The BOB Approach Origin Story
BOB is an Approach
I’ve never been content to teach within the system—I've always been driven to transform it from within. Early in my career, I saw how rigid schedules and compartmentalized subjects left little room for what matters most in education: connection, creativity, and agency.
Rather than resist the blocks of school timetables, expectations, and curriculum, I began to build outside them. That’s how Building Outside the Blocks (BOBs) was born: an educational framework grounded in project-based learning where students grow skills, share their stories, and learn deeply over time. BOBs create time-released, student-driven opportunities that allow learners to iterate, connect, and find their voice within and beyond the classroom. They are projects rooted in humanity—where identity and skill-building meet.
But as I watched these project-based learning initiatives transform student engagement, I recognized something equally important: educators need these spaces too. They need autonomy, meaningful connection, and time to reflect—not just tools to survive, but practices that help them thrive.
That realization led to The Mentoree—a mentorship institute for educators that operates on one simple, powerful belief: We all have something to teach, and we all have something to learn.
The Mentoree creates ecosystems of relational professional learning through 1:1 mentorship, group learning, self-directed training, and systems-wide consulting. It invites educators to grow on their own terms, with intentional support that centers well-being, identity, and efficacy.
From Building Outside the Blocks projects (BOBs) to The Mentoree, my work is rooted in rehumanizing education—designing responsive systems that invite people to be seen, heard, and valued. I don’t believe in one-size-fits-all anything. I believe in learning that starts with listening, grows through reflection, and flourishes through community.
Skill, Autonomy, Connection, and Community
With blocks of time, subjects, and units, teaching can feel like a profession of compartments. These blocks can organize time, but they can also be confining. So much is possible when you understand the blocks and build beyond them. The WHY of BOB is about building learning experiences within an educational framework that are both differentiated and personalized.
Using the Building Outside the Blocks approach supports project-based learning, allowing for the teaching of a variety of content and learning skills while contributing to a supportive and collaborative class community. BOB is a way to help individuals and schools promote student voice, build capacity, and propel student engagement. More than anything, using a BOB Approach helps students see and be themselves at school.
Connection is Key
Building Outside the Blocks projects, known as BOBs, are part of an educational framework that emphasizes project-based learning to enhance student engagement. These initiatives focus on key learning goals, including standards-based content and essential skills such as critical thinking, problem solving, communication, collaboration, and self-management. BOBs empower students to develop a sense of ownership over their work through self-direction and agency while also fostering connections within the community and promoting individual growth.
Authentic Task, Problem or Question
BOBs are assignments provided by teachers and driven by students, fitting seamlessly within an educational framework. Similar to all project-based learning (PBL), BOBs are centered around a meaningful task or question for exploration. They serve as catalysts for personalized inquiry, helping to meet various curriculum expectations while enhancing student engagement and building essential learning skills in authentic contexts that resonate with students’ lives and interests.
Minimal Class Time
Unlike traditional project-based learning scenarios, BOBs primarily occur at home. While some instruction and lead time may be necessary, BOB projects require minimal class time. Each BOB project presentation takes about 5 minutes, yet students invest hours in preparation during their self-directed time. With no more than 3 presenters on a given day, this high-yielding strategy serves as an effective educational framework, especially for teachers aiming to enhance student engagement while maximizing limited class time.
Sharing and Feedback
Students present to and receive feedback from their class, creating an active learning community that aligns with an educational framework. This community of 'coaches' articulates success criteria through formative feedback, which includes questions, comments, and critiques that celebrate accomplishments while encouraging next steps. Within this context of project-based learning, the teacher serves as a creative collaborator and facilitator of the presentation experience. Along with a rubric, formative feedback is provided in writing to clarify the next steps, enhancing overall student engagement.
Voice, Choice and Personalizing Learning
BOBs are innovative ways for learners to express themselves in a school assignment, allowing them to have a say in what they produce and when they share it with the class. Within this educational framework, the teacher outlines the overall timeline of the assignment, including presentation dates. BOBs emphasize personalization over being simply personalized, fostering student engagement as students have the freedom to explore their ideas while adhering to the provided structure.