Khan Academy is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization with the mission of providing a free, world-class education for anyone, anywhere (Khan 2023). Khan Academy offers teachers and students a free mastery learning system in extensive subject areas. Implemented in conjunction with traditional learning, Khan Academy is an excellent digital learning tool to identify and close gaps in learning achievement. The research is clear about the pandemic caused loss of learning that still affects some students.

Backed by research, mastery learning is a self paced learning philosophy where students progress at a level best for them, resulting in positive outcomes in learning and achievement. By practicing at their own pace, students fill in gaps of knowledge resulting in more effective learning moving forward.

Integrating Khan Academy into your classroom is easy with excellent teacher training, extensive educator resources, and a support community of experienced teachers. The comprehensive teacher training takes approximately 5 hours, and provides the knowledge and confidence to implement Khan Academy into your curriculum. The teacher training provides the same experience that your students will see when using the interface. Completion of the teacher training provides a certificate and 5 badges.

Signing up is easy. Go to https://www.khanacademy.org/signup, you can sign in with Google, Clever, Apple, Facebook, or your email.

I recommend immediately beginning the Khan Academy for Educators Training. The training will walk you through setting up classes, adding students, adding assignments, and how to use the tremendous feedback created in the various reports. You will also learn about using course mastery.

Khan Academy also offers Growth Mindset Lesson Plans and activities, Storytelling activities, and many more engaging and fun activities for your students.

Recently, Khan Academy has introduced Khanmigo, an AI powered guide for teachers and tutor for learners. This amazing technology is like having an assistant to help learners and teachers.

Having used Khan Academy in the classroom since 2013, my personal experience reflects the research in effectiveness. I became a Khan Academy Ambassador in 2018 to help teachers incorporate this tremendous resource.

Vidergor and Ben-Amran (2020), offer this conclusion: “In summary, our main conclusion is that KA is effective in promoting personalization, independence and innovative teaching-learning processes. The teacher’s presence as mediating cognitive and emotional learning plays a key role in student learning. It is, therefore, recommended that teachers apply KA in traditional learning while creating and maintaining direct lines of interaction with students.”

References:

Hava E. Vidergor, Paz Ben-Amram, Khan academy effectiveness: The case of math secondary students’ perceptions, Computers & Education, Volume 157, 2020, 103985, ISSN 0360-1315, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2020.103985. (https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0360131520301834)

Khan Academy, 2023, (https://www.khanacademy.org/about/impact)

Cohodes, S., Goldhaber, D., Hill, P., Ho, A., Kogan, V., Polikoff, M., … & West, M. (2022). Student Achievement Gaps and the Pandemic: A New Review of Evidence from 2021-2022. Center on Reinventing Public Education.

Betthäuser, B.A., Bach-Mortensen, A.M. & Engzell, P. A systematic review and meta-analysis of the evidence on learning during the COVID-19 pandemic. Nat Hum Behav 7, 375–385 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41562-022-01506-4