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  • - [Jeremy] Thanks everyone for getting started.

  • Hold on one moment, and we'll begin in about 10 minutes.

  • - [Woman] Begin.

  • - Okay everyone, this is Jeremy Schifeling

  • with Khan Academy.

  • Thank you so much for your patience

  • getting started this morning or this afternoon,

  • depending on where you're calling in from.

  • It is my extreme privilege to introduce you to Conor Corey.

  • He's one of the most awesome teachers

  • that I've met in a long, long time,

  • and just someone that I wish

  • was teaching my own kids

  • because of the incredible way

  • that he goes about engaging his own students.

  • So Conor, thank you so much for being with us today,

  • and thank you for sharing your expertise

  • with the larger Khan Academy community.

  • - [Conor] Thank you, it's been great to be here.

  • It's been a pleasure to be invited in.

  • - Absolutely, let me see

  • if I can get your webcam set up here.

  • Just go ahead and turn that on if you can.

  • All right, we're in business.

  • - All right. - So again,

  • thank you everyone, for making time out of the day.

  • I know, this is week two for many of us

  • as far as kids running around

  • while we're trying to serve our students.

  • Conor's in the same boat.

  • You have four kids, is that right, Conor?

  • - I do, and they are all at home.

  • My wife is distracting them in the other room right now,

  • and so if you hear screaming in the background,

  • that's coming from me.

  • - Well there you go.

  • That's the secret to being a great teacher

  • is having a very supportive spouse,

  • so thank you to her, and thank you to your kids

  • for letting us steal you away for about half an hour.

  • But I promise to make it super worthwhile

  • for everyone on the line,

  • and so I wanna start with a little bit

  • of your background as an educator.

  • Tell us a little bit about how long you've been teaching,

  • what you've been teaching, the students that you serve,

  • and then we'll go from there.

  • - This is my 17th year of teaching.

  • I spent the first 13 years of my career

  • teaching in the Philadelphia School District public schools.

  • We were on a contract issue.

  • For a few years, I went back to school

  • to go into administration,

  • and that's kind of really where I found my love

  • for curriculum and math, more than administration.

  • I, around my 14th year,

  • I took a job as a math interventionist,

  • which was kind of a new position

  • in Centennial School District,

  • but it was one that I thought was needed.

  • It was more of, every school has reading specialists

  • most of the time,

  • where students are pulled out

  • to rebuild a foundation for literacy,

  • but that foundation for math is sometimes skipped

  • as they go grade to grade,

  • so I was, for three years, I spent,

  • pulling students for small group instruction

  • to rebuild their mathematical foundation,

  • and then this year, I went back into the classroom

  • to teach middle school math,

  • which is a passion, obviously.

  • So I am back as a sixth grade math teacher this years.

  • - That's awesome, and tell us a little bit

  • about how you've been using Khan Academy.

  • - I've used Khan Academy for about 10 years now.

  • I think it came out of a need more than anything.

  • While in Philadelphia, as most large,

  • metropolitan school districts,

  • we're a little bit underfunded,

  • and some of the materials that we needed

  • were not available.

  • The class set of books was of 20,

  • but I had 34 students,

  • and they were kind of 10 years old.

  • So you had numerous wonderful pictures

  • drawn in by fifth graders over the 10 years

  • that resembled me sometimes.

  • But, so we had to find a way.

  • Also, most of my students weren't on level.

  • They were two years below level,

  • maybe some are a little bit advanced,

  • but getting that material

  • became red tape paperwork of,

  • well, maybe you have to fill this out

  • because we're gonna see if they're special education,

  • and it's, no, they're not special ed.,

  • they're just a little behind in fractions.

  • I just need the material.

  • Kahn Academy kind of gave me that for free,

  • and I was able to implement

  • almost a centers-based approach

  • like many literacy teachers already do

  • at the elementary level.

