The One World Schoolhouse: Education Reimagined [Hardcover]

Salman Khan (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 2, 2012

A free, world-class education for anyone, anywhere: this is the goal of the Khan Academy, a passion project that grew from an ex-engineer and hedge funder's online tutoring sessions with his niece, who was struggling with algebra, into a worldwide phenomenon. Today millions of students, parents, and teachers use the Khan Academy's free videos and software, which have expanded to encompass nearly every conceivable subject; and Academy techniques are being employed with exciting results in a growing number of classrooms around the globe.

Like many innovators, Khan rethinks existing assumptions and imagines what education could be if freed from them. And his core idea-liberating teachers from lecturing and state-mandated calendars and opening up class time for truly human interaction-has become his life's passion. Schools seek his advice about connecting to students in a digital age, and people of all ages and backgrounds flock to the site to utilize this fresh approach to learning.

In THE ONE WORLD SCHOOLHOUSE, Khan presents his radical vision for the future of education, as well as his own remarkable story, for the first time. In these pages, you will discover, among other things:

• How both students and teachers are being bound by a broken top-down model invented in Prussia two centuries ago
• Why technology will make classrooms more human and teachers more important
• How and why we can afford to pay educators the same as other professionals
• How we can bring creativity and true human interactivity back to learning
• Why we should be very optimistic about the future of learning.

Parents and politicians routinely bemoan the state of our education system. Statistics suggest we've fallen behind the rest of the world in literacy, math, and sciences. With a shrewd reading of history, Khan explains how this crisis presented itself, and why a return to "mastery learning," abandoned in the twentieth century and ingeniously revived by tools like the Khan Academy, could offer the best opportunity to level the playing field, and to give all of our children a world-class education now.

More than just a solution, THE ONE WORLD SCHOOLHOUSE serves as a call for free, universal, global education, and an explanation of how Khan's simple yet revolutionary thinking can help achieve this inspiring goal.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Since its founding in 2006, Sal Khan's project-the Khan academy-has revolutionized our thinking on the potential and promise of unfettered, open-access online education. In his new book The One World Schoolhouse, Khan presents his vision and blueprint for how online technology can, and should, play an integral role in educating communities across the globe, closing the opportunity gap and providing high-quality education for all." (Al Gore )

"In this book, Salman Khan sheds light on how our current education system leaves a gap in every student's core knowledge. He found ways to fill this gap by encouraging differentness, fresh thinking and implementing creativity in the learning process. I strongly believe that all human beings have unlimited creative power. The role of education is to unleash that power. The way he relates the proper goal of education and the natural bent of the child is fascinating. He refers "natural bent" as the particular mix of talents and perspectives that makes each mind unique, and allows minds to be strikingly original. The way Khan portrays the concept of education and the mechanism of learning is revolutionary. This book is a must-read for those providing real education to our children in this new age of technology." (Muhammed Yunus, the founder of Grameen Bank, and the 2006 recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize )

"Sal Khan's passion and innovation is transforming learning for millions of students worldwide. The One World School is a must-read for all who are committed to improving education so students everywhere can gain the skills and knowledge to be successful in school, careers and life." (George Lucas, Filmmaker and Founder of The George Lucas Educational Foundation, publisher of Edutopia )

"I discovered Sal Khan and Khan Academy like most other people - by using these incredible tools with my own kids. Sal Khan's vision and energy for how technology could fundamentally transform education is contagious. He's a true pioneer in integrating technology and learning. I'm happy that, through this book, even more people will be introduced to this ground-breaking innovator." (Bill Gates, co-founder & Chairman, Microsoft )

"The world dreams of education reform, and Sal Khan is delivering. His pioneering video lessons have brought the thrill of learning to millions. In this compelling book, he tells the remarkable story of Khan Academy, and explains the potential in students learning at their own pace and achieving true subject mastery." (Chris Anderson, TED Curator )

"Sal Khan makes a powerful argument for fundamentally rethinking the way we teach and learn. THE ONE WORLD SCHOOLHOUSE illuminates the tremendous potential for online, universaleducation to enable any child, anywhere in the world, to succeed-not only in school, but in shaping our future." (Eric Schmidt, Executive Chairman of Google )

"Sal Khan is changing what we believe is possible in education. Through humor, charm, contagious enthusiasm and quiet brilliance, Sal Khan has made his lessons irresistible. Now, he brings those same gifts to explaining the revolutionary ideas behind Khan Academy. You'll adore this book because it's just like his lessons-approachable, good-hearted, smart, and ultimately profound. The story Sal tells is quite simply the story of what education will become... and indeed IS becoming, thanks to his example and to a generation of inspired teachers and intrepid education entrepreneurs." (Ted Mitchell, President and CEO, NewSchools Venture Fund )

"When you read this book, you will understand how the dignity of each student is addressed by education's visionary, Sal Khan." (Ann Doerr )

"Sal Khan has developed the best and most cost-efficient way to use technology to bring high quality education, creativity and innovation to all countries, including the poorest." (Carlos Slim Helu )

About the Author

Salman Khan was born and raised in Metairie, Louisiana, to immigrant parents from India and Bangladesh. Before founding the Khan Academy, he was a hedge fund analyst. He's also worked in venture capital and engineering at Oracle and several Silicon Valley start-ups. Khan holds an MBA from Harvard Business School, where he was president of his class, and three degrees from MIT.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 272 pages
• Publisher: Twelve; First Edition edition (October 2, 2012)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1455508381
• ISBN-13: 978-1455508389
• Product Dimensions: 6.4 x 1 x 9.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (159 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,203 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #2 in Books > Education & Reference > Schools & Teaching > Distance Learning
  • #8 in Books > Education & Reference > Schools & Teaching > Education Theory > Assessment
  • #10 in Books > Education & Reference > Schools & Teaching > Computers & Technology

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

137 of 144 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent - October 2, 2012

By Loyd E. Eskildson HALL OF FAME

Format:Hardcover

Author Salman Khan is becoming increasingly well-known for having created over 3,400 educational videos and interactive computer quizzes covering a wide range of topics (eg. K-12 math, calculus, computer science, biology, chemistry, physics, finance, history) from the elementary school level to college level material. These videos have been viewed over 175 million times, starting in 2009, and serving over 369,000 subscribers. There are 367 practice exercise, mainly in math. His Khan Academy's goal is a free, world-class education for anyone, anywhere. Amazing teachers and schools have shown that excellence is possible, but they've proven hard to replicate and scale. Overall, there's been very little improvement in pupil outcomes, despite all the added energy and monies spent over the last several decades. Author Khan sees himself as reinventing education while replacing the existing (old) model of education based on pushing students together in age-group batches with a one-pace-fits-all curricula, dating back to 18th-century Prussia. His new vision involves individual instruction aimed at mastering a topic before moving forward and attaching responsibility for that learning to the student through a dynamic system for getting help.

Khan's lessons are each about ten-minutes long. (He cites research that found student minds generally wander off after at or prior to 15-minutes.) Another Khan trait - he scrupulously keeps himself out of view, sensing that having a human in the video would distract from the lesson. Still another - stressing active student participation in the lessons.

Researchers have also demonstrated that mastery learning is an important contributor to student success - however, this doesn't work well in traditional group teaching. Khan's use of the Internet and computers allows true mastery learning and assumption of responsibility for doing so by the student. Another Khan attribute - he tries to provide context for the various concepts, making them easier to remember and understand.

Still another Khan innovation - 'flipping the classroom.' His approach allows instruction content to be delivered outside class, with skill development, practice, etc. done in class under teacher guidance. Thus, homework becomes classwork and vice-versa. Students can work at their own pace, and teachers can work with large class sizes. The traditional model has pupils attempting homework at home, without access to help; Khan's new model gives priority to problem-solving - with help.

Khan's approach and software makes it much easier, faster, and accurate to experiment with various approaches. He reports using ten-in-a-row to measure mastery; the software then 'hands out' the next assignment. Teacher feedback led to him adding a heuristic that reported students unable to demonstrate mastery after 50 tries.

Early donations were $5, $10, etc., then came a $10,000 donation from Ann Doer, wife of the venture capitalist. After she met with Khan, another $100,000 followed. Then came funding from the Gates Foundation, Google, etc.

Kahn Academy's ultimate success will be its acceptance and utilization by schools. The average American classroom spends $250-$300,000/year for 25-30 pupils, based on 2008-2009 data. Most private schools do not show a discernible difference in results compared to public schools with comparable demographics. Overall, based on a number of test site districts and other less formal users, Khan claims improvements of 10 - 40%.

Still more Khan perspectives: Summer vacation is a monumental waste of time, money, and physical assets - his approach could remedy that easily. Much of college consists of busywork - he'd prefer that it simply grant certification in focused areas, with the teaching done by local managers and Nobel laureates. And finally - Khan sees another need that his Academy could address - continuous adult learning, needed because of the rapid pace of change in the work-world.

Amazingly, author Khan has no training in education. His approach originally developed as a means of helping his cousins some 2,000 miles away overcome math problems they were having with basic concepts in mathematics. His book is easy reading, yet full of innovation that hopefully revolutionizes education at all levels.

53 of 55 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Breaking learning down to see possibilities beyond the problems October 7, 2012

By T. Sales

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

I've spent my 40+ year career first as a classroom teacher, then a student teacher supervisor, a corporate trainer and instructional designer, and a training manager. Over that period there have been many theories about teaching, training and learning technologies, and today there is much angst among teachers and technologists about the best way to learn. Add to all that the debates we're having on a national and political level about what to do about our schools as it relates to our current and future standing in the world, and education is not in a golden age right now.

