“Most learning is not the result of instruction. It is rather the result of unhampered participation in a meaningful setting.”

- Ivan Illich

“PBL Associates helps teachers provide meaningful settings where both structured (ie: monitored and accountable) and unstructured (ie: self-monitored and self-accountable) participation occurs.”

- PBL Associates

Our Staff

Tristan de Frondeville, MS

After 15 years in K-16 classrooms, Tristan has devoted over 10 years to School Redesign, Teacher Professional Development, and Curriculum Design. He has conducted workshops for over 3000 teachers and administrators in the U.S. and abroad on topics such as: "Project-Based Learning", "Using Technology in the Classroom", "Small School Design", "STEM Education and PBL", and "Summer School Design using PBL." Tristan has presented to audiences at conferences such as: California Mathematics Council Northern Section Annual Conference, Oracle Education Foundation ThinkQuest Live, North Carolina New Schools Thinking and Learning Conference, North Carolina STEM Initiative Summer Institute, as well as the Ministry of Education for the Kingdom of Jordan, and the Government of New Brunswick, Canada.

Tristan has also written curriculum for Apple Computer, Britannica.com, SRI International, Monterey Institute for Technology and Education, National Semiconductor, National Public Television, and National Public Radio.

As a teacher, Tristan focused on turning learning into a truly active process, focusing on minimizing 'dead time', and maximizing 'engaged time.' Learning mathematics involves working with the tripod of SKILLS (both PAPER and MENTAL!), PROBLEM SOLVING, and CONCEPTUAL UNDERSTANDING. Tristan 's teaching emphasizes deep, conceptual understanding in a problem solving environment rich in common sense and real-world examples. Skills are thus motivated in a natural way. He creates a culture of respect for all efforts and then guides students to develop strategies that will enhance their problem solving capacities for the rest of their lives.

Tristan holds an M.S. in mathematics from Tufts University and a California Single Subject Credential and has taught workshops and mathematics in elementary school, middle school, high school, college and private tutoring for 25 years.

Thom Markham, Ph.D.

Thom Markham, Ph.D., is a native Californian with 30 years experience in training, education, and human performance.  For the past 20 years, he has been active in developing exemplary educational projects both nationally and globally. He has served as a Director with Active Learning, Inc., an innovative motivational and learning skills camp program for high school and college students. For seven years, he taught at an award-winning high school, where he led school reform efforts and developed highly-acclaimed academy and internship-based programs. In fall, 2003, Thom founded the Marin School of Arts and Technology, an innovative charter high school in Novato, California. From 2002 through 2006, Thom served as Associate Director for Strategic Initiatives for the Buck Institute for Education, where he led BIE efforts to establish global training programs in project based learning and youth development. He is the principal author of BIE’s Project Based Learning Handbook, now in its third printing with nearly 20,000 copies sold in over 50 countries.

Thom has worked closely with a variety of educational organizations, including: the National High School Alliance; Melinda and Bill Gates Foundation; school management organizations such as High Tech High, New Technology Foundation, Envision Schools, and EdVisions; the U.S. Department of Education Fund for the Improvement of Post Secondary Education; WestEd; North Carolina New Schools Project; Career Academy Support Network; California Tech-Prep Consortium; Oracle Educational Foundation; George Lucas Educational Foundation; and international organizations such as iEARN and the Academy for Educational Development.

Thom has conducted workshops for over 2000 teachers in the U.S. and abroad, and presented to audiences at conferences sponsored by leading organizations such as: Co-Nect; Modern Red Schoolhouse; Association for Supervision, Curriculum and Development; Kean University; California Association of Charter Schools; National Academy Foundation; International Conference on Problem Based Learning; International Conference on Multiple intelligences, Problem Solving and Creativity; Ministry of Education, Malaysia; and Ministry of Education, and the Kingdom of Jordan.

Thom holds a Ph.D. in Psychology from Saybrook Graduate School and Research Center. His interest in education is accompanied by a strong focus on the mental and emotional health of students, including research in psychophysiology, stress management, and peak performance. In that capacity, he is a licensed instructor for the Resilient Educators program of the Institute of HeartMath and offers workshops on emotional intelligence to corporations and businesses. He received his undergraduate degree in Zoology from the University of California, Berkeley, and a Master's Degree in Political Science from UCLA. He also holds a Certificate in Teaching English as a Second Language from Sonoma State University.

Sara Armstrong, Ph.D.

Sara Armstrong began her educational career in 1973 when she completed Montessori preschool training. She taught at Berkeley Montessori School for four years, and then opened her own Montessori elementary school, Terra Nuova Montessori School, in Hayward, California. The school enrolled students in grades 1-6, and ran for 11 years.

Sara holds two B.A.s—one in English from California State University, Los Angeles, and one in psychology from California State University, Sonoma. She completed her work for a California credential, a Master's program in leadership and reading, and a Ph.D. in the philosophy of education at the University of California, Berkeley.

Sara was a pioneer in putting kids in touch with kids they wouldn't ordinarily meet. In the early 1980's, Sara's school was linked by Atari 800 computers and 300 baud modems to a school in Forest Hill, CA, for weekly interactive "book talks." She saw the power of the computer for communication and sharing.

Her work as a professional developer began early on, when she taught Montessori curriculum classes, and then technology integration classes in the mid 1980's. She is often asked to keynote and speak at conferences, such as Computer-Using Educators (CUE), NECC, NCCE, ASTE, NSBA T&L, CLMS/CLHS, and NSDC. Her professional development clients include CTAP, The MY HERO Project, the Buck Institute for Education, CUE, Lake Washington School District, and Technology & Learning.

Sara is an Associate of the Thornburg Center for Professional Development, and serves on the Board of Directors of the Global SchoolNet Foundation, the Center for Accessible Technology, and CTAP Region IV's and the River School Advisory Councils. She is a recipient of both of CUE's high honors: a Gold Disk and a Platinum Disk.