Soon, class 10 maths lessons in Kannada on YouTube

By February 2019, the entire Class 10 mathematics course of the state board syllabus will be available as YouTube videos in Kannada on the popular US-based free online education platform Khan Academy.

In the first such concerted effort by the government, a team of 11 government school teachers has started creating mathematics content on the Khan Academy’s Kannada channel on YouTube. This is part of the government’s effort to use technology to supplement classroom learning.

“The content creators were selected through a talent hunt. It makes our job easy that those selected are government school teachers, because they know what is required,” Commissioner for Public Instruction P C Jaffer said.

Since June, 57 videos on various mathematics topics have been uploaded on the YouTube channel, which now has over 500 subscribers.

Khan Academy, a nonprofit started by educator Salman Khan about 12 years ago, provides free lectures in the form of YouTube videos in mathematics and science. It has 64 million registered users in 190 countries and has benefitted nearly 1.4 lakh teachers worldwide. Karnataka partnered with Khan Academy in September 2017.

“After February 2019, the goal is to have all mathematics chapters of classes 5-10 available on the site. Then, we will move on to science,” Khan Academy India’s head of content localisation Bharath Kumar Srinivas said. He pointed out that the Academy platform, contrary to popular belief, has more than just videos.

“The importance of video content is just 30%. The really important part comprises assessment and practice that the platform helps students
do.”

Two mathematics teachers have been deputed to work with the Khan Academy platform to create video lessons - Suchetha S S from the Government Junior PU College, Thyamagondlu in Nelamangala in Bengaluru Rural district and M Shivakumar from the Government High School, Cheemangala at Shidlaghatta in Chikkaballapur district. Both are recipients of national teachers’ awards.

“Students must trust that there’s utility in this platform. Building that trust is key,” said Suchetha, who has voiced the narration for the videos.

“These videos not only reach out to students across the state, they help me personally as a teacher. I can ask my own students to watch them to have their doubts clarified.” With almost every household having a smartphone, access to the videos will not be a concern, those behind the initiative argue.