Dr. Jorge Valenzuela
@jorgedoespbl
Keynotes, Coaching & Consulting in Instructional Innovation, AI-Enabled Project-Based Learning, and Leading Through Conflict.
Differentiation doesn’t have to mean a different lesson for every student. My 6-Step Framework offers one practical structure for teachers who need more support organizing their daily learning block. Article: www.edutopia.org/article/diff... Template: drive.google.com/file/d/17MFZ... #Edusky
Seeing the ideas from *Instructional Innovation+* come alive in schools has been one of the best parts of writing it. 📘 Strengthen teaching through collaboration, action research, data, and reflection. Grab your signed copy: www.lifelonglearningdefined.com/product-page... #edusky
Grateful to Tia Johnson and Central Consolidated School District for inviting me to keynote convocation in New Mexico. What stayed with me most was the pride, warmth, and deep connection to Indigenous culture and community. Lead with love. Teach with purpose. ❤️
Strong communication with students and families starts with having a plan. I share 5 practical ways to get started in this @edutopia.org article. www.edutopia.org/article/deve...
In 2014, I came to Radford nervous for one of my first speaking opportunities. Mrs. Swing encouraged me to keep going. 12 years later, I returned as the Convocation Keynote Speaker. Never underestimate the power of believing in someone early. #Education #Leadership
Teachers should not have to walk into chaos every day. As leaders prepare for the new year, calm, clarity, and consistency must begin at the top. That is the heart of Leading Through Conflict, which I am facilitating across the country this summer.
Attention, Virginia and Richmond area educators! The first keynote I ever experienced was Ron Clark at a Richmond City Public Schools convocation around 2005 or 2006. After watching him on stage, I remember thinking, I want to do that one day. I want to make people feel the way he made us feel.
Professional learning should energize people, strengthen practice, and improve outcomes. I help schools and organizations through keynotes, coaching, and workshops on instructional innovation, PBL and AI literacy, and leading through conflict. #EduSky
Celebrating the freedoms we cherish and the people who make life meaningful. Happy Fourth of July! 🇺🇸
At Thompson Middle School, students didn't just complete projects. They identified problems, researched solutions, developed proposals, created physical models, practiced presentations, and prepared to defend their thinking before an audience. #PBLPlus #ProjectBasedLearning #Education #AILiteracy
Today I’m grateful for the privilege of raising my children, learning alongside them, & doing my best to lead by example. To all the fathers, stepfathers, grandfathers, mentors, & father figures—thank you for showing up, staying present, & helping shape the next generation. Happy Father’s Day.
Conflict isn't always about other people. Sometimes it's about: • Emotional reactivity • Weak boundaries • Sharing before healing The Emotional Acuity Framework™ was designed to help leaders navigate all 3. Part of my upcoming book, Leading Through Conflict. #Leadership #LeadingThroughConflict
Relationships are like tennis. You hit the ball over the net, and they hit it back. How people respond. How they communicate. How they handle conflict. Their response tells you a lot. Not everyone earns access. 🎥 youtu.be/jIXo-PFXe3w?...
Most PBL is missing the structure that makes it work. Real PBL requires challenge, authenticity, collaboration, public products, project management, and reflection. Learn more here: www.edutopia.org/article/simp... #PBLplus #Education #InstructionalLeadership #JorgeDoesPBL #Edusky
One big instructional mistake schools make happens before lessons even begin. Before the initiative. Before the technology. Before the program. We stop asking: “What do students actually need?” #InstructionalInnovationPlus #InstructionalLeadership #Education #JorgeDoesPBL #Edusky
Reactive leadership creates unstable cultures. Strong leaders are not controlled by pressure, conflict, or emotion. They pause, regulate, and respond with intention. One of the core ideas explored in my “Leading Through Conflict” leadership series. #Leadership #EmotionallyIntelligentLeadership
Education is changing fast. AI alone will not transform learning. Strong instruction, emotionally intelligent leadership, and meaningful human connection still matter more than ever. Looking forward to speaking at ISTE + ASCD 2026. Learn more here: bit.ly/4dSk8Ps
Today we honor and remember the brave men and women who gave their lives in service to our country. Grateful for their sacrifice. Wishing everyone a meaningful Memorial Day.
AI DOESN’T FIX BAD INSTRUCTION. Strong instructional design still matters most in the age of AI. Harvard Project Zero’s Visible Thinking research reinforces the importance of making student thinking observable through reflection, reasoning, and authentic tasks. #EduSky #AILiteracy #PBLplus
MOST SCHOOLS DON’T HAVE AN INSTRUCTIONAL IMPROVEMENT SYSTEM. Research from John Hattie’s Visible Learning work found collective teacher efficacy to be one of the strongest influences on student achievement.
STOP EXPLAINING YOUR BOUNDARIES. Maslach & Leiter’s burnout research showed that chronic interpersonal stress contributes heavily to emotional exhaustion. A lot of good people are drained because they keep explaining basic respect to people who already understood the line they crossed.
One of the biggest leadership mistakes in schools is constantly changing priorities before existing practices are fully supported and implemented. Research: RAND State of the Teacher Survey Deci & Ryan’s Self-Determination Theory Clarity + trust matter. www.edutopia.org/article/supp... #EduSky
YOUR GUT ISN’T JUST A FEELING. The Enteric Nervous System contains more than 100 million neurons communicating between the gut and brain through the vagus nerve. Research from Dr. Michael Gershon’s work on the “second brain” helped explain why intuition can feel so real physiologically.
ENGAGEMENT DRIVES ACHIEVEMENT. John Hattie’s Visible Learning research found teacher clarity and classroom discussion among the strongest influences on student learning. Students learn more deeply when they are actively engaged in rigorous instruction. #EduSky #InstructionalLeadership #Education
Happy Mother’s Day to all the mothers, grandmothers, mentors, and mother figures who lead with love, sacrifice, wisdom, and strength. Wishing you a beautiful and blessed Mother’s Day.
New leaders feel pressure to prove themselves fast. But research tells a different story. Trust develops through ability, integrity, and benevolence—not speed (Mayer, Davis & Schoorman, 1995). Listen first. Learn the system. Then lead. Episode: YouTube: www.youtube.com/watch?v=bAEO... #EduSky
Most lessons don’t fail during work time—they fail before it. Tier 1 should: clear goal, model thinking, define expectations. Rosenshine (2012) showed modeling + guided practice are critical. Read more about Tier 1 here: www.edutopia.org/article/5-ke... #EduSky
Hard work alone doesn’t build skill. Consistency does. Ericsson (1993): Expert performance develops through deliberate, repeated practice—not one-time effort. Pattern holds across fields: practice → competence → confidence Most people stop too early. #EduSky
You’re not asking for too much. You’re asking for what you’ve finally seen modeled the right way. The responsibility is this: become what you’re seeking. Full episode: Spotify: open.spotify.com/episode/7ce6... YouTube: www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ZSM... #EduSky
