Try Online Learning This Summer and Race Ahead of the Public Schools

It’s no secret that public schools in Pennsylvania and every other state, have a long list of serious problems. You can spend your time attending school board meetings and writing letters to your legislators, trying to convince board members and law makers to do something, but what will they do? Spend money? They’re very good at that, but will it fix the problems? No, it will just magnify what they’re already doing. The better route is to take direct action and solve the problem yourself. Parents and students, without having to convince anyone else, can try the alternatives to see what works.

How about online learning?

I know what you’re thinking, during the COVID lock downs you tried online learning and it was awful, but how did that work? School districts hurriedly threw together an online version of what they were doing in the classroom, putting teachers who were not prepared for or expecting to teach through a video camera using a curriculum designed for in-class instruction and who were expected to provide an education with rules for attendance at specified times with varying levels of connectivity, student motivation and at home support.

The real shock came for many parents when they had a chance to see what, and sometimes how little, was being taught. Eyes were opened and concerns were raised. This is what our high and rising school taxes are paying for? Maybe it’s time for a change.

Real, purpose built, online learning is excellent

Online learning and the resources to support it have been around for quite a few years now, it’s not new:

• Amazon began selling books online in 1994.
• Google began in 1998.
• YouTube began in 2005.
• Massive, Open, Online Courses (MOOCs) began in 2006, though the first one most were aware of was in 2011 (A course on artificial intelligence by Sebastian Thrun and Peter Norvig).
• The first iPhone was released in 2007.
• The Khan Academy began in 2008.

Amazon, Google, YouTube, are online learning? Of course they are, with almost any book published available for sale, Amazon brings previously inaccessible textbooks and literature to anyone for a very reasonable price, not free, but if the option is no access at all, it’s a bargain. Google and the other search engines provide research materials (though you need to be aware of what is and isn’t shown) and YouTube videos are something everyone has likely used for all sorts of learning, but most of this isn’t exactly school work like we expect to be taught in public schools.

The Khan Academy

It was the appearance of the Khan Academy that really shook things up. Salman Khan, an analyst at a hedge fund, began remotely tutoring his 12 year old cousin in math. To help the process along, he made some YouTube videos of his math teaching and the rest is online learning history. Explosive growth, thousands of videos, huge success for students using the material, … and it’s free!

Here’s a video from March of 2011 where Khan explains how he started, how it works and more.

What do they teach? Here’s the current list: (click on the image to see it full size)

Students

With summer vacation under way, this is the perfect time to give online learning a try. You can learn almost any subject the public schools teach (any many more) at any time, at your own pace, which includes going over whatever you’re not comfortable with until you really understand it, and when you do, you move on to more complex topics. You can go as far as you want, at your own pace, straight through the subjects covered in high school and then continue on into college level courses. No one is stopping you from learning, no permission is necessary, just learn, and always remember, there’s no speed limit on learning.

Parents

Instead of worrying about whether public schools are covering the important material your child needs to succeed in the world today, you can see exactly what they’re studying and work with them, side by side, or let them advance as quickly as they are able. Was there a subject they had trouble with in the classroom? They can study online and get step by step instruction to help them fill in the areas they haven’t mastered. Is there a subject they really enjoy? They can move ahead as far and as fast as they want. By the way, don’t let them have all the fun, you can learn, too.

Unlike classrooms where everyone advances whether they know the material or not, with this method, every student masters every step so there are no holes later on when the knowledge is necessary to grasp a more advanced topic. No one gets lost and falls behind. Students really learn. And again, … FREE!

Any computer connected to the internet is your classroom. Big screen, laptop, tablet or smartphone, they all work just fine. Any time, day or night, if you’re ready to learn, you can. Once you see how well it works, once you browse through the huge list of subjects available, you’ll never look at school the same way again.

Noisy, chaotic classrooms, trouble makers and bullies, long bus rides? All gone. The classroom is wherever you are, class is in session whenever you want. It’s school in the 21st century and isn’t it about time? This is school set up so students can learn, no poorly maintained buildings and underfunded teachers pensions, no mandatory summer break when students lose their momentum and forget what they just learned. The school calendar was created for children who worked the fields in the summer, how many are doing that now? The regimented classrooms with set periods for each subject was designed to create an obedient, clock driven, early industrial workforce, not to stimulate learning. The 21st century demands a different, on demand, accessible anytime and anywhere learning resource and if you’re ready to give it a try, you can.

Schools can use the Khan Academy, too

These online videos are used in many schools, too, the idea is to “flip the classroom.” Instead of getting a lecture in school and doing homework where a child may struggle without help, they assign the video as homework to learn the material, which they can pause and repeat as many times as necessary and then do the related problems in the classroom where a teacher can give them assistance when they need it. Students that understand right away can continue on, while students who hit a rough spot have a teacher right there. The teacher can focus on them one on one while letting the others move ahead.

Don’t settle for the old way

Don’t your children deserve the best education they can get, to go as far as their ambition will take them? It’s hard work, they still have to learn, but why wait for North East or Harrisburg to decide what they’ll offer your students? Many students can cover the entire next year or two of public school education over the summer months. Why not let them? If your child enjoys learning, this is a an obvious choice, but even if your child hates school, it doesn’t mean he hates learning. As a parent, you need to consider this, the students deserve this, let the schools fight over budgets and struggle with all of their problems, but in the meantime, let the students learn.

Go to the Khan Academy now and check it out. Really. Don’t wait.

So, what do you think? Are you ready to take charge of your own or your child’s education?