  • We kind of rotate our class each day in that way,

  • where I may teach one group of 10 students

  • on a third grade level if we're all working on geometry,

  • and then they'll rotate,

  • they'll work on Kahn Academy,

  • and then a project in the third station

  • that has to do with geometry,

  • but then the next group, it may be four grade,

  • and fifth grade after that,

  • and kind of try to hit their academic level overall

  • for each of them.

  • We may not get to the third grade student

  • on a third level to a sixth grade level that year,

  • but we will rebuild the foundation

  • so the vocabulary makes more sense

  • and they can strive further

  • rather than just kind of skipping along

  • and hope they pick it up.

  • - Very cool, so build those foundations

  • kind of like Tim Vandenberg

  • has been talking about in his Mastery Learning Webinar.

  • - Yes, and Tim, I share the same belief

  • as Tim most of the time.

  • We did many things of going back to kindergarten

  • and starting all the way over,

  • and it's doing fantastic.

  • - Very cool, and so, in the sense of the academic side,

  • I think one of the things that any follower

  • of your Twitter feed,

  • which I shared in the chat a second ago,

  • will notice is you really bring this joy

  • and this love of learning

  • to everything you do in the classroom

  • in normal times, in the best of times.

  • What are some of your most successful

  • engagement techniques for really getting your kids

  • excited about Kahn Academy,

  • and more importantly, just learning itself?

  • - I came to the belief a long time ago

  • that all kids, it doesn't matter your background

  • or where you're from,

  • they enjoy kind of embarrassing their teacher,

  • seeing their teacher look like an idiot,

  • doing things that they would not normally

  • be able to do in a school building,

  • and I figured attaching memories like that to my classroom

  • was always the best way.

  • I think it came about like,

  • it came out 10 years ago,

  • there before all the Fortnite dances

  • and everything like that.

  • There was a dance called the Wu-Tang

  • that all my students would just not stop doing,

  • and in the schoolyard, if you looked down at the schoolyard,

  • there's 200 kids in a circle dancing,

  • and one kid, he just walked by

  • and he sharpened his pencil and he started dancing,

  • and I was just kiddin' around and made fun of him,

  • I'm like, "That's it, that's all you got?

  • "You better practice before you go out to the schoolyard."

  • He started side, talkin' trash, he was like,

  • "You can't do it."

  • I'm like, "You were born in 2004.

  • "You don't know anything about Wu-Tang."

  • I'm like, "I got it."

  • Then they all wanted to see it,

  • and it was, "Okay, if you all get to 20%,

  • "I'll go out in the schoolyard and do it,"

  • and they loved it.

  • They worked so hard those next two weeks or so,

  • and then it kind of spiraled from there.

  • A kid had a water balloon in their desk one day and I,

  • the many reasons you wouldn't think

  • a kid would have a water balloon in his desk,

  • you almost had to stop and go,

  • what possessed you to think this is a good idea?

  • Then we started talkin' about,

  • "I'll let you throw water balloons at me

  • "if you guys get to 30%."

  • Those kind of memories, we just started doin' crazy stuff,

  • and I've worked with unbelievable staff

  • over the years that join in,

  • and we just try to get things

  • that they can't purchase, like certificates,

  • but more of memories that they wanna do.

  • - That's cool, and so what kinds of results

  • have you gotten with this approach,

  • like making yourself say,

  • "I'll do whatever it takes to get you to mastery?"

  • - I think you hit almost every angle of your students.

  • You have the introverted students

  • who may not wanna say they wanna study it,

  • and you have some of the, your most extroverted students

  • that are the ones screaming and always doing stuff.

  • You're getting all of them to work for a similar goal,

  • which is to embarrass you,

  • or even the other staff members.

  • We did one, you wouldn't believe.

  • When I was at Willow Dale for three years,

  • I had an unbelievable staff,

  • and one time we did a wheel,

  • it was called The Wheel of Doom,

  • and we put all the teachers names on it,

  • and they basically, whoever won LearnStorm

  • for that month, whoever had the highest growth,

  • that class came up, we made an assembly.

