Why Sal Khan't: On Learning by Making but Teaching by Telling

This article explores the reasons why Sal Khan's AI tutoring revolution fell short, despite the groundbreaking ambitions he had for his creation, Khanmigo. Two recent pieces, one by Matt Barnum in Chalkbeat and another by Dan Meyer on LinkedIn, highlighted the lack of student engagement with Khanmigo and questioned the future of AI tutors in education.

The author, after reading these articles, reflects on the fundamental problem with Khanmigo and other AI tutors: they fail to engage students because they lack a purpose and a sense of making. Rather than prompting students to actively construct their understanding, these tools simply provide answers, leading to a passive learning experience.

The author argues that learning should be driven by four natural impulses: inquiring, constructing, expressing, and communicating. Sal Khan embodied these impulses in his own learning process, which included asking deep questions, building representations of his understanding, and sharing his knowledge with others.

In the author's view, Khanmigo and similar AI tutors miss the mark by not providing a "making" aspect to learning, which is crucial for student engagement and meaningful learning experiences. They do not encourage students to actively construct their understanding or express their knowledge, thus failing to fulfill the natural impulses that drive learning. As a result, students have no reason to push through difficulty or engage with the material deeply.