YouTube is not only an inexhaustible source of entertainment. Properly used is phenomenal scientific assistance. There are plenty of great lessons and interesting lectures that can be watched for hours, and knowledge comes to mind in the meantime.
The school is not perfect. Even the presence at all lessons does not guarantee that you will be able to master all the material – it's very difficult in a class of over 30 people. That is why I have prepared a short list of valuable channels for older students and everyone interested in the replay.
I'll start with math. It has always been my favorite subject, but many students find it very difficult. Lessons are not always enough to understand why one should proceed in a given way and where this method came from. Many issues and the origin of patterns have been explained in YouTube videos, which I encourage not only students to watch. The world of mathematics is extremely interesting, although very abstract.
Mathematics archipelago – lessons straight from the University of Warsaw
Mathematics doesn't have to be difficult. The Archipelago of Mathematics channel is run by lecturers at the University of Warsaw. You will find explanations for many issues, from square functions and percentages to graph coloring and command methods. This channel is also worth attention because it contains biographies of the most famous mathematicians, which is not on the school curriculum. For starters, I suggest a short film about Stanisław Ulama, who worked on the Manhattan project.
The channel is currently not run, but this does not depict the value of the materials available there.
Khan Academy in Polish – learning various subjects for free
Mathematics is a powerful tool in the hands of physicists, chemists and economists. You can learn about a mix of science topics on the great Khan Academy channel. Polish teachers, university lecturers and employees of the Polish Academy of Sciences took part in creating the films. Here is one example – a lesson about the determinant of a triangular matrix, led by Dr. Szymon Charzyński from the University of Warsaw.
You may have already heard the name Khan Academy – a non-profit organization that creates and provides free educational materials in different languages. On her website you will find full courses of mathematics, physics, chemistry, economics, humanities and computer science. This is a great place to supplement your knowledge or do a repetition, even if you are not currently attending any school.
Khan Academy also has a mobile application, so you can study anywhere.
Axolotl – a quick replay in biology and chemistry
Sometimes I regret that after graduating from high school I chose computer science, not biology. If you want to do a repetition before the test or supplement your knowledge about issues that were not raised at school, I recommend the relatively young Axolotl channel. There are short lessons on it, although the author begins to experiment with longer materials.
In my opinion, this channel is more suitable for listening than watching. There are few illustrations in the movies, which I consider to be a major drawback. I hope that this will change and I encourage you to observe the development of Axolotl.
However, if you like listening, you'll also like the Medical Tutoring channel, run by Dominik Murecki – a doctor by education and a teacher by passion. The films available there are simply podcasts with short lessons.
RockYourEnglish – English for those who like rock
Nowadays it is quite difficult to live without knowing English, and it is necessary in my work. That's why on my list there could not be a channel with English lessons … with rock classics. RockYourEnglish is relaxed and life examples of grammatical constructions come from the greatest hits of bands such as Queen, The Beatles, The Doors and many others.
In my opinion, there is no better way to remember grammatical constructions than associating them with well-known hits. I use this method since high school and it has not disappointed me yet.
Science. I like it – you won't find out at school
It's time to go beyond the standard school curriculum. Science channel. This I like is a great place to broaden your horizons and find yourself in real life. Some of the movies are interesting and spectacular chemical experiments that you will hardly see in class.
In addition, nuclear physicist Tomasz Rożek comments on current events and explains, among others, why dietary supplement advertising is a scam, what is wrong with the Chernobyl series, how false information surrounded forest fires in the Amazon and what spilled into the Vistula from the Czajka treatment plant.
I value this channel primarily for a sober approach to reality and factual arguments.
Warning! Scientific Gibberish – professional refutation of myths
Finally, I want to introduce you to another channel, where scientific curiosities, current events and popular myths are explained. Warning! Scientific Mumble will help you distinguish deceptions and guesses from scientific studies that present hard evidence. Distortions and overt fraud were presented to convince people of the harmfulness of mobile telephony, in particular 5G communications.
There are more such films. On the channel, you'll also find videos about the placebo effect, mental illness, organic food, pheromones and volcanoes. If you like materials that refute myths, you'll love this channel.
Do you have your favorite educational channel? Share it in a comment.