By Leigh Pretnar Cousins, MS
[I'm going to try devoting my Monday blog posts to the topic of Learners with Special Needs, which, I find, describes us all in some way or another.]
I’m so impressed with the Khan Academy videos, and I’ve been experimenting with ways to use them with my students….and with myself!
- I’m using them to break up long tutoring sessions with ADHD students. Let’s say I have a two-hour session, which is a long time for any kid to sit still, let alone any student with attention issues. I’ll have us work in the usual manner (sitting side-by-side at a table, with a textbook and pencil and paper) for 20-30 minutes. Then, we’ll “take a break” and stand up while watching a Khan video (I put my laptop on a cabinet or countertop). This switch of routine, combined with the opportunity to stand up and stretch and move around a little bit, restores their focus without losing instructional time.
- I’m also using Khan videos to review and reinforce lessons I’ve already covered. Most students need to think through math concepts, such as percents, multiple times, and the Khan videos can be played over and over.
- There’s always some subject matter I need to brush up on or learn more thoroughly. Right now it’s sinusoidal word problems, and next on my list is polar coordinates. I watch the Khan videos in addition to using my textbooks, because I find that repetition and multiple sources work best for me, as well as for my students!
- I can watch a Khan video in the evening, before bed. The material you study right before you go to sleep sinks in especially well (apparently your brain chews on it overnight).
Khan videos are not just for students and teachers. They’ve got videos on art history, health and economics, including topics such as
The Credit Crisis.
[I've decided to decorate Monday's posts with photos of shapes and spatial arrangements. Often I find that a unique or clever form will give me a sort of delight that feels like a blend of the cognitive and the visceral. The chairs and lamps are in the Pompidou Centre in Paris]
Leigh Pretnar Cousins, MS is an educator, counselor, writer and speaker. She's been a tutor, test prep coach and home school teacher for over thirty years. Leigh also teaches communication and relationship skills to couples and families. Leigh's current projects include Understanding the People You Love, a series of "practical psychology" lessons for parents and couples, and
LisSurMer, a retreat on Cape Cod for highly sensitive and creative people. Click
HERE to visit Leigh's website and
HERE for her Facebook page.
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@CousinsTutoring
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Last reviewed: 7 Nov 2011
APA Reference
Cousins, L. (2011). Khan Videos for ADHD? and for Everyone. Psych Central.
Retrieved on May 21, 2012, from http://blogs.psychcentral.com/always-learning/2011/11/khan-videos-for-adhd-and-for-everyone/
[I'm going to try devoting my Monday blog posts to the topic of Learners with Special Needs, which, I find, describes us all in some way or another.]
