Education

The One World Schoolhouse: 8 key ideas

by Salman Khan

The core ideas of The One World Schoolhouse, each in under a minute, written in our own words. Want the full depth? Get the book.

1. IDEA 1 OF 8

   Free education for anyone, anywhere

   Khan tells how he began making online videos to tutor his cousin in mathematics, which grew into Khan Academy.

   He argues that technology can give everyone access to free, high-quality learning.

2. IDEA 2 OF 8

   Tutoring a cousin started it

   Khan describes tutoring his cousin Nadia remotely and posting videos on YouTube.

   Many others began watching. The videos grew from a family favour into a large teaching library, as strangers around the world found them useful.

3. IDEA 3 OF 8

   Students should master each step

   Khan argues for mastery learning, where students move on only after understanding a topic fully.

   Gaps, he says, cause later failure. In his view, a student who moves on with half-understood ideas builds later learning on weak ground.

4. IDEA 4 OF 8

   Classes can be flipped

   Khan describes the flipped classroom, where students watch lessons at home and practise in class with the teacher's help.

   In his view, this frees class time for questions, discussion and help, instead of lectures that every student hears at the same pace.

5. IDEA 5 OF 8

   Schools follow an old model

   Khan argues that modern schools still follow a nineteenth-century Prussian model with fixed classes and bells.

   In his view, this system was designed to serve factories and public order, and it treats all students alike regardless of how fast they learn.

6. IDEA 6 OF 8

   Learning can be self-paced

   Khan argues that students should learn at their own pace using online tools.

   In his view, a student who has understood a topic should be free to move on, while another who needs more time should get it.

7. IDEA 7 OF 8

   Education can be global

   Khan describes his goal of free education for anyone in the world.

   In his account, quality teaching, once recorded and shared, can reach millions of learners at no cost. He sees this as widening access.

8. IDEA 8 OF 8

   Classrooms can change

   Khan imagines mixed-age classrooms where students help each other.

   In his view, older students could explain ideas to younger ones, and teaching others would deepen their own understanding. He thinks mixed classes feel more like real life.