What makes Khan Academy’s new science videos so engaging? Passion, creativity, and some laughs. Four of our science video creators share their process and what they hope teachers and students gain from watching their content.
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A glimpse into the video creation process.
Khan Academy’s science content recently grew with the addition of middle school science courses. The new courses include over 60 new videos presented by a diverse group of experts and creators who shared their highlights while making these videos:
Tyson
Tyson believes the key to making his content successful is the collaboration behind the scenes.
“My favorite part of the video making process is almost certainly all of the collaboration that goes into it. Even though my voice is the one that you hear on the video, there are a number of people behind the scenes that have likewise contributed to making the Khan Academy content as great as it is. After I draft my first take on the script and visuals, the feedback from the rest of the team helps to transform that into a final product that is even more clear, concise and enjoyable to watch. My time with Khan academy has made me a better content creator overall.”
Tyson’s video is part of the Matter and energy in organisms unit within the NGSS discipline-specific aligned middle school biology course.
Wieteke
Fun and learning collide in Wieteke’s video as she educates learners on birds and ecosystems.
“I hope that learners laugh and learn! I try to make my videos a little bit funny, but most of all, I hope that learners connect with the stories that I put together in relation to the learning objectives and that they become a bit more curious about the natural world around them. Bonus points if they gain a new admiration for birds, too!”
Wieteke’s video is part of the Ecosystems and biodiversity unit within the NGSS discipline-specific aligned middle school biology course.
Mia
Mia believes her enthusiasm (and doodles) in her videos will inspire others to get excited about learning science.
“I grew up watching Khan Academy videos. And even though I usually started watching videos related to my schoolwork, the videos often inspired me to learn even more. Now that I am making videos myself, I hope that I can help other students get excited about how much more there is to learn.”
Mia’s videos on the rock cycle, the solar system, and solar eclipses can all be found within the NGSS discipline-specific aligned middle school Earth and space science course.
Jennifer
Jennifer uses universal examples to help breakdown complex topics in her video.
“I love connecting all things science to everyday life so one of my favorite things was finding examples that we can all relate to, even when explaining concepts as abstract as electricity. The engineer in me also loved the entire video production process and learning how to do it from the Khan Academy team!”
Jennifer’s video is part of the Forces at a distance unit within the NGSS discipline-specific aligned middle school physics course.
Beyond the video content.
In addition to captivating videos, our new middle school science courses include engaging activities and challenging NGSS discipline-specific aligned material. Like all courses at Khan Academy, there is a focus on mastery of key concepts and skills to build students’ foundation of domain knowledge. As a result, students can participate fully in the collaborative investigations and engineering challenges modern science classrooms are centered around.
