Exploring Integers through the Khan Academy

Today's class focused on Integers! Integers are whole numbers and their negative counterparts for example a whole number is 0, 1, 2 , 3, 4, 5, 6 etc. Their opposites are: -1, -2, -3, -4, -5,-6 etc. As we were discussing the concept of integers Pat, my instructor, mentioned that there is an online website called the Khan Academy that offers Math help.

What is Khan Academy? 

Khan Academy offers instructional videos, mainly through Youtube, and practice exercises for students; it offers instructional videos on a variety of subject matter. So, I decided to explore integers through this resource and write a reflection on my experience using this resource.

My Reflection:

In found that this video was very helpful for students that may have a difficult time understanding what integers are. The lesson appeals to a variety of learners for example: visual, auditory, and kinesthetic learners. It helps visual learners because the instructor provides a timeline of integers and uses colours, however I would suggest that using other visual representation may help visual learners even more. It allows auditory learners to listen to the lesson aloud, also it allows them to stop, rewind, and fast-forward the lesson depending on their level. The student can listen to the video while working on integers homework. Finally, it appeals to kinesthetic learners because it allows them to take a break from the video by pausing it and after digesting the material; the student can come back to it.  However, this video can appeal more to kinsethetic learners if they encourage students to use different manipulatives when learning about integers such as integers chips. This website also helps students because after the video they provide supplementary exercises that they can use to test their knowledge. Also, the "ask a question" option also helps students who still may not understand the concept and allows for feedback.

The Drawback:

I found that this resource is very helpful for students who may need clarification of a concept, but this resource should not be viewed as the be-all and end-all when it comes to learning Math.  The reason why I am saying this is that it does not actually explain how this concept relates to the real world. It just shows you how to solve the problem, but does not actually explain why you have to solve for it in the first place. I think that explaining the importance of integers and their relation to the real world helps students retain this concept and be able to recall it outside of schools. Further, the site has not yet evolved to a point where all grade are included, that is it has grade 6, high school and post-secondary Ontario based Curriculum lessons--it should be noted that grades 7 and 8 are not included.

Final Thoughts:

I think that this resource should be used as a strictly supplementary resource, not a primary resource when it comes to learning about integers and Math in general. If you want to explore this resource click on the image below that will redirect you to their page: