WORK WITH JOHN
Over the last few years, I’ve had the chance to work with teachers all of the world. If you are interested in having me speak or present, please click below or email me at [email protected] and I’ll be in touch within 24 hours.
MOST POPULAR TOPICS
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.”
National Association for Gifted Children Annual Convention (NAGCA24) Keynote Photo by Alabastro Photography.
LET’S WORK TOGETHER
Let’s create custom workshops and keynotes that work for your group. 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.
WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING
Here’s what people are saying about my workshops and keynotes.
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AREAS OF EXPERTISE
PBL by Design
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.
Empowering Students with Voice and Choice
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.
Deep Innovation
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, The AI Roadmap, and my upcoming book The Depth Advantage.
RECENT AND UPCOMING SPEAKING ENGAGEMENTS
I’ve had the honor of speaking in 49 of the fifty states as well as Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, Columbia, England, Hong Kong, Ireland, the Netherlands, and Taiwan. Here are some of my recent and upcoming engagements.
January 7 – Workshop: Intentional AI (Newberg, OR)
January 24 – Keynote – Vintage Innovation – ABC Conference (Rock Hill, SC)
January 24 – Session – Better By Design: How to Empower Students in Virtual and Distance Learning Environments – ABC Conference (Rock Hill, SC)
January 28 – Keynote: How Do We Respond to the AI Revolution? (Bethesda, MD)
January 28 – Workshop: AI for Deeper Learning (Bethesda, MD)
February 14 – Keynote: How Will We Respond to the AI Revolution (Chardon, OH)
February 15 – Mini-Workshop: The AI Roadmap (Vancouver, CA)
February 20 – Keynote – How Should Educators Respond to the AI Revolution? – Learning and the Brain Conference (San Francisco, CA)
February 21 – Session – Building Student Ownership and Self-Direction Learning and the Brain Conference (San Francisco, CA)
February 21 – Session -: Seeing the Hidden Strengths and Potential in Neurodiversity in an AI Age – Learning and the Brain Conference (San Francisco, CA)
March 3 – Keynote: How Will We Respond to the AI Revolution (Irvine, CA)
March 3 – Session: Using AI for Differentiated Learning (Irvine, CA)
March 3 – Session: The Curious Classroom (Irvine, CA)
March 14 – Keynote – The New Teacher Mindset (Oneida, NY)
March 14 – Session – AI for Deeper Learning (Oneida, NY)
March 18 – Workshop – Curation and Design Thinking (Hong Kong, HK)
March 20 – Workshop – How Will We Respond to the AI Revolution? (Concord, NH)
March 21 – Workshop – Making the Most of Peer Assessment for Metacognition (Cleveland, OH)
March 24 – Workshop – The Curious Classroom (Seattle, WA)
March 31 – Workshop – How Will We Respond to the AI Revolution? (Newark, NY)
April 16 – Keynote – How Will We Respond to the AI Revolution? – Tarleton State University (Stephenville, TX)
April 16 – Workshop – AI for Productivity – Tarleton State University (Stephenville, TX)
April 18 – Keynote – How Will We Respond to the AI Revolution? (Elmwood Park, IL)
April 18 – Session – AI for Productivity and Differentiated Instruction (Elmwood Park, IL)
April 29 – Workshop – Intentional AI (Baranquilla, Columbia)
May 1 – Workshop – PBL for All (Portland, OR)
May 7 – Session – How Will We Respond to the AI Revolution? (Newberg, OR)
May 26-29 – Workshop – PBL by Design (Chandler, AZ)
June 2 – Session – How Will We Respond to the AI Revolution? (Lincoln, NE)
June 3-4 – Workshop – PBL by Design (Georgia)
June 16 – Keynote – How Will We Respond to the AI Revolution (Rocky River City, OH)
June 25 – Keynote – The Blueprint for Empowering Students (Kalispell, MT)
June 25 – Session – Leveraging Student Voice and Choice (Kalispell, MT)
June 26 – Session – Taking Voice and Choice to the Next Level (Kalispell, MT)
June 26 – Session – Getting Started with Design Thinking (Kalispell, MT)
June 27 – Keynote – Vintage Innovation – MindFlex Conference (Kilgore, TX)
June 27 – Session – TBA – MindFlex Conference (Kilgore, TX)