Evidence-based strategies from the only student motivation expert still teaching 100+ students per day

📗 Author of The Will to Learn 🎤 250+ career speaking engagements ⭐️ Featured Speaker at International Literacy Association Conference 👨‍🏫 Active high school teacher since 2006

Professional Development Services focused on cultivating student motivation

“Your work has single-handedly been the biggest influence in my pedagogy… I'm literally using things I learned from you every single day!”

— Ashley Y., Instructional Coach & Teacher

The most impactful use of my visit to your school will be using my expertise on how teachers can create the conditions that help students care about learning. The best places to learn more about my approach to this topic are via my book or this guide (which branches out into many links to allow you to dig deeper).

Formats

I can effectively bring this content to your group's mind and hearts in all of the following formats:

• Keynote (60-90 minutes)
• Keynote with breakouts (e.g., I speak to the whole group in the morning and am then one of the session options later in the day)
  • State- or regional-level organizations typically select this when they want me to speak at their annual conference. It allows interested participants to get “more” of me, and also allows you to produce a well-rounded event that's not just focused on a single speaker and his limited topics.
• An extended workshop (2.5-5 hours)
  • Most client schools find 2.5-3.5 hours to be the ideal length for a school-based workshop with me.

Content

In whatever time frame you use my services for, my objectives are always the same in an initial visit. I want participants to leave with a working understanding of:

• how the Five Key Beliefs function to both explain student demotivation issues and act proactively to solve them
• how Credibility is the belief most within teacher control and can be cultivated strategically using Moments of Genuine Connection
• how the Value belief is critical, especially in light of disruptions from COVID and AI, and can be cultivated via both apologetic teacher Mini-Sermons and student-generated Valued Within exercises
• how student Effort (growth mindset) is often under-developed because we don't teach students how to do the work of learning our classes require (this problem will be solved with the Woodenization strategy)

The best way for leaders to get a sense of my style and approach is to use the links in the bulleted list above, starting at the top. For a much more in-depth approach, The Will to Learn will give you a comprehensive picture of my methodology.

A single visit isn't just a single visit

In all of the single-visit arrangements I create with client schools and organizations, my goal is to help create a movement around the timeless principles and practices I write about in The Will to Learn. To help with this, our contract will include the following items:

• Pre-visit meeting(s) to ensure my messaging aligns with your areas of need.
• Post-visit meeting(s) to help troubleshoot implementation problems as they arise. Basically, during the year of our engagement, I become one of your thought partners in leading the changes you seek in your school.
• An extended learning resource that enables you to continue providing professional development on the topic (most commonly, schools prefer my video-based mini-course on Teacher Credibility).

Basically, my time is precious to me because time = life. As a practicing classroom teacher, I don't have a bunch. So when I come to your setting for in-person professional development, I want it to help you achieve the change you seek as much as possible. That is why the above bullet points exist — lots of trial and error and tweaking to make my visit do what you hope it will do.

Extended, multi-year partnerships

Some schools wish to secure my services for multiple years during the time of booking. Extended partnerships like this are especially advantageous for leaders who are trying to make The Will to Learn a focus for years. Since the book's publication in 2023, I've worked with several schools in this manner and, as of the time of this writing (August 2025), we are seeing significant fruit coming from these partnerships.

A note on funding sources

• Many schools with funding for initiatives like MTSS, PBIS, or teacher retention have found it fairly simple to weave my services into these allocations.

Want more info?

Below, you'll find:

• Frequently Asked Questions my professional development services
• testimonials — what do teachers say about my services?
• an exhaustive list of my prior experience leading professional development experiences all over the place

Frequently Asked Questions about Dave's Curated Professional Learning Services

Does Dave offer keynotes?

I delight in keynotes. I've given keynotes at various state-level conferences, and I was a Featured Speaker at the International Literacy Association's 2019 annual conference. This video does a good job giving a sense of my keynotes, although it is a bit dated.

