Prisma is the world’s most engaging virtual school that prepares kids for the ever-changing world of the future. Our team of educators have a diverse background of experience on the cutting edge of teaching and learning, whether they’ve worked in brick and mortar schools or dynamic online environments. In our Meet the Team blog series, you’ll get to read more about the amazing educators behind Prisma.

Tim Corkran joined Prisma in Fall 2023 as a Learning Coach in our Middle School program. 

Where are you based? 

Lexington, Kentucky.

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Tell us a little bit about your background in education prior to joining Prisma. 

I have worked at all levels of pre-secondary ed, from serving as a preschool assistant for 8 months to being a Head of School for 5 years. Most of my teaching work has been in middle school English or science classrooms, but I have also been a soccer coach, a ropes course instructor, a hands-on engineering teacher, and a writing tutor. I have teaching certifications for English from both Massachusetts and Kentucky.

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What most drew you to the role of learning coach at Prisma? 

That’s easy: the chance to work with a fully project-based curriculum custom-designed for middle schoolers who are hungry for academic engagement. Real project-based learning allows learners to master valuable skills through repeatedly using them in material they choose to interact with. As a Prisma coach, I get to be a facilitator of meaningful activities, not a gatekeeper of knowledge. That suits my personality really well.

At Prisma, learning coaches give feedback instead of traditional letter grades. But this doesn’t mean learners aren’t challenged! What is your approach to giving feedback that pushes learners to do their best? 

Feedback is a dialogue. I make sure my learners know to expect a back-and-forth on their work. But because they are kids, they must know I like them and believe in them before my constructive criticism can be effective! So I work hard to make my learners feel cared for and supportive. In 1:1 meetings, I focus on building a personal relationship. When I do this effectively, they can take the pushing and correcting as an extension of that relationship. 

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If you could pick one skill that all kids should master to prepare for the world of the future, what would it be and why? 

Expository writing and speaking will be the key skill for the next generation of independent thinkers. Generating good, original ideas is the natural state of young people who are empowered by curricula such as Prisma’s— but clear communication of those ideas is not always so easy. To maximize the actualization of the products of these beautiful minds, we need to make sure learners can clearly communicate, both orally and in writing. The more complex the thinking— and they do complex thinking— the more important this becomes. Teach them to write and they will change the world!

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What do you like to learn about, or what is something new you learned recently? 

I love to learn about building and the trades. As the owner of numerous old houses, I am constantly fixing or enhancing aging structures and systems— thus I have to learn how to build a stairway, plumb a bathroom, tile a floor, hang some wiring, lay a foundation for an addition, etc. YouTube is a great resource for this, but I also consult friends and professionals who have more experience than I do. Working with construction materials involves the thrilling coalescence of material behaviors, tool capacity, problem solving and my capacity for learning; I love it!