Khan Academy: the Teachers Strike Back 575
theodp writes "With his Khan Academy: The Hype and the Reality screed in the Washington Post, Mathalicious founder Karim Kai Ani — a former middle school teacher and math coach — throws some cold water on the Summer of Khan Love hippies, starting with U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan. From the article: 'When asked why so many teachers have such adverse reactions to Khan Academy, Khan suggests it's because they're jealous. "It'd piss me off, too, if I had been teaching for 30 years and suddenly this ex-hedge-fund guy is hailed as the world's teacher." Of course, teachers aren't "pissed off" because Sal Khan is the world's teacher. They're concerned that he's a bad teacher who people think is great; that the guy who's delivered over 170 million lessons to students around the world openly brags about being unprepared and considers the precise explanation of mathematical concepts to be mere "nitpicking." Experienced educators are concerned that when bad teaching happens in the classroom, it's a crisis; but that when it happens on YouTube, it's a "revolution."'"
Re:Adverse reactions? (Score:5, Funny)
Khaaaaan!
Re:Adverse reactions? (Score:5, Funny)
His lessons are too slow.
it's a shame he doesn't have a lesson on using Youtube, or you could learn about the slider that allows you to fast forward as required.
Re:Adverse reactions? (Score:5, Funny)
I second that. My solution was to download the videos, then use mplayer to play them back at 1.5 times the speed.
It's fine, as long as you don't mind being taught by Alvin the Chipmunk.
Re:Adverse reactions? (Score:5, Funny)
His lessons are too slow. It's like getting a lesson from Grandpa Simpson. He only teaches one tiny basic concept per video and it takes him at least five minutes to get there and another five repeating, and repeating, and repeating. I can't watch more than half a video before I can't take it anymore.
Not all students can learn as quickly and easily as most /. readers.
Indeed. In fact /.ers are so smart that most of them don't even have to read an article to know all the answers!
Re:And the unions are pissed... (Score:2, Funny)
The university where I taught closed it's Education department several years ago
Looks like it closed its English department as well.