  • I had 16 teachers come up front

  • and sit there in chairs,

  • and they would spin this wheel,

  • and it would land on ketchup, mustard, mayonaise,

  • and they would just get to squirt it in the teacher's face,

  • and they had a blast

  • while 400 kids are in the audience

  • screaming and excited about math work they're doing.

  • So I think it was, things like that

  • just engage students more,

  • and whether they, the learning comes secondary.

  • It will always come

  • as long as they're excited about something.

  • - I love that.

  • So obviously, those are the best of times,

  • being their physically for The Wheel of Doom.

  • We are far from the best of times right now

  • as we chat, unfortunately.

  • What are you doing with your students today

  • to drive engagement in this remote learning environment?

  • What would you recommend from that toolbox of best practices

  • for everyone else listening right now?

  • - I mean, I'm going, I'm attempting,

  • always trying new things.

  • I'm attempting to do similar things

  • with just getting the students excited.

  • I think a lot of teachers are starting to run into

  • federal guidelines of online learning,

  • I think that's becoming a struggle,

  • but I've used Flipgrid throughout the year

  • to communicate, and now we're using kind of Zoom meetings

  • to see, just to get in touch with your students

  • and do things, not work that's required,

  • but voluntary for something to do.

  • Your students miss you, they do.

  • I miss them, and right now,

  • we're doing a TikTok challenge

  • because I know that's everything

  • my students are into right now,

  • so I put out a few assignments on Kahn Academy,

  • I said it's voluntary.

  • If you would like to join in, tell me,

  • and I put them in a class,

  • and I put five assignments up for the week.

  • If they finish those assignments,

  • my daughter and I will do the Flip the Switch Challenge

  • for TikTok, and then it to them through Flipgrip,

  • or send it to 'em through Zoom

  • or something like that.

  • But just to keep them engaged.

  • I send riddle, math riddles to them through there,

  • just to kind of get 'em through the, it's,

  • everything's okay, everything didn't totally stop.

  • Because I think a lot of kids are scared right now.

  • They're looking at adults for answers,

  • and we don't have.

  • So we're just tryin' to, I think,

  • all get through this together.

  • - That's cool, so even though

  • it does feel like the world is topsy-turvy,

  • you're still the same Mr. Corey,

  • you're still providing that same level

  • of excitement and motivation,

  • even if you can't be with them in person.

  • - We're hopin' to.

  • We're gonna actually try to get

  • some of the parents involved next week

  • and see if they will participate in the same things

  • since they're at home with them,

  • and maybe have kids,

  • I think we were gonna do a five refrigerate,

  • five thing blender,

  • so five things you can put in a blender

  • and that parent has to drink it.

  • Try to get the kids involved

  • and the parents involved for something fun to do.

  • But, it's not new learning going on,

  • but we can all use the review,

  • and we just need maybe a couple of laughs throughout it.

  • - Yeah, and that's actually an interesting question.

  • So I think a lot of educators right now

  • are tryin' to figure out, do I take this time

  • as if it's normal school time, quote unquote,

  • and try to push forward with my content,

  • or do I go into that review mode

  • and just sort of keep them stabilizing those foundations,

  • filling those gaps rather than pushing forward.

  • Any thoughts on that sort of conundrum?

  • - I always think right now is a review time.

  • I'm looking at it as, yes,

  • I'm teaching sixth grade students,

  • but they can all review fourth grade content,

  • things they enjoy doing

  • or something maybe they liked from years in the past.

  • Many times, like in literacy,

  • if a child's constantly reading,

  • you don't care if the book they're reading,

  • that they're interested in, is below level.

  • But for math, there's always this different,

  • we have to push them and push them on grade level

  • and never skip a beat.

  • I think this is more of a,

  • let's try to have some fun.

