NACD Newsletter: Volume 4, Issue 7

NACD - The National Association for Child Development Newsletter

Volume 4, Issue 7

December 2011

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KHAN ACADEMY

by Vidya Guhan

In their own words, Khan Academy (www.khanacademy.org) is a not-for-profit organization with the goal of changing education for the better by providing a free world-class education to anyone anywhere. Founded by Salman Khan, and developed by him and his team of highly educated and highly qualified professionals, Khan Academy is setting the gold standard for online education. NACD has been exploring this website for the past year, and we are pleased with the philosophy, teaching technique and the quality of materials available through Khan Academy. We have also seen solid progress in our kids who have been using this site for their primary math instruction. Most of all, Khan Academy aligns with our own NACD perspective on education in several ways.

No curriculum - Like NACD, Khan Academy does not adhere to any specific math curriculum or book, but rather covers the core concepts in a developmentally logical sequence, rather than in grade levels. Salman Khan states, "Someone who truly understands the core concepts will thrive academically regardless of the curricular context. To take it a step further, I believe that someone who experiences the joy and satisfaction of true understanding will never again be satisfied with the superficial type of learning that most students have grown accustomed to. The Khan Academy is about placing deep understanding above anything else."

Visual instruction and modeling - The primary instruction on Khan Academy is provided 1:1 through video demonstrations. Students are shown the steps to a math process. Several examples are then worked out and modeled for them. The instructor walks the students through the process step by step by "thinking out loud," thereby modeling for the student the actual thought process that is involved in solving a math problem.

Individualized instruction - Students can work at their own pace in the order that works best for them. They can review and practice as much as they would like to, or move ahead as fast as they are able to. Math problems are randomly generated so that you never run out of new problems in any math process. The instruction provided is friendly and direct, as if a tutor were sitting down with the child and speaking to him, rather than lecturing "at" him.

Input, input, input - In addition to the videos, students can get step by step modeling of every problem presented on Khan Academy. If a student gets a problem wrong, they can choose to review a video for additional input or click on "I need a hint" to see the math problem solved step by step before attempting another problem. The Khan library now consists of over 2700 high quality and accurate videos on math, science, and humanities.

High intensity - Khan Academy hits intensity hard by providing a built-in reinforcement system of merit badges that students can earn. There are several "easy" badges that students can earn right from day one, and several "higher level" badges that they will have to earn over a longer period of time and effort. They reward character traits that are important for academic success - such as perseverance, effort, good listening, etc., rather than just getting correct answers. They have carefully planned their reinforcements to be random, but frequent enough to keep the student motivated.

High frequency - Students have to complete 10 problems in a row to achieve proficiency in a process. On a new process, this can take anywhere from 10-50 attempted problems, leading to high frequency of practice on any process.

Low duration - Most of the instructional videos are less than 10 minutes long (several are just 1-3 minutes in duration). In addition, the website saves the student's data so that proficiency can be achieved over several short sessions. NACD recommends using this math program with students with high frequency and short durations. Exact time recommendations depend on your child's processing and developmental level.

Review - Khan Academy brings up completed processes for review regularly. Frequent review is recommended to maintain proficiency in completed processes.

Coach/Parental involvement - Khan Academy has a built-in system for coaching. Their program provides extensive data to the parent and NACD coach, including: how often the student is doing Khan Academy, how much time they spend, at what time of day, how many problems they got right, how many problems were attempted, which specific problems they did, etc. NACD recommends that parents supervise and monitor their child's progress regularly and step in whenever they see that their child needs additional direction or assistance. NACD coaches will also be monitoring the child's progress and will assist the parent as needed to achieve success with their math program.

And finally,

Doing what works - Khan Academy has both data and anecdotal evidence that shows that their website is effective and efficient in teaching math to students. Several schools are now using this program in their classrooms as well. Our NACD kids are providing us with similar results. We are seeing faster progress and more effective learning with the Khan Academy math program than with previous methods. The bottom line is that we like to do what works and works best for our kids!

