Author: Ben and Kara Wilkoff

Be specific whenever you can. It helps in telling stories. It helps in giving feedback. It helps in giving directions. It helps in framing change. Be specific. Backchannels Backchannel conversations are an amazing tool for listening to unheard voices in your classroom all the while increasing cognitive engagement. Padlet has …

I cannot give you my experience. Rather, I can only be with you in your experiences, letting my past inform your future. Pop Up Classroom – Classroom Design that Fosters Creativity and Agency When students have ownership over their learning spaces, they’re much more likely to own the learning that …

There is no question that I find to be more telling about someone’s learning life than ‘What are you reading?’ If the answer is anything other than ‘nothing’, you have a recommendation. If the answer is ‘nothing’, you can make one of your own. New ways to comment on Microsoft …

I often cut off the crust of my youngest son’s PB&J. I don’t do this for my two older children, though. At some point, they just got used to the rough edges and the more difficult texture, even coming to like the hard crust surrounding their meal. How to Use …

We all need processing time, just some more than others. It is easy to move forward believing that everyone has had the processing time they need because you have had yours. But, it pays to provide more. It pays to listen to what others need. Picademy North America Become a …

There is a time between when you are done with a project and when it sees the light of day. For video, the last step is for the video to be ‘rendered’ so that it can be shared and played. Too often, we get stuck editing and rendering, and never …

I am surprised often. By others, and even by myself. Mostly this is because my expectations are a few degrees off (or massively). I am surprised each time, and I chuckle to myself that I should probably have predicted behavior different. But I don’t. Laptops And Phones In The Classroom: …

I didn’t know how to make coffee when I first started teaching. Another, more experienced teacher, had to show me how. I learned a lot of life skills from those who came before me, not the least of which was how to make strong (and essential) coffee. 16 Ideas for …

Sometimes it is hard to know which side of the door has the lock. Are we being locked out of something or being locked in? And, sometimes it is just easier to take the lock off entirely and leave the door open. Building Trust with Challenging Conversations This article is …