watch videos, learn math?

So, I wasn't in class last week (to say the least, it was not a fun week; two trips to the emergency room, not a lot of sleep and a severely bruised foot from a half marathon... and I wasn't even the sick one!), so I didn't really get to participate in those discussions or activities.  I did watch the TED talk about the Khan Academy and their innovative new math program that they have online, so that is what I am going to talk about today.  When I started watching him talk about the videos that are posted online to assist with all different levels of math I realized that I might have actually used some of them (or something similar) when I was trying to pass calculus a few years ago.  I was in my last semester of undergrad and I only had to pass one more semester of calculus to get my degree, but it wasn't going to let me have it without a fight.

I had always thought that I was good at math and all the way through Algebra and even into Pre-calculus I had no problems.  I took a few years off because I was done with the math requirement for the university I was attending at the time.  Then I transferred schools and ended up with a requirement for a whole year of calculus before I could graduate!  I wasn't worried until I realized that I was totally lost in class (it didn't help that I couldn't understand a word my professor was saying!).  I got a tutor and joined a extra study course that met once a week.  I was determined to beat that course!  Sometimes the tutor helped, but I still didn't understand the concepts the way he explained them and the study course was helpful, but when I had questions at home I had nobody to ask.  That is when I discovered all these online videos explaining calculus concepts and going through examples.

I loved those videos and since I was going through them on my own I figured things out on my own and never felt like I needed to nod along even when I was lost.  You know how after someone explains something for the second or third time you say you understand even when you might not because it was too embarrassing to ask for the third or fourth time?  Well, online you can replay that video as many times as necessary with nobody there to judge you.  And when I would get stuck on a different example, I could just go back and watch it again! I even started to use it for classes like Intermediate Economics and Finance with similar success.

I think these are great ways for students to learn in their own way, at their own pace with great results!  I think we should be working towards using this kind of method in all school math programs.  I will probably introduce my kids to something like this early on to take advantage of those young brains and instill math success early on!