BRAG

Usaid

by Fatima Shaikh

I am the mother of a lovely 12-year old boy, Usaid. He was diagnosed with Autism when he was 3 1/2 years old. We went through all the regular denials, nightmares, helplessness, and frustrations that all parents of newly diagnosed ASD children go through. As his language started developing with speech therapy, we discovered he was advanced at reading and high-functioning, and so he got admission in mainstream school. The school was very cooperative, and academics were never an issue; but his tantrums, perseveration, and behaviors were becoming huge problems in school. Every day from the time I would drop him off at school until I picked him up, I would be looking at the phone as if it were a sword hanging over my head. Each time the phone rang my heart would miss a few beats. I would dread the calls from school telling me they could not handle his tantrum and requesting me to come to school as soon as possible. This had become a routine at least 2-3 times a week and has been going on for the last 8 years.

In August 2011 I came to know about Simply Smarter online from a friend. I decided to try it for Usaid. I was not very sure if this would work when nothing else had worked for the last 8 years. But I started noticing the positive changes in him from the 2nd week. He was speaking in sentences, had lots of spontaneous speech, started asking a lot of questions and initiating discussions and JOKING too! His violent tantrums at home, which had been a daily affair, were reduced to once a week. By the 3rd week I was convinced that all these changes had to be due to Simply Smarter and there could not be so many coincidences.

I decided to go in for the Targeted Developmental Intervention program for him at NACD. By the next week I had set up an appointment with Prachi Sinha in Gurgaon, India. Prachi set up a very detailed and impressive program for him.

In the following 2 months the changes in my child have been immense. His TANTRUMS have completely gone. PERSEVERATIONS are gone. He has become much more social and friendly. As his digits in sequential processing went on increasing every week, so did his awareness of people, their feelings, his surroundings, and his logical reasoning, understanding and thinking skills.

We are currently in the 3rd week of the TSI program, and his sound sensitivity to noises has reduced considerably, and his listening skills have also improved a great deal.

In the last 2 months I have not received any phone calls from his school. In fact it has been the other way round. I have approached his teachers to ask if there are any issues and they have said--NONE! He has started helping me in household chores and has become much more independent in his skills at school. If 2 1/2 months of NACD has bought such huge changes in my child, then my heart sings and wants to believe that my son will be SYMPTOM FREE very soon!!

Thank you Bob, Prachi & NACD!!!

Regards,

Fatima

BRAG

Alex Doman

by Bob Doman

I would like to take the opportunity to brag about one of my kids, a boy who was on program since the day of his birth and who has followed in the family footsteps. After years of trying to find the time and have the energy to get a book written, my son, Alex, has gone and beaten me to it. I couldn't be happier that it happened this way. Not only has he written a book, he has written a very good, very timely, significant book. We all want to see our children succeed and hopefully make a contribution, and he is doing both very well. He has also provided me with three wonderful grandchildren, Zane, Ethan, and Brendan, and a wonderful daughter-in-law, Mandy. So as a proud father I would like to announce the release of my son Alex's book, Healing at the Speed of Sound, which he has written with Don Campbell, the author of The Mozart Effect. You can find it on www.amazon.com or www.barnesandnoble.com

Bob Doman

Proud Father

NACD

NACD BOOKSTORE DECEMBER SALE!

For the month of December get 25% off the following bookstore items:

Sound Health Series CDs
Sound Health Baby CDs
DK Eyewitness books
DK Eyewitness DVDs
DK My First Encyclopedia
DK My First Dictionary
DK Backpack books

Visit www.nacdbookstore.com to order

(discounts already applied)

PRODUCT SPOTLIGHT

Books You Need: Core Knowledge Series

The Core Knowledge books are gems. Imagine a book that covers everything from Geography to Parables and History to Math for one entire grade level. We guarantee that there are things in each book that even the parent does not know from the second grade level book on up. Use these books as springboards to fun unit studies. Use these books for building general information. Use these books for shared reading for older children so that they gain information while practicing their reading skills. What Your ___Grader Needs to Know is fun to read and fun to learn.

Also in the Core Knowledge series is Books to Grow On. This is a great resource for a homeschooling family as well as for formally schooled kids. The book lists other books that are excellent resources for information on different topics and is perfect for unit studies, school reports, or just exploring areas of interest. So stop being overwhelmed by too many choices at the library or bookstore. Books to Grow On will guide you to some of the very best books for your child to read and use.

These Core Knowledge books can be found in the NACD bookstore and can be ordered online. They are a "must have" when educating a child and also make great gifts.