When districts hire me, they sometimes like me to give a K-12 keynote to start off a PD day, and then they ask me to lead a breakout or two during the late morning and/or early afternoon that is specifically geared to secondary literacy, a specific chapter of my book, or student motivation. This keynote-breakout format works quite well.

Does Dave do remote keynotes? And are they cool?

He does and they are! Here's feedback from a remote keynote he did for a diverse group of support professionals in Lawrence, MA:

What happens when I contact Dave using the form on this page?

When you complete the form at the bottom of this page, I receive an email. The more information you can give me about your needs, your district, and your timeline, the quicker our conversation can get productive. Once I receive your email, I like to set up a phone conversation to get to know the needs of your group better. In this conversation, we can discuss my latest rate information as well.

Once we transition from the inquiry phase to a contract, I like to schedule a conference call so that I have optimal clarity on what you and your team are hoping for from my visit. This allows me to build a dossier on your specific school/district/organizational needs, and I study this in advance of my visit to ensure a fit between the learning experience I bring and the unique culture of your group its journey.

When I'm in town for your event, I'm often asked by leadership groups to share a meal together. While I don't expect such a generous gift of your time, I do welcome the chance to break bread with and learn from you.

What's the best way to make use of Dave's visit?

The most powerful use of my visit is to have your teachers thinking about my work before I come. A school-sponsored study of one of my books, These 6 Things or The Will to Learn, always works well — as does purchasing a few licenses to one of my asynchronous courses. (Let me know if you're interested in group rates for my book or my courses.) You can also have your leaders begin forwarding blog articles I've written or ask your teachers to subscribe.

The more credible I am with your staff before I walk in, the quicker they'll be to listen to me. The more of my material that your staff knows in advance of my visit, the more they'll retain from our time together.

What does Dave do to ensure teacher engagement during a professional development session?

As an experienced classroom teacher and professional development facilitator, I intuitively monitor engagement throughout a session and make on-the-fly adjustments as needed. Like all good teachers, I incorporate illustrative anecdotes, practical examples (e.g., classroom video clips), and processing activities to ensure that real learning is taking place. For the researcher types in an audience, I cite all of my research and include generous references to articles, books, and studies for further exploration.

My goal in a given PD or speaking situation is for everyone to win: participants learn, leaving encouraged and equipped; the folks who hired me feel accomplished, having selected a guy who gave a great experience for all involved; and I win, because I've learned from your group and had my thinking sharpened by the questions and insights that come out of our time together.

What is Dave's speaking style like?

I've been described as “down to earth,” as someone who “gets it,” and as “the colleague down the hall.” If you're looking for edutainment, stand-up comedy, or emotionalism, I would recommend that you keep looking. I'm just an earnest colleague trying to get to the bottom of how we produce more learning in our schools with less stress for all of us. In general, teachers of all stripes really appreciate this, and I'm able to encourage buy-in for the essential work that sustained school improvement is built on.

You can see lots of examples of my speaking over at my Youtube channel.

Does Dave do administrative strategy work?

The volume of research, writing, and school visits that I've completed gives me a unique perspective that leadership teams often appreciate. I'm happy to talk with you more about an administrative series in which I work with your leadership team to clarify where the biggest opportunities lie for your school's quest to promote the long-term flourishing of young people. Use the contact form at the bottom of this page to get that conversation going.

Is there a flyer I can give to my administration to encourage them to contact Dave about coming to my school for PD?

As a matter of fact, there is. You can access it here.

Here's what colleagues are saying about what it's like to learn with Dave

I've been teaching English for 14 yrs (10 in public schools) and your training was honestly one of the best because it isn't a canned, artificial, rote or cumbersome approach. You are genuine, and so is your approach.

