John Sammon

Teacher | STEAM Professional Development Specialist | Speaker | Co-Author | The Tapas Approach to Project-Based Learning https:

[John Sammon @SammonSTEAM]

🚀 Exciting News! 🚀
We are so proud of Beyond the Algorithm which is officially available on Amazon today! https://t.co/Rxcn5swTET

We are incredibly grateful to @jmattmiller for writing the foreword and helping set the stage for the ideas and possibilities explored throughout the book.

In a world where the future is increasingly unknown, Project-Based Learning + AI (PBL-AI) isn’t just an approach, it’s the path forward for keeping humans meaningfully in the loop.@TKtalksSTEAM @WCSDEmpowers @drbonkwcsd

[WCSDEmpowers @WCSDEmpowers]

Another fantastic project-based learning collaboration: very proud to partner with Mid Hudson Regional Hospital again! This year, a total of 733 students participated: grades 1,3,4,5, and 6 worked with RCK high school students to create fidget boards that will entertain pediatric patients. These projects don’t just teach STEAM concepts: they develop empathy and build meaningful connections. PBL projects are a priority in our district, and we are very proud to offer them to our students! @drbonkwcsd @WMCHealth @SammonSTEAM @TKtalksSTEAM

[John Sammon @SammonSTEAM]

Last week, @WCSDEmpowers students at @sheaferoadrocks launched their rockets, and this morning the skies were perfect as students at @GayheadWCSD took flight as well. Every rocket was powered by @EstesRockets, and while the launches themselves were exciting, the real power was in the learning behind them. Students explored energy concepts, collaborated through their own Rocket Companies, and partnered with @MandT_Bank to connect their work to real-world thinking and problem solving. The launch may last only seconds, but the collaboration, creativity, and learning leading up to that moment are what truly matter. @TKtalksSTEAM @drbonkwcsd @steammachinepd #PBL

[WCSDEmpowers @WCSDEmpowers]

Rocket Launch today at Gayhead ES! Board members, administrators and staff joined our students and families for this exciting morning! @drbonkwcsd @SammonSTEAM @TKtalksSTEAM @GayheadWCSD

[WCSDEmpowers @WCSDEmpowers]

Congratulations Ketcham Racing: Ending the most recent Winners Circle Project season with the first place win at Lime Rock! @drbonkwcsd @KetchamNation

[Tara Koehler @TKtalksSTEAM]

The biggest AI adoption mistake schools make?

Starting with tools instead of pedagogy.

Tools change constantly.
Good instructional design lasts.

Our goal isn’t to teach students one specific AI platform.
It’s to teach them how to think critically, ethically, and purposefully about AI — no matter what tool exists next year.

Human-centered.
Purpose-driven.
Future-ready.

We want students to:
• Question AI outputs
• Evaluate accuracy and bias
• Understand when AI should and shouldn’t be used
• Use AI to deepen learning — not replace thinking
• Transfer these habits across any platform or technology

Because the future isn’t about mastering one tool.
It’s about developing thoughtful humans who can navigate an AI-powered world responsibly.

@SammonSTEAM @steammachinepd
#PBLAI #Humancentered

Check out some of our freebies at https://t.co/nyqiRecskF

[Central Hudson @CentralHudson]

✨Nearly 200 4th graders from @WCSDEmpowers took the lead for one-of-a-kind STEAM showcase at Central Hudson yesterday!

Students created interactive energy-themed escape rooms and guided our team through their work 💡⚡

Proud to support hands-on learning and future innovators 👏

🔗Check out their projects: https://t.co/1P5jNKAz1a

#STEAM #CommunityPartnerships #WappingersNY #EnergyEducation #HudsonValley

[Tara Koehler @TKtalksSTEAM]

What’s next for us?

More conversations.
More workshops.
More writing.
More helping educators design for what’s next.

Because the future isn’t just about preparing students for careers.
It’s about preparing them to think critically, collaborate meaningfully, solve real problems, and lead with empathy.

In a world increasingly shaped by AI, automation, and rapid change, schools must intentionally design experiences that help students become adaptable thinkers, ethical decision-makers, creative communicators, and compassionate humans.

We believe this work is only becoming more urgent.

Want to see what this looks like in action? Explore our past STEAM/PBL work on our website — and stay tuned for our 2025–2026 showcase. We’re just getting started.
@SammonSTEAM @WCSDEmpowers

#PBL #STEAMEducation
#FutureReady #AIinEducation
#HumanCenteredLearning
#PortraitOfAGraduate

https://t.co/kp66Wwqb1y

[John Sammon @SammonSTEAM]

From the classroom to the hospital ward, this is learning in action. 

Project-based learning is fundamentally shifting how students interact with their knowledge.

Fifth graders at @MyersTigersRoar drew on their food web knowledge to draft fidget board designs and create videos, sending both to @KetchamNation, where manufacturing students fabricated the boards and added QR codes linking to those videos. Today, they returned to Myers for testing, ensuring everything is ready for donation to the pediatric ward at Mid Hudson Regional Hospital, where the boards will comfort kids during treatment. 

Previous years’ tabletop games and musical instruments were also on hand for students to explore.

This is what it looks like when students use their knowledge to create something meaningful for someone else, bridging the gap between elementary and high school, and showing what #PBL can truly be. @TKtalksSTEAM @WCSDEmpowers @drbonkwcsd

#ProjectBasedLearning #BridgingTheGap #StudentMakers #MidHudson

[Tara Koehler @TKtalksSTEAM]

Authenticity changes everything.

