The Limits of Khan Academy

True social innovations must have scope and impact. In the realm of education, Khan Academy can be considered a social innovation due to its accessibility and it ability to disrupt the longstanding classroom model.  Salman’s Khan’s simple YouTube videos are challenging the traditional classroom model and effectively extending education to millions of students. There is no doubt that his methods of teaching are benefiting underserved populations of learners all around the world, but what are its limits? Can it successfully replace the classroom model that has been in place for the last few centuries?

The article, “One Mane, One Computer, 10 Million Students”, also addresses the issue that Khan’s revolutionary way of teaching may have limitations. Students possess different learning styles and classroom teachers have long struggled to accommodate all types of learners; it can be argued that Khan Academy will have the same issues. There are three types of learners—visual, auditory, and kinesthetic learners. Most people utilize all three modes to some degree, but primarily rely on one mode. Visual learners learn best by viewing diagrams, charts, and illustrations accompanied by explanations or narrations. They can easily process information given to them without the need for additional interaction. For visual learners, Khan Academy’s approach is no doubt an effective learning channel. Luckily, most of the human population comprises of visual learners. Auditory learners assimilate information best through listening and responding with discussions and dialogue. For these students, Khan Academy’s videos may be effective to a certain degree but they neglect the auditory learner’s need for verbal interaction and rhetoric. Lastly, kinesthetic learners need tactile experiences to retain and process information. Video lectures may be a difficult method of information delivery for this type of student to use due to the fact that is not stimulating enough. Khan Academy has already demonstrated its effectiveness in reaching visual learners, but how will adjust its format to accommodation audio and kinesthetic learners? Is there a way?  

Another issue that teachers have long tried to remedy is how to bridge the gap between shallow and deep learning. Can Khan Academy overcome this issue? Shallow learning consists of minimal effort put forth by the student whereas deep learning requires active initiative from the learner. Listening to a lecture, reading notes, memorizing information, reviewing answers—these are all characteristic of shallow learning. Deep learning, on the other hand, consists of the student actively questioning the information presented, writing his own problems to test knowledge assimilated, and forming new connections to the information in question.  Khan Academy’s videos present information and walk students through example problems, but this only grazes the surface of learning and does not encourage deep learning. There needs to be a mechanism that will encourage the viewer to shift from shallow learning to deep learning.

Despite these limitations, Salman Khan has no doubt changed the lives of many students. His videos may not be able to completely replace the traditional classroom model, but they can certainly supplement and guide teachers in a way that previously unthinkable.