT article, Mai-Lis! Khan has helped me supplement for my children given the horrific state of math instruction at elementary schools all across Mecklenburg County. Math curricula such as Everyday Math and Investigations Math (CMS) are just a few examples of “New” math that is not faring well with our children. Khan brings it back to traditional math teaching lessons. We spent many evenings reviewing Khan instructional videos to decode what was being taught in the classroom.
Great resource, highly recommend!
Jennifer, this is Mai-Lis’s brother Matthew, you are correct for seeking alternative math education. You are correct for seeking alternative education, period. We find it best to stick as close to Plato’s definition, philosophy and guide toward education. In doing so keep in mind that education when defined by Plato, Aristotle, and Socrates, can do one of 2 things, put you in a caste system, or place you on a path on independence. Both are recognized, and utilized, even by our society today.
If your goal is to become a disciplined worked tuned to the bell, timing and expectations of paced learning though psychologically tuned institutional learning that short circuits your abilities, then your inclination would be to go with the flow an no supplementation.
Since you brought up supplemental education, you are obviously not seeking to be “the norm”. Supplemental education is more than a summer reading list, it is an involvement that transpires from recognition. Every physical reality that we enter into is the result of a thought manifested into action, bringing about the reality of our physical lives.
We always tell our boys, “what you think, MATTERS” -Matthew
Mai-Lis are correct for seeking alternative math education. You are both correct for seeking alternative education, period. We find it best to stick as close to Plato’s definition, philosophy and guide toward education. In doing so keep in mind that education when defined by Plato, Aristotle, and Socrates, can do one of 2 things, put you in a caste system, or place you on a path of independence. Both are recognized, and utilized, even by our society today.
If your goal is to become a disciplined worker programmed by the bell, timing and expectations of paced education though psychologically tuned institutional learning that short circuits your abilities, then your inclination would be to go with the flow an no supplementation.
Since you brought up supplemental education, and wrote an article on it, along with a response, you are obviously not seeking to be “the norm”. Supplemental education is more than a summer reading list, it is an involvement that transpires from recognition. Every physical reality that we enter into is the result of a thought manifested into action, bringing about the actuality of our physical lives.
We always tell our boys, “what you think, MATTERS” -Matthew