Brendan Cavalier
“I want students to experience learning as something they do, not something that simply happens to them”
Brendan Cavalier is a STEM educator, curriculum designer, and project-based learning specialist with extensive experience teaching physics, engineering, mathematics, and computer science across innovative schools, independent schools, and online learning environments. He has spent his career helping middle and high school students connect academic concepts to meaningful projects, real-world systems, and authentic problem-solving. Whether working with students one-to-one, in small groups, or in larger classroom settings, Brendan believes that learning is most powerful when students actively build, test, design, and explore rather than simply receive information. His teaching combines intellectual rigor with curiosity, creativity, and a strong emphasis on student agency.
Brendan earned a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering and a bachelor’s degree in theatre arts from San Diego State University. He also completed education leadership coursework through the High Tech High Graduate School of Education and holds a California teaching credential in physics and principles of engineering.
Much of Brendan’s career has been spent in schools known for innovation and project-based learning. At High Tech High, where he taught for more than six years, he developed interdisciplinary engineering courses and led projects involving robotics, bridge design, augmented reality programming, fabrication, laser cutting, 3D printing, and design-build challenges. He later served as a trainer for High Tech High’s “On The Road” program, supporting educators and school leaders who wanted to bring more inquiry-driven, project-based practices into their own schools.
Brendan has also held leadership and curriculum design roles at Avenues: The World School and Lycée Français de New York. At Avenues, he managed makerspaces and innovation labs while designing engineering curriculum and advanced electives for students. He also contributed to the development of flexible, hybrid STEM programs at Avenues Shenzhen. At Lycée Français de New York, he worked with faculty across disciplines to integrate project-based learning and helped organize the school’s first exhibition showcasing student project work.
More recently, Brendan has focused on online and personalized learning. As a STEM expert with Sora Schools, he designed interdisciplinary project-based experiences and guided students through advanced STEM coursework. As a science and math instructor with Prestans Online Academy, he has taught AP Physics, AP Calculus, multivariable calculus, linear algebra, pre-calculus, computer science, and algebra-based physics in both one-to-one and small-group settings. Across every learning environment, Brendan is committed to helping students develop confidence, curiosity, and the ability to apply their knowledge in meaningful ways beyond the classroom.
In Brendan’s words
I believe students learn best when they are asked to think actively, test their assumptions, and connect abstract ideas to meaningful, tangible problems. Whether I am teaching physics, engineering, mathematics, computer science, or design, I want students to experience learning as something they do, not something that simply happens to them. My role is to create the conditions for curiosity, persistence, intellectual risk-taking, and clear reasoning.
I believe strong teaching balances structure with agency. Students need clear expectations, thoughtful scaffolding, timely feedback, and a classroom culture where revision and critique is understood as part of learning. At the same time, they need opportunities to make decisions, pursue questions, build, experiment, collaborate, and communicate their thinking. In project-based and inquiry-driven learning environments, students are able to see the relevance of academic content while also developing independence, resilience, and a stronger sense of ownership over their work.
I also believe that excellent teaching is relational. Students learn more deeply when they feel known, respected, and appropriately challenged. I strive to build learning environments where students feel safe enough to ask questions, make mistakes, and revise their ideas, while also being pushed toward rigorous thinking and high-quality work. Whether in person or online, my goal is to help students develop both confidence and competence: the ability to understand complex ideas, apply them thoughtfully, and continue learning with curiosity beyond the classroom.
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