The idea of using WOL in education has been around for a decade, with some limited successes. And now it’s come up again for different schools and contexts.

I’m ambivalent. Part of me is excited to work with these educators and invent something useful—for them and for students. Part of me is afraid we’ll just repeat the same pattern from years ago.

Can you help?

I had assumed the only reasons students would Work Out Loud would be to fulfill a course requirement or to explore careers and increase their access to jobs. 

But students, it seems, crave connection and belonging like the rest of us.

Schools in Germany, the US, Austria, and Switzerland have used WOL in different ways. 

Over time, a range of applications and ideas have emerged for both students and staff.

More than a dozen universities have used the original Working Out Loud method. Based on these experiences, we now have a much clearer sense of what students need and how a new WOL method can help.

“And our own stories? Working Out Loud has changed us, too. ML and Margaret are planning to convene WOL groups across multiple universities over the next 12 months; and Mark is in the midst of his own career change. We’ve learnt new skills and have started sharing our work in different ways. We're moving on, working out loud as we go.”