Liz, a charter school teacher in AZ

As a full faculty, we have gained an actionable understanding of the student beliefs that lead them to do work, and care about its quality. Because we have engaged with the ideas over time, it's not just a common vocabulary–it's an actual shared understanding. Since Dave is still in the classroom himself, he has a credibility among teachers that many presenters lack. He has a way of opening people up to share their honest thoughts, and no matter how tricky the topic, the tone is always light, hopeful, and affirming. There's an authenticity to Dave's work that is unique and refreshing.

Diane Wanamaker, Principal at Oak Canyon Middle School in Lindon, UT

I discovered Dave via his blog and the more I read the more I knew his voice was the one that our faculty needed to hear. As we entered our 4th year of professional development focused on resilience building, the time was ripe for an outside voice with an insider's perspective. We are halfway through a year long journey with Dave and as we survey our staff after each monthly  PD session the words that consistently reverberate K-12 are: curious, excited, encouraged and VALIDATED. Dave delivers the beliefs in manageable, sustainable and engaging ways and is taking our efforts and turning them into a practice and culture that will carry-on long after our last meeting with him. 

Lindsay Luetje, Dean of Students at Telstar Middle School in Bethel, ME

You were a breath of fresh air. Thank you for putting the wind in our sails before we embarked on another school year.

Anonymous in Columbia, MO

This presentation left me excited and energized, rather than drained and numb (like most PDs). Jam packed full of practical, apply-immediately type of material.

Anonymous in Doral, FL

It was so incredibly refreshing to hear from a teacher that is still in the classroom and facing the difficulties we face. I also felt validated by the idea that we are needed elsewhere in the world other than our classroom and should be preserving that time.

Whitney of Rootstown, OH

After nearly 20 years of teaching, my automatic response to PD is usually defensiveness. You managed to bring down that wall very quickly and because you seemed to value other teaching experiences and gave us time to talk about real things, this was definitely one of the best PDs I've attended. Thank you!

Anonymous of Rootstown, OH

After 25 years in education it’s the first time I felt relaxed after a conference (due to your keynote message and final session) because you changed my focus

Julie of Kalispell, MT

I am honestly scoring this high because it was TRULY relevant because it came from an educator that is teaching right now and TRULY understands the demands of a classroom currently. I had a ton of take aways that I am implementing right now.

Josie of Casper, WY

Best PD of my career.

Heather of Rio Rancho, NM

“Down to earth, engaging, authentic, practical.”  These are just a few of the words my staff used in describing Dave after our recent workshop, which centered on the ideas presented in These Six Things.   

In my nearly 20 years in education, I’ve experienced only a few PD opportunities that I would describe as transformational.  Dave’s workshop was one of them!   

Dave combines his deep, well-researched knowledge base with real-life examples from his own classroom and presents all of it with a level of sincerity, passion, clarity, and humility that are extraordinarily compelling.

Every teacher in your building will benefit from this workshop, not only because of Dave’s extensive focus on cultivating the right teaching mindset, but also because he works diligently to make applications across the curriculum.

In fact, within two days of his workshop, teachers in every department in our school were trying out a strategy or applying a principle that Dave presented to us.  And not because we required it, but because they actually saw value and believed that Dave’s ideas could improve the quality of their teaching and help them remain joyful and invested in the work— for the long haul.  

Dave was responsive, generous with his time and resources, and eager to ensure that he provided us with an experience tailored to our needs.  I recommend him enthusiastically, and with every confidence that your school community will benefit in deeply-felt and long-lasting ways.

John Tanner, Alfred G. Waters Middle School, Delaware

I appreciate your candidness and can only say please continue to deliver PD in the same straight-forward manner.

Matt of Attica, NY (high school ELA)

I most appreciated your total understanding of a teacher's job because you ARE a teacher. What a difference that makes in PD.

Pattie L. of Turlock, California (6th grade, all subjects)

You are honest, and that means a lot since you are in the trenches like us. You know the challenges.

Heather N. of California (AgBio, Environmenal Horticulture, and Animal Science high school teacher)

I appreciated your wit, your sense of humor, and your relaxed sense of being. Your students must love you!

