For James, January has arrived at full pace — passport well-used, diary full, and learning conversations happening across continents.

The year began with depth rather than distance, as James engaged in an online book study with a school district in Redmond, Oregon — a sustained partnership focused on thinking, challenge, and professional dialogue over time. From there, he headed straight to Monaco, delivering a keynote at an international conference and exploring how schools worldwide are grappling with similar questions about learning, engagement, and purpose.

Just four days later, James was back online, presenting to a school district in Massachusetts, USA. Less than a week after that, he was co-presenting a webinar on explicit instruction with his mate Trent Burns in New South Wales — proof that meaningful professional learning doesn’t always require a shared physical space.

The travel then ramped up again: three days working with schools in Queensland, followed by three more in Western Australia. January wraps up where it began — back in Redmond for a full week alongside educators in the district, digging deeper into practice and impact.

And still, there’s no real pause. James’ first week home includes working with a Chinese group in London, supporting a school in Aberdeen, and then heading back to the USA to work with educators in Arizona.

Clearly, James doesn’t shy away from travel — or from the opportunity to work closely with schools and systems that want to strengthen learning through challenge, thinking, and evidence-informed practice. If your school or district is looking for engaging, research-rich professional learning that is grounded in classroom reality, James would love to work with you.

And, of course, if travel or timing isn’t quite right, there’s always PD-OD.com — giving you access to James’ wide breadth of knowledge, insights, and practical tools on your schedule and at your pace.

However your year has started, one thing is certain: the conversations about learning are well and truly underway.