  • We don't wanna, most parents do not know

  • what slope intercept form is,

  • or how to graph systems of equations,

  • so if you're applying that

  • but you're not able to teach it,

  • and you're assigning those things,

  • it becomes a struggle for parents,

  • and I think that's kind of the opposite effect

  • as they're already stressed out enough.

  • - Cool, well I love some of the things

  • you've already shared and answered

  • some of the most common questions we've received.

  • So teachers were asking about,

  • how do you get students working

  • at the appropriate level for their need,

  • and you were talking about even going back

  • a couple of grades

  • if that's where the gaps are.

  • You can do that with Kahn Academy.

  • Okay, 'cause you were asking about,

  • how do you form a virtual sense of community,

  • and it sounds like you're that by getting all the students

  • working towards a common goal,

  • using a platform like Flipgrid

  • to engage not just the students but their parents as well

  • in a really visual and exciting way.

  • What about this question, though.

  • One of the teachers asked,

  • how can I get kids who don't even engage face to face,

  • even in those best of times,

  • to actually engage online, when things are way harder?

  • - I mean, knowing your students

  • is always one of the largest things you have to learn

  • in the beginning of the year.

  • I am always surprised at how

  • some of my introverted students,

  • or some of my students that don't engage

  • and raise their hand and answer questions,

  • how well online tools have worked

  • to let me know they're understanding

  • without them telling me,

  • to gaining perspective of if they're getting a concept

  • that I'm teaching.

  • Kahn Academy has always done that

  • with the assignments and watching them grow

  • where they don't have to be,

  • you know, maybe they're a little bit shy

  • and they don't wanna be the one that asks that question,

  • that they don't know what this word means.

  • But when you see that they're not achieving on something

  • that you know they understand,

  • it can be as simple as just going over next to them

  • and asking them, "Well, what's wrong here,"

  • and they're like, "I don't know

  • "what the word denominator means,"

  • and that's a simple fix,

  • but overall, to engage them,

  • it's, you see things like Flipgrid,

  • kids love making videos,

  • and I have one student who is very shy,

  • does not talk a lot.

  • I mean, he has friends, he talks to the other kids,

  • but won't engage me very much in class.

  • Once we started using Flipgrid,

  • his whole persona changed

  • when I saw his first video.

  • He was Mr. Stash and he was all very outgoing

  • and this and that, and all the other kids saw it

  • and they started wanting to be in his group

  • to make the next video.

  • Now he runs Mr. Stash Productions.

  • But he's still that same kid in class

  • that won't raise his hand,

  • that won't put himself out there,

  • but as soon as he is able to make these videos.

  • So I found it has an almost opposite effect at times.

  • - Interesting, so maybe that's almost the silver lining

  • of the times we find ourselves in,

  • is because it's not all real time,

  • and it's not all live in the classroom,

  • those students who need a little bit more time

  • on their own to process and sort of

  • share what they wanna communicate

  • now have that time in this asynchronous learning,

  • whether it's creating a Flipgrid video,

  • responding to a Khan assignment on your own time.

  • Students have that space it sounds like.

  • - Yeah, and I think that's always been

  • a significant advantage with Kahn Academy

  • that they have the time to do the assignments again,

  • to try it one more time,

  • to stop and take a hint,

  • or to stop and watch a video.

  • The whole class isn't waiting for you

  • if you're not getting a concept,

  • or you're not moving on with nothing else to do.

  • There's always something that's right at your level

  • that you can kind of take time

  • to reflect and think about.

  • - Very cool, and so a couple final questions

  • and then we'll open it up for live questions

  • from the audience.

  • How can I help students persist when times are tough?

  • You know, we've talked a lot about growth mindset

  • and about grit in the last couple years.

  • Especially in this moment of crisis,

  • how do we help students get through this?

  • - I mean, I think it's important

  • to realize that we are all

  • going through something right now.

  • This isn't just going to affect

  • small parts of our country or our world.

