Khanmigo for Teachers is Khan Academy’s AI assistant for teacher preparation. The useful starting question is which part of a lesson you want help drafting: an opening task, a set of questions, or a rubric. This guide explains access and offers a planning workflow you can adapt. It is based on official documentation, not a new classroom trial.
Is Khanmigo free for teachers?
The official teacher page describes free access for eligible educators aged 18 or older in supported countries and territories. Use the eligibility link on that page to check your location. Teacher access does not let you grant your class access to the student tutor; school or district implementation and parent or learner arrangements are separate.
What can teachers use it for?
Khan Academy lists planning tasks such as lesson ideas, questions, rubrics, exit tickets, and communication drafts. Treat the result as a first draft. A plausible answer key or polished rubric still needs checking against the objective and the material students have actually studied.
- Before a lesson: generate alternative hooks or a short prerequisite check.
- During preparation: draft examples, practice questions, and possible misconceptions.
- After teaching: prepare a follow-up task based on the misunderstanding you observed.
- For communication: draft a clear message using only information appropriate to share.
A practical planning workflow
The following example is a suggested activity, not a report of tested Khanmigo output. Imagine a middle-school science lesson about distinguishing food chains from food webs. Begin by writing your objective without AI: “Students will explain how one organism can connect to more than one feeding relationship.”
- Specify the context. Include the age group, time available, prior knowledge, and the resources you already have.
- Request one component. Ask for a five-minute opening activity before requesting a full lesson.
- Check the science. Verify the direction of arrows and every example relationship.
- Add the teaching move. Decide what you will say if a student confuses energy flow with the direction an animal travels.
- Design an independent check. Ask students to explain a new food-web example without AI assistance.
A prompt you can adapt
“Help me draft a five-minute opening activity for [grade] on [objective]. Students already know [prior knowledge]. Available resources are [resources]. Include one example, one likely misconception, and two questions that reveal students’ reasoning. Separate the student instructions from teacher notes. Flag anything that needs factual verification.”
If the task is too broad, narrow it: “Use only three organisms,” or “Replace the explanation with a drawing-and-discussion task.” Keep the objective stable while changing the support. This makes revisions easier to evaluate.
Review the draft before using it
- Accuracy: solve the questions yourself and verify subject-specific claims.
- Alignment: identify the exact student action that demonstrates the objective.
- Accessibility: check reading demands, examples, and an alternative way to respond.
- Feasibility: check materials, time, transitions, and what happens if students finish early.
- Evidence: decide what student work you will collect and what you will do with it.
For a rubric, replace vague labels such as “excellent understanding” with observable evidence. For example: “Shows two feeding relationships and correctly explains the direction of energy transfer.” The teacher should make the final judgement about what counts as success.
Teacher planning is different from student tutoring
Do not assume a free teacher account creates a student account or a class subscription. Check the current teacher access FAQ before planning a student-facing activity. A teacher can still use a checked activity on paper or in an existing school platform without making AI access part of the student task.
What to record during your first use
Keep the original prompt, the draft, your corrections, and the final activity. Record which changes mattered: inaccurate examples, unclear directions, unsuitable reading level, or an unrealistic time estimate. That record will tell you whether the assistant helped with this particular task and how to improve your next prompt.
Related guides and further reading
Explore more in AI Tools for Teachers.
