For the last decade, I have delivered professional development in all 50 states and in Australia, Brazil, Colombia, China, Hong Kong, Ireland, and The Netherlands. Whether you are looking for a conference keynote or an in-depth workshop, I will always provide the following:
To my core, I believe that empowered teachers empower students. For this reason, I design my professional development with a focus on helping educators take their practice to the next level by building on what’s already working. The following are some of my most popular topics.
As a teacher, I combined design thinking with PBL for over a decade to design meaningful, structured project-based learning. In 2013, I spoke at the White House about one of our multidisciplinary projects. As a professor, I work with pre-service and current classroom teachers to help them launch PBL in multiple subject areas.
My journey as a teacher has been from a focus on engagement to a focus on empowerment. I love to share the stories, mistakes, and insights I’ve had along this journey. I also share practical tools and strategies you can use tomorrow to shift toward student empowerment.
I am passionate about the overlap of tried and true practices with emerging technology and new strategies. It’s why I wrote Vintage Innovation, Empowered at a Distance, and The AI Roadmap. If you are looking for relevant, practical professional learning that goes beyond the tools, I would love to work with you on a plan of action.
In an age of distractions, students are bombarded with noise: notifications, multitasking, and the temptation of shortcuts in a world of instant answers. But what if we gave students something richer? Together, let’s explore how to cultivate the habits of deeper thinking, sustained focus, and meaningful learning across content areas.
Whether you are looking for a back-to-school keynote, a deep dive workshop, or a comprehensive plan, I’d love to plan something custom for your educators. Please fill out the form below and I’ll send you a professional development catalog with offerings, logistics, and speaking rates.
Note: I am available to do professional development in-person and virtually. Contact my team and we can come up with something customized for your school, district, or institution. Here’s what I’m known for:
Project-Based Learning for All
PBL can seem daunting when you have time constraints, standards, and a curriculum map. Often, the push for better test scores and “basic skills” means certain students (English Language Learners, Special Education students) fail to have access to these projects. However, PBL can work for all students and in this workshop or keynote, I lay out the blueprint for making this a reality. Click here for additional PBL keynote and workshop options.
How Will We Respond to the A.I. Revolution?
The A.I. Revolution is here. For some, it’s exciting. For others, it feels terrifying. Still others feel baffled and confused by it. Many of us feel a mix of all three emotions. But one thing is clear. It’s here and it’s not going away. In this keynote, we explore how we might adapt and change as we navigate the new terrain of an AI world. We explore the human skills students will need in a world of smart machines. Ultimately, we’ll be reminded of the hope and humanity we continue to have in a time of epic change. Click here for more information on AI-related keynotes and workshops.
The Depth Advantage: Deeper Learning in a Distracted World
In an age of distractions, deeper learning is both more urgent and more difficult than ever. Students are bombarded with noise: notifications, multitasking, and the temptation of shortcuts in a world of instant answers. But what if we gave students something richer? In this keynote or workshop, we explore how to cultivate the habits of deeper thinking, sustained focus, and meaningful learning across content areas. You’ll learn practical strategies to foster mastery, curiosity, problem-solving, resilience, and communication in your classroom, even in a fast-paced digital world. Whether you’re a classroom teacher, instructional coach, or district leader, you’ll walk away with a blueprint for helping students move beyond surface-level engagement and into real understanding. Click here for additional keynote and workshop options on deeper learning.
Empower: What Happens When Students Own the Learning
Student choice is about more than just a menu option. It’s about student ownership. This includes ownership of the processes, the assessment, the strategies, and the metacognition. But how do we make this happen? How do we fit this into our standards and our curriculum map? Click here for additional keynote and workshop options on empowering students.
Navigating the Maze
For years, we were taught a formula. Go to school, get good grades, graduate from a university, and climate a corporate ladder. But the ladder is gone and our students will instead navigate a complex maze. We at the beginning of the AI revolution and we can’t predict what this maze will look like. In this keynote, we explore what vital skills students will need to become self-directed learners who can thrive in the maze. We’ll examine how creativity and curiosity can help develop the adaptability students will need as they navigate a complex and unpredictable world.
The Curious Classroom
Too often students leave school less curious than when they arrived. However, many teachers cultivate a mindset of curiosity. Their classrooms are bastions of creativity and wonder. These teachers empower students to ask questions, seek out information, and design solutions built on empathy. In this keynote, we explore what it means to spark ongoing curiosity through inquiry-based learning.
Vintage Innovation
The best way to prepare students for the future is to empower them in the present. In this keynote or workshop, we explore what it means to use vintage ideas, tools, and strategies in new and relevant ways. Here, we focus on innovation as a focus on “what is best” rather than “what is next.”
Here’s what people are saying about my workshops and keynotes.
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