Tara Koehler and John Sammon have been educators in New York for over 20 years. From their roles in classrooms to their current roles as instructional coaches, they don’t lead from the sidelines. They get right in the game with the teachers to help them incorporate STEM, STEAM, and PBL in practical and efficient ways.
In addition to their classroom work, they provide PD with STEAM learning, steammachinepd.com, and just wrote a book outlining their best ideas for PBL,
The Tapas Approach to Project Based Learning, presents an innovative perspective on PBL by advocating a ‘small bites’ methodology. This approach emphasizes the benefits of breaking down complex educational concepts and processes into manageable, digestible segments, much like enjoying a variety of tapas in a meal.
Tara says “students learn best by doing rather than being told, and learning is not one-size-fits-all. Students should be actively engaged in their learning.” John agrees, “my intentions are to deepen understanding through authentic learning experiences, where children engage with fundamental questions about the world and how humans have investigated and found answers to those questions.”
Connect with Tara & Mike:
- Website: pbltapas.com
- Website for their PD: steammachinepd.com
- Twitter/X: @steammachinepd
- Twitter/X for John: @SammonSTEAM
- Twitter/X for Tara: @TKtalksSTEAM
Chris Woods is the host of the STEM Everyday Podcast… Connect with him:
- Website: dailystem.com
- Twitter/X: @dailystem
- Instagram: @dailystem
- YouTube: @dailystem
Get Chris’s book Daily STEM on Amazon
