Welcome to STEAM Machine online
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At STEAM Machine Education Services, we are different because we teach in classrooms everyday. We understand the real challenges educators face. We will provide professional development relevant to teachers and tailored to meet the needs of our different partners.
We have developed a library of courses encompassing the collective subjects known as STEAM. Fundamentally, STEAM has brought about changes in the way we teach, learn, work and live, our courses will prepare teachers and the new generation of students for those changes.
To find out more about our current face-to-face and online courses for educators, follow the links at the top of the Home Page to navigate our subpages.
Note: For educators in our member districts (Dutchess, Orange, Schenectady, Ulster and Westchester Counties NY), we offer discount prices on our courses. We recommend that you contact us steammachinepd@gmail.com to arrange for a consultation so that we may custom tailor an experience to meet your needs.
Our Approach to Professional Development
Content Knowledge & Pedagogy
Our online professional learning is grounded in high-quality instructional practices aligned to the New York State Professional Development Standards. Sessions focus on strengthening teacher understanding of content, instructional design, student engagement, and evidence-based teaching strategies that can be applied immediately in the classroom.
Collaboration & Professional Learning Communities
We believe meaningful growth happens through collaboration. Our approach encourages educators to learn alongside colleagues through shared resources, discussion, reflection, and collaborative problem solving. Online learning opportunities are designed to build professional connections across grade levels, buildings, and districts.
Equity, Innovation & Student-Centered Learning
Our professional development supports equitable, inclusive, and future-ready learning environments. We help educators integrate innovative practices including STEAM, project-based learning, instructional technology, and AI-supported learning while keeping student voice, critical thinking, and authentic learning experiences at the center.
Sustained Growth & Reflective Practice
Professional learning should be ongoing, practical, and connected to real classroom implementation. Our online learning model emphasizes reflection, continuous improvement, and actionable next steps so educators can apply new learning over time, measure impact, and grow their instructional practice with confidence.
Explore our insights
Embark on a flavorful journey with the Second Edition of The Tapas Approach to Project-Based Learning, where the artistry of tapas meets the power of PBL. This expanded edition offers refined practices, fresh tools, and real-world examples shaped by years of classroom experience. Whether you’re sparking curiosity or designing dynamic student experiences, each chapter serves up practical strategies for today’s learners. Discover enhanced frameworks and inspiring reflections that help you reimagine education—one intentional, bite-sized idea at a time. Bon Appétit!
Ready to bring this work to life in your school or district?
Contact us today to schedule your Tapas Approach book club and start transforming teaching and learning—one intentional bite at a time.
Click the image to get your copy TODAY!
Click the image to get your copy TODAY!
Artificial intelligence isn’t coming—it’s already here. The question is no longer whether students will use AI, but whether they will learn to think, create, and lead responsibly alongside it.
Beyond the Algorithm: Reimagining STEAM and Project-Based Learning for a Human-Centered AI Future explores why Project-Based Learning is no longer optional in the AI age—it’s essential. As technology generates information instantly, the skills that matter most are uniquely human: creativity, judgment, ethical reasoning, collaboration, and purposeful problem solving.
Blending practical strategies with real classroom examples, this book provides a human-centered framework for integrating AI into meaningful learning experiences while keeping humans meaningfully in the loop.
Because in the future of education, the most powerful part of learning will never be the algorithm.
It will always be the human at the center of it.
Ready to bring this work to life in your school or district?
Contact STEAM Machine Innovations to schedule professional learning, workshops, consulting support, or a Beyond the Algorithm book study experience.
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This strategy for selecting and teaching word problems guides students to develop their understanding of math concepts.
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How math choice boards can enable new elementary teachers to meet the needs of their individual learners while employing mathematical rigor.
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Teachers can use artificial intelligence tools like ChatGPT to generate rich math tasks, develop number sense and differentiate instruction.
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Teachers can use learning progressions to give students a framework to build on their science knowledge, fostering curiosity and enthusiasm.
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Teachers can use these strategies to help students in develop skills that are crucial to scientific study and exploration.
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Introducing elementary students to ideas that apply across disciplines enhances their understanding of the sciences as an interconnected whole.
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A few tips for finding and working with partners to collaborate with students in hands-on project-based learning experiences.
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In project-based learning (PBL), teacher-created storylines are coherent and engaging narratives that serve as the foundation for organizing and guiding the learning experience.
Our Team
TARA KOEHLER
TARA KOEHLER
I have been an educator for over 20 years. My vision as a professional development specialist is to inspire teachers to incorporate 21st-century skills into their STEAM practices. 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. I work with teachers to create authentic learning experiences for their students that incorporate collaboration, communication, critical thinking, and creativity. Although I am a teacher, I am a forever student. I am always looking to grow as an educator.
Presenter:
ISTE Creative Constructor Lab 2020
NYSCATE Annual Conference 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023
Curriculum & Associates Annual Symposium 2023
JOHN SAMMON
JOHN SAMMON
I have been an educator for over two decades. My vision as a professional development specialist is to inspire learning through inquiry and exploration. I work with teachers and students to actively engage in the subjects collectively known as STEAM. 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.
Presenter:
ISTE Creative Constructor Lab 2020
NYSCATE Annual Conference 2020, 2021, 2022
Curriculum & Associates Annual Symposium 2023
Testimonials
“Tara and John delivered captivating sessions both virtually and in-person. They were able to engage teachers in meaningful activities which were both challenging and rewarding. The focus for the sessions was on actionable items that teachers could take back to their classrooms to immediately begin to address some philosophical shifts also presented in the sessions. Tara and John were also able to tailor the sessions to our school district’s needs, taking into account which programs we use and meeting our teachers where they are. I look forward to a lasting professional relationship with Steam Machine PD, and judging by the overwhelming positive feedback so are our teachers!”
-Michael Kovall, Assistant Director of Mathematics
Schenectady City School District
"The adult learning provided by STEAM Machine Education Services focuses not on a specific resource, but rather the art of teaching and learning. Each adult learning experience is focused on transforming the how and what of the educators practice in the classroom. A true systemic change in the "what and how" of teaching that was applicable regardless of the resource. This is what improved outcomes for all students. If this is your goal, this is your team!"
-Jessica Turner, Executive Director for Instructional Support
Ossining Union Free School District
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