  • I think you're just really reaching out to your students,

  • whether it's through a Zoom meeting

  • or just letting them know that you're still there

  • is so hugely important,

  • because some, everyone thinks everybody's at home,

  • but many parents are still reporting to work,

  • and some of our medical staff and everything are at work

  • large amounts of the day,

  • and children are still at home,

  • by themselves, looking for something.

  • I think it's important to help lead your families and your,

  • as a teacher, in those ways.

  • It's gonna be tough, but I think

  • just keeping at open line of communication

  • is the number one thing

  • that we can do as educators right now,

  • and allow students to ask questions,

  • and allow them to try to persist.

  • But obviously, with growth mindset,

  • we've taught that throughout the year

  • and continuing to do that,

  • but also using a lot of review concepts

  • that are just keeping them going

  • rather than struggling on their own.

  • - That's cool, that's so powerful.

  • I have to give a shout-out Mrs. Andreessen in South Dakota

  • who sent me a video she created

  • for her fifth grade class this morning,

  • and she just said the simple words,

  • "I'm thinkin' about you."

  • I know from my own daughter's experience, if you hear that

  • from the most meaningful educator in your life,

  • that's powerful, even when times are tough.

  • So just keepin' that line of communication open

  • is so huge.

  • Then one last question that came up quite a bit was,

  • okay, again, we're talkin' about students

  • who are all sort of facing major challenges.

  • Some are facing even bigger ones on top of that.

  • If you wanna support your special education students

  • in the middle of this crisis,

  • any words of wisdom for how to serve that audience

  • really, really well?

  • - I think this is an issue

  • that many educators are facing at the moment,

  • and it obviously depends on a child's IEP

  • and some of the federal laws

  • that are coming into play

  • with districts trying to go to virtual learning

  • for the next month,

  • and if they're abiding by all of these laws.

  • For myself and my own experience,

  • I have students in my class with IEPs,

  • I always have my entire career.

  • I never really change what I'm doing

  • for one specific kid.

  • I change the way I interact with certain students

  • and the materials I give certain students

  • and the way they can kind of participate

  • and how I can highlight them here.

  • But many of my students that have an IEP,

  • they are perfectly producing, in math class,

  • they are participating, they're,

  • I kind of just always,

  • like I would do anything else,

  • I value the student, I know who they are,

  • and I know what kind of pushes them,

  • and I try to get into it that way,

  • but right now, with students

  • that do have an IEP,

  • I think there's, districts want teachers

  • to be extremely careful,

  • not requiring any work for almost any of their students

  • as a grade until we kind of get some of this figured out.

  • I mean obviously, we wanna make sure

  • we're hitting all our students,

  • but I think our teachers are doing that.

  • I don't know that our teachers are looking and saying,

  • Well, I can only teach to this group,

  • and I can't teach to my other students

  • that may have a learning disability.

  • I think we're just all in it together,

  • trying to figure out how we can engage everybody

  • and keep an online classroom going.

  • - Great advice.

  • So let me open it up to questions from the audience here.

  • We've got a bunch coming in.

  • I wanna start with a great one from Lindsay.

  • So Lindsay says, "Conor, this has been awesome,

  • "but what kind of goals or targets

  • "do you set for your students?

  • "Do you focus them on mastering a skill,

  • "getting to grade level?

  • "How do you keep them from just grinding toward a goal

  • "and actually feeling a sense of progress?"

  • - I have used personalized goal-setting

  • for now seven years with my students.

  • I believe it's the most effective way,

  • and we celebrate that goal-setting throughout the process.

  • So I have students that are three years of different levels.

  • So what they would all,

  • they have these little Lego guys that,

  • you know, for mastery on Kahn Academy,

  • well, we print those out,

  • and the kids write their name on them,

  • and their goal may say,

  • "I wanna get to 45% in third grade."

  • I sit with that kid and I put it,

  • I hang it up on the wall,

  • and the next student maybe,

  • "I want you to get to 60% on fifth grade."

