When teaching, I often think about the physical aspect of how teachers and learners begin the experience. From the very moment students enter the space there are overt and subtle messages about how this experience will unfold. This is also true with online learning as well. The instructor defines many aspects of the learning space; … Continue reading “Teaching and the Body”

We hear about the importance of creating a safe and supportive learning environment often. Typically ice breakers serve as a way to help students feel more relaxed, learn about each other and ease into learning. Thinking back to an ice breaker experience from a course about six or seven years ago, the prompt was “what’s … Continue reading “Don’t Break the Ice… Melt It”

Code switching is just a fancy way to talk about the way we use language – one or more – ways of speaking and choice of words to connect and fit in.  When I was kid I grew up in a very poor neighborhood with the kind of address that when you declare it (if … Continue reading “Code Switching”