Khan Academy Best Practices for Supporting Students in Special Education

TL;DR

Special education teacher Chris Casper shares how he uses Khan Academy for remote learning, including assigning specific standards-based lessons and tracking students' progress.

Transcript

• Hi, everyone, this is Jeremy Schifeling's from Khan Academy. Hope you're having a good hump Day. I know we're kind of in a hub season right now trying to get over this big thing as a society. So, I appreciate you making time out of everything going on in your lives, both professionally and personally to be with us. And speaking of that, I have to... Read More

Key Insights

• 👻 Khan Academy allows teachers to assign specific standards-based lessons to students, making it easy to differentiate instruction and scaffold learning.
• 🧑‍🎓 The "try again" feature on Khan Academy promotes a growth mindset and encourages students to keep learning and improving.
• 🧑‍🎓 Khan Academy Kids is a valuable resource for younger students or those who struggle with reading, as it provides engaging and accessible content.
• 🧑‍🏫 Teachers can adapt Khan Academy to accommodate different learning needs, including modifying assignments and adjusting mastery expectations.
• 💪 Building a strong relationship with general education teachers can help ensure that students receive appropriate accommodations and modifications within Khan Academy.
• 🧑‍🎓 Students can join multiple Khan Academy classes and benefit from a variety of teachers' assignments and tracking abilities.
• 🧑‍🎓 Checking students' activity logs on Khan Academy allows teachers to stay updated on students' progress, even if they are not in the same class.

Questions & Answers

Q: How has Casper's teaching changed since transitioning to remote learning?

Casper now meets with students one-on-one and has them schedule their own time. He uses Khan Academy to track progress and allows students to work at their own pace.

Q: How does Casper assign specific lessons to students based on their goals?

Casper assigns lessons that align with individual student goals and adjusts due dates to match students' progress. He also scaffolds assignments to gradually increase difficulty.

Q: How does Casper motivate students to stay engaged in remote learning?

Casper motivates students by allowing them to progress at their own pace and celebrating their achievements. He emphasizes the "try again" feature on Khan Academy and encourages students to keep learning and improving.

Q: How does Casper support students who struggle with reading?

Casper suggests using Google Chrome settings to have the text read aloud to students. Additionally, he recommends using Khan Academy Kids, which is geared towards younger students and helps with reading difficulties.

Summary & Key Takeaways

• Chris Casper, a special education math teacher, discusses how he adapted to remote learning by meeting with students one-on-one and using Khan Academy to track progress.

• He assigns specific standards-based lessons to students based on their individual goals, and scaffolds the assignments to gradually increase difficulty.

• Casper emphasizes the importance of growth mindset and the "try again" feature on Khan Academy, as well as the ability to differentiate assignments for students at different levels.