In this TED Talk, Sal Khan, Founder of the Khan Academy, explains the importance of mastering foundational material, rather than learning just enough to pass tests. While his focus is on math and science, his basic argument applies to Spanish learning as well: it’s essential for students to understand the basics and fill in gaps identified by tests and other assessments (like Kwiziq’s Spanish level test) before moving on to more advanced topics.
Just for fun, Spanish subtitles are enabled in the video:
[iframe url="https://embed.ted.com/talks/sal_khan_let_s_teach_for_mastery_not_test_scores?language=es" width="640" height="360"]Related features
Author info
Laura is a French expert and Kwiziq's Head of Quality Control. Online educator since '99, Laura is passionate about language, travel, and cooking. She's American by birth and a permanent ex-pat by choice - freelancing made it possible for her to travel extensively and live in several countries before settling permanently in Guadeloupe. Laura is the author of Lawless French, Lawless Spanish, and other websites and books on French, Spanish, Italian, English, and vegetarianism. She spends most of her spare time reading, playing with food, and enjoying water sports.