  • It's usually about 15% higher

  • than wherever they are,

  • but for the one to move on is fifth grade,

  • it's gonna take the same amount of effort

  • for the third, the student who's on a third grade level

  • to move his score.

  • So we really focus these goals

  • on the child's current academic level,

  • and how much effort it would take them to move up.

  • The majority of time, those goals

  • are not on grade level.

  • They are a little bit below,

  • some are a little bit above,

  • but any time a child hits a goal,

  • we usually have something,

  • and if you don't have anything,

  • kids love like, okay, you can take

  • whatever's in my desk that you find that you want.

  • But you'd be surprised the crap that's in your desk,

  • and the things that a kid will take.

  • It'll be a watch that was on the floor two years ago,

  • it will be stickers for kindergarten

  • that you're like, "Yeah, I shouldn't throw these out,"

  • and you just threw them in your desk.

  • They'll go through your desk

  • and they think it's the coolest thing ever.

  • We did these, we have these little bracelets.

  • I've been doin' these for years, they're,

  • you can buy hundreds of them for $20,

  • and they just, they start to collect different ones

  • every time they set a goal,

  • but it's small goals over and over and over

  • to eventually get towards mastery.

  • But I think setting grade level mastery

  • for all of your students is just, it's unrealistic,

  • and there's no need to set unrealistic goals for your kids,

  • 'cause they're not gonna be able to succeed,

  • so what's really the point?

  • If you know them, give them the proper level,

  • let them hit small steps along the way,

  • and they start develop that growth mindset,

  • and the kids don't really care

  • what level they're learning on.

  • - Yeah, I love how much of your advice

  • is just rooted in knowing your students.

  • If you know they're gonna be motivated

  • by something that's tangible, attainable,

  • then give them that.

  • Don't try to sort of set the bar way too high

  • and intimidate them.

  • Make them feel good about their progress

  • and they'll wanna do it again.

  • So many questions are coming in about Flipgrid.

  • They're saying, "What is this Flipgrid,

  • "what is it all about?"

  • Can you explain a little bit more there, Conor?

  • - I started, Flipgrid's an unbelievable,

  • it's a free resource,

  • I started to use it heavily this year.

  • I began last year but it was the end of the year,

  • a new platform, I'm like, okay, maybe next year.

  • I started it.

  • Basically, you create a video for yourself.

  • Yeah, there's the front.

  • You create a video for yourself and for your students,

  • and they are, it's almost like its own social media.

  • That video will go out to your students.

  • Your students are now able to respond to that video,

  • and you could just do a topic such as,

  • "Hey, I just wanted to say hi to you guys,

  • "I want everyone to say hello back,

  • "see what you're missing about school,"

  • and there is things to help all along the way

  • to get you started.

  • But we've used it heavily for our explaining math this year,

  • where we have students create videos

  • on a mathematical topic, of order of operations.

  • Okay, what do we do first?

  • They'll make different scenes and different movies.

  • Around Christmas we did,

  • what does it mean to have something 20% off?

  • Kids were making their backgrounds

  • of being in a store or paying for something that's 20% off,

  • but they were able to explain to me

  • what those concepts were about

  • and what, how they apply in the real world.

  • That gave me more than any test could ever give me.

  • It showed me, wow, they're actually understanding

  • each part of this process.

  • I think, and you're able to respond to their videos,

  • the other kids in the class leave

  • what's called a Vibe,

  • and they're able to respond.

  • So it forms a sense of community, and then you kind of have,

  • we have a mixed tape that has all our top videos

  • from all three classes, the best ones.

  • The kids, I mean, we vote on the videos,

  • who came up with the most creative,

  • but it's an unbelievable program,

  • and it's 100% free.

  • I would suggest they check it out.

  • Like everything, just kind of start small.

  • See if you can get things started

  • with Kahn Academy, start small.

