PBL By Design: Empowering Student Engagement and Real-World Learning with John Spencer is transformative 5-session live-virtual course designed to help educators implement high-impact project-based learning (PBL). This interactive cohort equips teachers with the tools to design meaningful, student-driven projects that foster creativity, critical thinking, and real-world problem-solving. Participants will learn how to structure PBL units that balance student choice with essential learning goals, develop scaffolds to support diverse learners, and integrate strategies to promote collaboration and engagement. By the end of the course, educators will leave with a fully developed PBL unit and a practical framework to make learning more authentic, accessible, and inspiring for students.

The RocketPD cohort experience is designed to give educators and school district leaders an actionable, affordable and convenient way to facilitate difficult but necessary strategic conversations and initiatives at a time when schools and school communities face both intense initiative fatigue and competing distractions. The live-virtual sessions give educators and school district leaders an easy and reliable way to collaborate with best-selling author, internationally-recognized speaker, college professor and former educator John Spencer and other colleagues from around the world on a topic of strategic importance to classroom teachers and their schools and districts. Individual teachers can register or school district teams can register select members of their building or central-office teams for open cohorts.

Delivered over five weeks, the program includes (5) scheduled structured learning conversations, delivered virtually over Zoom. Plus, password-protected access to the RocketPD Learning Portal, where participants can access the recordings for a limited time during the cohort experience. Upon completion, all registrants also receive a customized Certificate of Completion to share with their administrative team.

PBL by Design: Empowering Student Engagement & Real-World Learning with John Spencer is a (5)-session (90 minutes each) collaborative professional-learning experience for classroom teachers, instructional coaches and other instructional leaders. Participants will emerge with practical and proven strategies to integrate effective story and project-based learning units into their curricula and classroom projects.

The RocketPD cohort experience provides a unique opportunity for school district leadership and their teachers and staff teams to have candid conversations with internationally recognized educator, author and speaker John Spencer, with a focus on designing and implementing effective Project-Based Learning initiatives in classrooms. Unlike one-off seminars and keynote speeches, the cohort provides a clear opportunity for sustained development and the basis for a framework that teachers and other school leaders can use to create stronger, more supportive environments for improved student outcomes.

This (5)-session cohort-based experience will take place between October and November 2025. You can view the the full schedule, including dates and times in The Schedule section above. If you want to participate in this cohort, but the dates and times do not work for your schedule, keep in mind that, while live participation is always encouraged, the sessions are recorded and accessible via the RocketPD Learning Portal for a limited time. If you have a large team (50 or more), and the schedule dates and times do not work for you entire team, reach out using the form below to inquire about the formation of a custom cohort for your district.

If you’re interested in joining the PBL by Design: Empowering Student Engagement & Real-World Learning cohort with John Spencer cohort, save your spot now by following the button on this page. Once you sign up, you’ll receive more information about the program, including payment and invoicing details. You’ll also receive a detailed follow-up email with information about your cohort, including scheduled session dates and times. Should you have questions at any time throughout the process, you’ll receive the phone and email of our project coordinator to ensure a positive experience.