Two weeks ago, I sat in a curriculum development meeting with other teachers and listened to what I thought was a very… well – a very unreasonable request. It’s not that the person making the request was ignorant of what it entailed. However, little to nothing can be done to change the circumstances and it’s our task to come up with a viable solution to make the seemingly impossible work. Let me lay out the scenario.

Each teacher at the meeting provides instruction to a tough crowd. Their students have been detained for multiple run-ins with the law. Most despise the traditional learning environment and are sure to let you know on a regular basis, but that’s the easy part. The students vary in age from 15 – 18 and the majority are behind in high school credits, some have zero. They typically score several grades below their peers that are not in the habit of getting detained for illegal activity.

Which brings me to what I thought was an impossible request. The powers that be want a single teacher to provide grade level instruction for each student. This means that the math teacher may be teaching Algebra I, Algebra II, and Geometry in the same period to multiple students. Not to mention, that the majority of them still do not understand fractions, yet were somehow pushed through the system to the present. Those are the unfortunate facts and providing the students with real education and the attention that they desperately need cannot be done by one teacher as is.   

To me, that sounds impossible. Yet, with some additional technology in the classroom, we may be able to provide each student with quality instruction. Open Education Resources (OER) such as Khan Academy may be the answer to our problem.

After watching “Why I use Khan Academy – An Educator’s Perspective” and reading “Khan Academy and Phillips Academy Break Ground with Innovative Partnership,” it occurred to me that this really is a viable and obtainable solution to help our students and teachers be successful. The teacher does not need to attempt the impossible of preparing and implementing up to four lesson plans simultaneously, but can become a facilitator within the classroom with the help of an OER like Khan Academy. It will free them up to provide small group instruction and rotate throughout the classroom as the students take advantage of the appropriate OER that applies to their specific learning needs.

It would be great to hear from others that have tried OERs in the classroom – let us know your experience.