Khan Academy’s Fizzy History: A Critical Look at the Future of Education
Khan Academy’s Fizzy History: A Critical Look
Bill Gates and the Khan Academy Revolution
Bill Gates, a strong supporter of Salman Khan’s Khan Academy, believes it represents a revolutionary approach to education. The Khan Academy offers over 2,100 free video tutorials on subjects like calculus, physics, and organic chemistry. Gates sees this as a disruptive technology, offering faster, better, and cheaper education. He encourages everyone to explore it (www.khanacademy.org).
Mr. Khan’s Approach to History
While Mr. Khan’s math and science tutorials are generally well-regarded, his foray into history reveals some disquieting aspects of internet learning. His “U.S. History Overview 3—World War II to Vietnam” video, clocking in at under 15 minutes, offers a superficial and potentially misleading account of historical events.
A Superficial Overview of Major Events
The video’s format, with its squashed blackboard, timeline, and random photos, contributes to a sense of historical velocity. Terms like “essentially” and “fast forward” further condense the narrative. Mr. Khan’s frequent use of “as you can imagine” often precedes information that students likely lack the context to imagine, such as Japan’s dependence on foreign oil in the 1930s.
Questionable Historical Interpretations
Mr. Khan’s historical perspective seems steeped in cultural relativism and moral equivalence. For instance, he presents Hitler’s invasion of Poland as merely a matter of perspective, “wrong” from FDR’s viewpoint but potentially acceptable from Hitler’s. This approach undermines the notion of objective historical judgment.
Pop Culture vs. Historical Accuracy
Mr. Khan’s reliance on pop culture references, such as equating the D-Day landing with scenes from Saving Private Ryan, raises concerns about historical accuracy. He also glosses over significant events, like the Rape of Nanking and the Pacific Theater, reducing complex historical narratives to a series of disconnected factoids.
The Dangers of a Filtered History
Mr. Khan’s approach to history, combined with the potential for internet filtering and personalized learning, raises serious questions about the future of education. Eli Pariser’s concept of the “filter bubble” highlights how online algorithms can create echo chambers, limiting exposure to diverse perspectives. This, coupled with B.F. Skinner’s principles of operant conditioning, suggests that internet-based education could be used to shape and control students’ understanding of history.
The Khan Academy and Big History
Mr. Khan’s vision of his videos becoming the “operating system” of the classroom, with teachers relegated to the role of “coaches,” is particularly concerning. This, combined with Bill Gates’s support for “Big History,” a broad-brush approach to history that emphasizes “big ideas” over detailed historical analysis, could lead to a homogenized and potentially biased understanding of the past.
Controlling the Past, Controlling the Future
As George Orwell warned, controlling the past is a means of controlling the future. If Mr. Khan’s and Mr. Gates’s vision of history education becomes the dominant model, it could have profound implications for how future generations understand and interpret the past, ultimately shaping the choices they make in the future.
Key Concerns:
- Superficiality and oversimplification of historical events.
- Cultural relativism and moral equivalence.
- Reliance on pop culture references.
- Potential for creating filter bubbles and echo chambers.
- Homogenization of historical understanding.
The Future of Education?
The Khan Academy and Big History represent a significant shift in how we approach education. While technology offers exciting possibilities, it is crucial to consider the potential downsides and ensure that historical education remains nuanced, accurate, and open to diverse perspectives.