6 Tips to motivate your students with Khan Academy

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- So I've tried a variety of
things to motivate students

and get them hungry to
continue to push forward

and motivated to push forward.

I have, one, shown them that
whenever they show mastery

on Khan Academy, it directly
results in better scores

on state tests, it directly
results in better scores

in the class,

showing them that they
will learn using this site.

That has been shown across the nation

as well as in my classroom.

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- So at the beginning of the year,

I assign the fourth grade course mastery

and that really sets the
table for everything.

It's that march to 100%,

and throughout the year
and throughout each lesson,

we just continue to gain
more and more progress,

we continue to march towards that 100%,

and at the end of the year,

it's always a celebration to see how far

the kids have come.

'Cause the first time
they see it, they're like,

"What?" and I say, "All
right, let's get ready

for fourth grade."

And throughout the year,

we just try to continue
to get better and better

and we try to persevere

and we try to become really good thinkers.

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- Sometimes when I present my screen

and solve these Khan
Academy problems with them,

I also like to click that button

when I get it correct and they
see that you get it correct.

And they like that excitement,

like, "Ms. Gunes, you're a genius."

So like they like that.

So they like to see that too,
your teacher does that too.

So I like to solve the
questions together with them,

and I like to see those
sprinkles with them too,

the confidence with them as well.

So I feel like, do the Khan
Academy assignment with students

to have their excitement,
to share their excitement.

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- As a basketball coach,

I try to relate learning

to what happens on the court as well.

So a lotta times, I will tell students

that just because I can go into the gym

and I can make one shot,

that does not mean I am Stephen Curry.

That doesn't mean I'm ready for the NBA.

It takes practice and
having those skills show up

over and over again, that is when you know

that you have truly mastered your craft.

So in the classroom,

even though you complete
one assignment one time,

that means that you're on your way,

that you're doing some great things,

but you have to be able to show that over

a period of time to really show

that you have truly mastered that concept.

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- Another big, big benefit is parents.

You get more parent involvement.

Parents feel more confident

'cause they can watch the videos,

they can do a couple of problems,

and when they're helping their
child with their homework,

then it's like, "I know
what I'm helping them with.

I'm not playing a guessing
game or Googling something

and Google have all these
different ways to do it."

They can just go to Khan Academy

and they can find out
this one way to do it.

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- Now the learning's less
about what I want them to do

and it's way more about
where the students have voice

and choice and drive and passion.

And I tell you what,

when they get 100%, it's
like fireworks going off

in the classroom because it's hard.

It's rigorous and they've earned it,

and that earning is just, oh,
just it's so motivational.