Students work differently when:
• The audience is real
• The stakes are real
• The problem is real

Authenticity is not a PBL add-on.
It’s a design principle.

Today, our 4th and 6th grade students presented their learning experiences and final products to Central Hudson and WCSD personnel. Students taught adults about the role energy concepts play in a utility company and how those ideas connect to the real world.

This wasn’t students completing an assignment.

This was students using their voices, their thinking, and their learning to contribute something meaningful.
@SammonSTEAM @WCSDEmpowers @drbonkwcsd @CentralHudson @j_sammon

[John Sammon @SammonSTEAM]

5 years of partnership with @CentralHudson, and it keeps getting better! Today 160 students from 6th grade at Evans Elementary, 4th grade @FishkillFrogs & Brinkerhoff Elementary built virtual breakout rooms to present their PBL work. CH’s VP said: “It’s been a wonderful community partnership.” Our Superintendent noted students came in with index cards, nervous at first, then relaxed and owned the room. One student admitted nerves presenting to adults, but loved the chance to show what he created. Their work is now housed on Central Hudson’s Kids Corner for all to see! 🙌 This is the power of Innovative School Boards, Superintendents, and Community Partners committed to making a difference in students’ lives in the age of AI through PBL. @TKtalksSTEAM @WCSDEmpowers @drbonkwcsd #PBL #CentralHudson #StudentSuccess #FutureReady #AIinEducation

[WCSDEmpowers @WCSDEmpowers]

Wonderful morning celebrating our continued partnership with @CentralHudson! As part of our project-based learning curriculum, elementary students used science knowledge to design virtual escape rooms that illustrate energy concepts; they will be shared on the Central Hudson Kid’s Corner webpage. WCSD Superintendent Dr. Bonk and Central Hudson’s Senior VP of Engineering and Operations, Eric Kiszkiel, thanked the all of those who play a part in making this happen: staff, the WCSD Board of Ed, and most of all, our students. They were able to share their projects at today’s celebration, and their pride was obvious! Fantastic work by all. @drbonkwcsd @SammonSTEAM @TKtalksSTEAM

[RossRadio @cqcqcqdx]

Lubricating switches the safest way possible!
Paintball guns using paintballs filled with lube ?

[John Sammon @SammonSTEAM]

Today I became an editor.

A sixth grader is the reason why.

Full story → https://t.co/xbrJxRUEn2 @TKtalksSTEAM @WCSDEmpowers @drbonkwcsd

[John Sammon @SammonSTEAM]

There’s more to this including what teachers who navigate it well actually do differently https://t.co/Gb3wiS6QzT

[John Sammon @SammonSTEAM]

Productive struggle isn’t a technique.

It’s a relationship between a teacher who holds the difficulty and a student who learns they can tolerate more than they thought. @TKtalksSTEAM @DitchThatTxtbk

[John Sammon @SammonSTEAM]

Longer version with some other practical ways through it here https://t.co/tfD1xkTsaa

[John Sammon @SammonSTEAM]

Coverage pressure doesn’t win because teachers are lazy or resistant. It wins because choosing depth over coverage is a professional risk most teachers can’t afford.

The system isn’t irrational. It’s optimizing for the wrong thing.

That’s a harder truth than most PBL advocates want to sit with.

Start with one unit, not a whole course. Find the standards that cluster naturally around a real problem worth solving. You’re not abandoning coverage,  you’re being strategic about where depth earns its keep. @TKtalksSTEAM @steammachinepd

[John Sammon @SammonSTEAM]

As AI continues entering classrooms, one thing feels more important than ever:

Keeping sound pedagogy and humans at the forefront of learning.

Technology should support great teaching, not replace the thinking, collaboration, creativity, reflection, and productive struggle that make learning meaningful.

We are very fortunate @WCSDEmpowers to have opportunities to practically explore and apply these ideas daily alongside students, teachers, administrators, and community partners in real classrooms. That ongoing work continues shaping these resources and pushing our thinking forward.

https://t.co/c9ntZzxCWt

These new free PBL+AI resources were designed to help educators thoughtfully integrate AI while keeping students meaningfully in the loop.

These newest resources focus on:
1. Human-centered decision making
2. Human-AI collaboration
4. Authentic audiences and real-world impact
5. Productive struggle and deeper thinking
6. Purpose-driven learning before prompting

Included:
• Humans Meaningfully in the Loop Checklist
• Authentic Audience Planning Map
• Human-AI Teaming Spectrum
• Productive Struggle Decision Guide
• Purpose Before Prompting Framework

In a world where AI can generate information instantly, these tools are designed to help students remain thinkers, creators, collaborators, and decision-makers, not passive consumers of outputs.

Free resources for educators to use as anchor charts, notebook supports, planning tools, or LMS resources.@TKtalksSTEAM @DitchThatTxtbk @drbonkwcsd

[Tara Koehler @TKtalksSTEAM]

Kindergarteners aren’t too young for real PBL.

When students design pinball machines to demonstrate pushes, pulls, and collisions… that’s learning transfer in action. 🎯

Content knowledge matters. Transfer matters more.

The real question isn’t:
“What facts did students memorize?”

It’s:
“What can they do with what they know?”

Kindergarten students applied their science learning by designing and testing pinball machines. They used their understanding of pushes, pulls, and collisions to build, revise, and explain how motion changed during their designs.

That’s authentic PBL in action — even with our youngest learners.
@SammonSTEAM @WCSDEmpowers @steammachinepd @dailystem @levelupsophie
#PBL #PBLtapas #NGSS