Amidst all of this consternation, Salman Khan has given us 1) a wonderful and optimistic learning example and design with his Khan Academy and 2) now a book that explains what and how he did it. Where other such ideas and solutions have done little but create more debate and finger-pointing, Khan did this first by starting with one person, then a few more, then all who would go to his YouTube channel, and eventually working with people and companies who wanted to help him succeed. What's most impressive and brilliant about his work is that he bases his designs on what seemed to work best for him as a learner, as an engineer and as a person who was not intimidated to work with VIPs. He was able to come up with pedagogical insights--not because of what he learned in teacher training ... he doesn't have any--but from what worked for him as a high school and college student that he then applied when having to address progressively larger audiences.

What's completely effective, creative and totally original about "The One World Schoolhouse" is how Khan weaves together and sequences his ideas, metaphors and anecdotes in a way that's easy to understand, that still makes you think about what he is observing, and that is totally self-effacing and unpretentious...

1. He starts by laying out the principles he follows to engage students and describes in common sense ways why this works for students and learners. This could probably be considered his educational theory but in the way Khan describes how his cousins and then learners in general responded to his design this feels nothing like science.

2. He then describes how we have gotten to our current state in education and how his solutions address the issues he points out. This is so comprehensive that it addresses issues across the whole learning landscape and not an isolated part of the context of schools and learning.

3. In the third part--my favorite--he describes how he and his wife decided to go all in on the Khan Academy and how some very important people--inspired by their own personal use of his videos for themselves and their kids--offered him capital to build out his solutions. It seems rare when people make decisions for the good of their audiences and are then rewarded for it. You can see that what has made Khan and his Academy so successful has been his personal ability to break difficult concepts into building blocks and knowledge maps that allow each learner to eventually learn successfully. The way he constructs this third part of his story is genius and just plain inspirational.

4. Having established his credibility, Khan then completes the book with nine components that make up his vision of education for the future. This part could be seen by many as idealistic, but for the fact that he has been so successful so far by following those same instincts.

This is an incredibly important book in the face of all that's happening in our country politically and economically, where it appears hopeless for disadvantaged people and their children to succeed in schools and then professionally. It cuts through all the fears and rationalizations educational and training people are expressing now about their future roles in teaching others. Hopefully, Khan's example will inspire others to think about learning in very different ways.

56 of 59 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A Veritable Tour-de-Force of Powerful Thought Provoking Paradigms October 3, 2012

By Zulfikar Ramzan

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

To begin with, I should disclose that Sal and I have been friends for roughly a decade and a half (since we met at MIT) - so my review is tainted in that regard. I ordered the book the day it became available, received it the following day and devoured it in one sitting. However, my ability to do so was largely facilitated by numerous conversations I've had with Sal about these topics, especially over the course of the last 6-8 years when he embarked on the fate walk that resulted in Khan Academy. The One World School House is a veritable tour-de-force of powerful thought provoking ideas; my ability to write a cogent review so soon after reading it was undoubtedly aided by effectively having had a sneak preview of many of its core tenets and also having had a chance to let its ideas percolate.

This book is a must read - especially for anyone who has any interests in the current system of education. The book elegantly weaves together three separate threads: (1) A mini-memoir of Sal's life and the history of the Khan Academy; (2) How the current educational system we have in place came to be and fundamental issues with practices employed by the current system (especially as it relates to both how we learn and what function education plays in today's world); (3) Paradigm shifting ideas for dealing with some of the shortcomings that are in place today.

Education reform can be a touchy subject, so I suspect that a book of this nature will attract polarized reviews. However, I do believe there is still tremendous value in reading a book, even if you don't agree with 100% of what it has to say.

While reading this book, you get a peek into how Sal and other efficient learners operate. They are curious and aren't afraid to ask even basic questions. They make connections between the material they are being exposed to and what they already know. Moreover, they engage actively with the material (rather than restricting themselves only to receiving knowledge passively through a unidirectional lecture). Finally, they dive deeper into that material (often repeating all of the above steps over and over again). There is nothing sacred about these processes - almost anyone can become an efficient learner if they are afforded an opportunity to employ them.

Unfortunately, many of our current educational practices, which were inherited hundreds of years ago from the Prussians (with minor adjustments made over time), are at odds with these more optimal learning processes. For example, antiquated models limit the amount of "time" we have to learn a particular concept, and in-turn introduce variability into how well we understand that concept. With a limited amount of time, we aren't always able to engage our curiosity or make deeper connections nor are we always able to engage with the material actively and in depth. The result is that significant deficiencies in a student's knowledge are introduced. Those shortcomings get compounded over time, leading to Swiss-cheese gaps that render it impossible for students to attain requisite proficiency, especially in more advanced subjects.

Sal describes how these concerns formed the basis for the Khan Academy's vision. He notes that we are undoubtedly dealing with a thorny problem. Not only are some of the traditional approaches to education flawed based on today's needs, but there are a veritable quagmire of interconnected practices that make it hard to rectify any one issue in isolation. Fixing the system will require us to make fundamental changes and necessitate a larger conversation. We are at a historical inflection point where we have the ability to make important changes in education. You should absolutely read this book so that you have an opportunity to both follow and actively engage in what is certain to be one of the great dialogues of our times.