  • Think of all these platforms for educators and parents,

  • it's kind of like when you get a new phone.

  • You get it and you're like,

  • I just wanna send a funny picture to my friend,

  • I don't need to sign up my Google Cloud,

  • I just, and you're trying to figure it out.

  • But then day after day, little bit after a little bit,

  • it starts to make sense and become easier,

  • and then you start to see the value

  • of all the things you actually have on your phone.

  • I think if we start technology that way

  • in this online learning platform

  • that's going to continue for the next few weeks,

  • I think that's our best option.

  • - Very cool, and then Denise has a question,

  • which is basically, you mentioned the federal regulations

  • and federal advice that was just coming down.

  • Can you talk a little bit more about that

  • for educators who have not heard about

  • what's being shared at that national level?

  • - At national level, you have faith laws that are,

  • basically, you have to ensure that every child

  • has the same access to education.

  • If you're trying to do online learning,

  • there are students that maybe don't have

  • the internet at home,

  • or maybe they don't have a device.

  • The only device they have is a parent's phone

  • that's going to work.

  • So I think by districts pushing out

  • a platform of we're gonna continue school

  • without addressing those needs first,

  • and all the needs that are in that child's IEP

  • of differentiated learning, having an aide,

  • having someone else to explain,

  • I think we have a lot of issues

  • where districts are nervous.

  • Are they providing for every child?

  • That always is the number one thing.

  • You can't exclude a certain amount of children

  • because it's not convenient right now.

  • So there's a lot of, I guess,

  • federal laws are put in place for a good reason,

  • and now, in this unprecedented time,

  • people are like, I don't know if I can get around this,

  • because am I then not educating every child?

  • Am I providing what's been stated by law

  • that I have to do to educate this person?

  • But I think the lack of devices

  • and the lack of internet access

  • and different things is a big issue

  • that many people are seeing.

  • - Great, I'm gonna throw down the gauntlet for you

  • a little bit, Conor,

  • I'm gonna stretch your engagement abilities.

  • Some high school teachers have been saying,

  • "This is awesome, but awesome for middle schoolers,

  • "awesome for elementary students.

  • "I've got 11th and 12th graders,

  • "how am I'm gonna keep them engaged

  • "when they're already so cynical to begin with,

  • "and on top of that,

  • "they have so much else on their shoulders these days?"

  • - Middle school students are just as cynical.

  • I think high school kids are just like

  • the older middle school kids,

  • they think they're too cool for everything.

  • They think, they're just kind of going through the motions,

  • but they're worried about what they look like,

  • what this person thinks,

  • what's going on on social media.

  • They would find it just as funny, and it does,

  • if you did stupid things in your class with them,

  • if you did a TikTok dance with your whole class,

  • if you did certain things that they're interested in

  • that you find ridiculous, but to them it's like,

  • all right, well, I have two things,

  • I have two classes I have homework for,

  • which one am I'm gonna do it for?

  • 'Cause I'm not gonna do it for both of 'em.

  • So you wanna be the teacher

  • that they'll do your homework for you,

  • they'll do, go the extra step for you.

  • I think again, it's knowing your students.

  • You may have one class that you can do one thing with,

  • and you may have another class that you can't.

  • But it's always, just always be willing

  • to try new things and not embarrass yourself.

  • Nothing's gonna change if you continually stay the same.

  • So if you're uncomfortable

  • in what you're doing all the time,

  • I think that's a positive thing.

  • - Yeah, and I'll just throw out a couple ideas

  • that I've heard recently for the high school set.

  • I know in a lot of ways,

  • they face the sort of most daunting challenges,

  • because so much of their expected life

  • over the next few months is on hold now,

  • whether it's taking the SAT, taking the APs,

  • graduation, college decisions,

  • all of this stuff is supposed to be happening,

  • and now it's frozen.

  • What could you do to fill that void?

  • Could you host their virtual prom?