Jane D. of California (5th grade social studies)

I appreciated that you gave us just the right amount of time for table discussions and action planning; you also showed us video of some of the strategies as you use them in your own classroom.

Monica H. of California (English 9 teacher)

(I have former client references available upon request. Please request via the contact form at the bottom of this page.)

Dave's experience as a speaker and professional learning facilitator

At this point, I've completed over 250 speaking engagements on the topics of student motivation and literacy.

These include gigs in: Hillsboro, WI; DeFuniak Springs, FL; New Buffalo, MI; Chamberlain, SD; Middletown, VA; Macon, GA; Tahoe City, NV; Auburn, NE; Owasso, OK; Waterbury, CT; Mt. Calvary, WI; Wisconsin Dells, WI; Troy, MO; Anderson, SC; Lake Ozark, MO; Kentwood, MI; Ravenna, OH; Troy, NY; Wahpeton, ND; Chattanooga, TN; Princeton, MN; Hamilton, MI; Palmdale, CA; Northville, MI; Kenowa, MI; Teays Valley, OH; Arlington, TX; Russelville, AR; Ames, IA; San Diego, CA; Conway, AR; Belleville, IL; Linden, CA; Broadlbin, NY; Dixon, MO; New Richland, MN; Cedar Lake, IN; Omaha, NE; Crocker, MO; West Platte, MO; Winsted, CT; Maricopa, AZ; Cache County, UT; Edmond, OK; Williamsburg, VA; Anchorage, AK; Clarksville, TN; Irvine, CA; Rochester, NY; Bethel, ME; Lawrence, MA; Boston, MA; Casper, WY; Columbia, MO; Kalispell, MT; Lindon, UT; Monument, CO; Rootstown, OH; Los Alamos, NM; Naples, FL; Doral, FL; Manila, Philippines; Nye County, NV; Vancouver, BC; Detroit, MI; Alberta, CA; Charlevoix, MI; Fort Zumwalt, MO; Grandville, MI; East Grand Rapids, MI; Redding, CA; Cedar Springs, MI; Rio Rancho, NM; Wittenburg, WI; Phnom Penh, Cambodia (Logos School); St. George, UT; Muncie, IN; Ronan, MT; Bakersfield, CA; St. Charles, MI; Baltimore, MD; Gillett, WI; New Orleans, LA; Pablo, MT; Fremont, MI; Bethel Park, PA; Brisbane, Australia; Columbus, OH; Denver, CO; Crystal Mountain, MI; Collinsville, IL; Houston, TX; Arkansas City, KS; Middletown, DE; Boise, ID; Hailey, ID; St. Louis, MO; Wausau, WI; Madison, WI; Normal, IL; Palatine, IL; Dearborn, MI; Beavercreek, OH; Turtle Lake, WI; Weston, MO; Murfreesboro, TN; Las Vegas, NV; Cincinnati, OH; Flint, MI; Raleigh, NC; Atlanta, GA; DeSoto, MS; Austin, TX; Grafton, WI; Dubuque, IA; Berwyn South, IL; Round Rock, TX; Desert Sands, CA; Dublin, OH; Chicago, IL; Oshkosh, WI; Centralia, IL; Glassboro, NJ; Minneapolois, MN; Plainwell, MI; Bethel, WA; Mobile, AL; Vancouver, WA; Cleveland, OH; Parma, MI; Charleston, IL (Eastern Illinois University); Attica, NY; Turlock, CA; Sacramento, CA; Allendale, MI; New Lothrop, MI; Hartsburg, IL; Independence, CA; Bishop, CA; Oak Brook Terrace, IL; Louisville, KY (American College of Education); Royal Oak, MI; Peterborough, NH; Lebanon, MO; Harrah, OK.

Bring Dave to your setting!

I'd love to have a conversation about your school's journey: where you've been, where you are, and where you'd like to be. Just use the form below and I'll be in touch!