  • Could you take a page out of ESPN's playbook?

  • ESPN is doing these senior nights

  • every night on SportsCenter,

  • shouting out the high school seniors

  • who would have been getting vetted otherwise.

  • Could you sort of give it a chance

  • and really let your seniors shine,

  • even during this really difficult moment?

  • So if there's some way you can bring

  • that sense of normalcy, that sense of tradition

  • into this virtual world,

  • I think you'll be a superstar in their eyes,

  • no matter how cynical they are.

  • Okay, so let's see here.

  • I think we have time for maybe one or two questions,

  • and so I think the biggest question

  • that I've gotten from a lot of teachers at this point

  • is how do you ultimately serve students

  • at different levels,

  • given that everything we've been talking about

  • in terms of Zoom or whatever,

  • feels like it's like, okay, one teacher

  • and all the students in a big lecture environment.

  • How do you continue to sort of differentiate

  • and make sure each student feels heard

  • and respected in this time?

  • - I think for the leveling, for myself,

  • I know most of my students' level.

  • I know where I'm kind of teaching them

  • and whatever topic it is,

  • maybe I assign to my one group of 10 students

  • the remediative foundational skills,

  • and my higher group, maybe the intense word problems.

  • But those skills all count towards the same thing,

  • as our overall goal of this stupid TikTok video

  • I'm gonna create, probably today.

  • But having that, knowing your students,

  • and having them all, each doing different things,

  • you're also able, like I said, with Flipgrid,

  • give them a chance to ask questions.

  • If you're in a virtual classroom with Zoom

  • and you're saying, "Okay, submit your questions here,"

  • and then you can send that video out

  • just to the students that maybe need

  • a little bit of assistance with that.

  • But I think it's important to try to recognize

  • all your students, too, that are working at home,

  • that are putting in the extra effort.

  • But really just constant communication

  • is gonna be your number one thing

  • to see how kids are doing,

  • to see why, maybe, these 10, 15 kids

  • haven't logged on yet, or haven't done anything.

  • Is there an issue?

  • 'Cause maybe there is.

  • As teachers, we're always looking for that,

  • to see how we can help in that anyway.

  • - Cool, well I think if anyone wants inspiration

  • as we sign off here, I would strongly encourage you

  • to check out Conor's Twitter feed.

  • He's at twitter.com/ccorey223,

  • and as you can see here,

  • he's got lots of examples of engaging his students,

  • engaging his own kids at home

  • with cool crafts and activities,

  • and just gives you a sense of what's possible

  • with getting students really excited about learning,

  • even in this difficult environment

  • we find ourselves in.

  • So definitely follow Conor

  • and check out his ideas,

  • and keep your questions coming.

  • I know we didn't get a chance to get to everyone.

  • We'll definitely be doing more sessions like this.

  • So if you have other ideas or questions for Conor

  • or for Kahn Academy,

  • please submit those in the survey that will follow.

  • That being said, any last words of wisdom

  • for the audience, Conor?

  • - No, I wanna say thank you for tuning in,

  • and thank you over at Kahn Academy.

  • In the next few weeks, just enjoy the time with your family.

  • You're not gonna be stuck with them

  • this large of a period for many years.

  • I would say just try not to get on each other's nerves.

  • My wife asked me if I had to chew like that the other day,

  • so I think we've been in closed quarters for a whole.

  • But just try to enjoy the time.

  • I don't know we're gonna get it back,

  • and the more questions you ask about what's gonna happen

  • next year with education,

  • the more, the less answers you're gonna get.

  • So kind of focus on your family,

  • focus on your loved ones now

  • and what we can do together.

  • - Cool, well, I can't think of a better

  • message to end on than that one,

  • so thank you all for making time out of your days,

  • thank you to Conor for sharing your incredible expertise,

  • and here's wishing you all a wonderful week.

  • Thank you so much.

  • - Thank you.

- [Jeremy] Thanks everyone for getting started.

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