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How can we help students use the concepts and skills of visual and performing arts to understand the world around them and take informed action in their communities? 



This in-depth course follows the structure of our best selling book, Learning That Transfers. It lasts 8 weeks, taking approximately one hour per week to complete. 


During this cohort model, content is released weekly so that we all stay at a similar pace, but all activities are completely asynchronous. Optional live calls for connection and Q and A included. View the course syllabus here. 


Some familiarity with conceptual learning and transfer is recommended before taking this course, but beginners who are eager to learn are very welcomed to join! 


Participants can choose to aim for a level 1, level 2, or level 3 badge, by completing one ore more of the following:  

  • a course overview
  • a unit plan
  • an instructional calendar
  • a lesson plan for learning that transfers. 


Course finishers receive a certificate noting 15 hours and 1.5 continuing education credits (CEU), plus a Learning That Transfers badge to use in emails, resume, etc. as well as your name listed on our website (with your permission). 


We hope you'll join us! Group discount for 4+ participants. 


Please reach out with any questions: [email protected]

Participants have access to the course material for an additional three weeks after the course is complete.

Next Cohort Coming September 2022

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Thank You

What people are saying:

Christine Haslett

Head of Primary, Dulwich College Shanghai Puxiby Author's name

“By transferring concepts back into real life, real time examples, our children are making sense of the world that they are part of, and thinking critically about the behaviour of leaders.”

Laura England

Language and Literature Teacher, UNIS Hanoi

“I was able to apply the learning experiences in this course in my classroom as I was engaging in the course and I have started to reshape how I approach planning MYP units in a far more rigorous and logical manner.”

Richard Healy

Head of Secondary, British School Manila

“I have never seen a professional learning program have such a great impact on faculty. And it is the best value I’ve encountered in at least a decade.”

Video Tour

Get an inside peek and learn about the levels of participation.

Course curriculum

    1. Welcome from Julie & Carmel (5:45)

    2. Course Orientation (4:50)

    3. Participant Introductions

    4. Course Syllabus

    1. Module One Introduction (1:30)

    2. Complex World Discussion (1:33)

    3. How Learning Transfer Works (5:15)

    4. The ACT Model (6:00)

    5. Acquire and Connect Student Experience (3:39)

    6. Transfer and Action Student Experience (3:11)

    7. Envisioning Possibilities (5:10)

    8. Module 1 Reflection

    9. Module 1 Portfolio Checklist

    1. Module Two Introduction (1:27)

    2. Adapting to Changing Times (4:47)

    3. The Role of Student and Teacher (4:36)

    4. Teacher-Directed vs. Student-Directed Game

    5. Impact of Technology on Curriculum (5:10)

    6. The Role of Curriculum and Instruction (4:07)

    7. Strategies for Deeper Learning (2:15)

    8. The Role of Assessments (6:08)

    9. Mid-Module Reflection

    10. The Unit Storyboard (2:52)

    11. Module 2 Reflection

    12. Module 2 Portfolio Checklist

    1. Module Three Introduction (2:57)

    2. Video: What Concepts Live Here? (3:08)

    3. Real-World Challenges (3:27)

    4. Mid-Module Reflection

    5. The Purpose and Role of Visual and Performing Arts (2:00)

    6. Student-Centered Disciplinary Literacy (2:08)

    7. Selecting Disciplinary Lenses (2:14)

    8. Vertical Alignment (3:17)

    9. Module 3 Reflection

    10. Module 3 Portfolio Checklist

    1. Education Evolution: Video and Discussion (2:33)

    2. Modern Literacies Introduction (1:42)

    3. Real-World Challenges (1:31)

    4. Mid Module Reflection

    5. Narrowing Our Focus (4:40)

    6. From Disciplinary Literacy to Modern Literacies (4:36)

    7. Horizontal Alignment (5:19)

    8. Module 4 Reflection

    9. Module 4 Portfolio Checklist

    1. Module Five Introduction (2:52)

    2. Video and Discussion (2:52)

    3. Critical Steps for Arranging Content (6:35)

    4. Mid Module Reflection

    5. Crafting the Story of Your Course (5:37)

    6. Selecting Anchoring and Subconcepts (7:49)

    7. Drafting Conceptual & Compelling Questions (3:29)

    8. Module 5 Reflection

    9. Module 5 Portfolio Checklist

About this course

  • $149.00
  • 84 lessons
  • 3 hours of video content

Instructor(s)

Carmel Lim Torres

Carmel Lim-Torres is an artist and art educator. She has an accumulated experience spanning more than 15 years teaching at middle, high and university levels at International School of Manila and the College of Fine Arts, University of the Philippines. She graduated from a BFA in Sculpture with a Best Thesis Award. She also earned her Master's Degree in International Education in 2015 from the State of New York University. She is a practicing artist; her works have been exhibited at the Cultural Center of the Philippines and has ongoing collaborations with other artists and institutions. She is a repatriated third culture kid growing up in five different countries and completed the IB program in CIS, SAR. She is now based in Manila with her 5 year old son and husband. Carmel loves to share her passion for the process of art making and exploring the world.

Julie Stern

Julie Stern is passionate about creating practical tools for educators to design learning that promotes sustainability, equity, and well-being. She is a four-time, best-selling author of Learning that Transfers, Visible Learning for Social Studies, The On-Your-Feet-Guide to Learning Transfer, and Tools for Teaching Conceptual Understanding, Elementary and Secondary. She is a certified trainer in Visible Learning Plus & Concept-Based Curriculum & Instruction. She is a James Madison Constitutional Fellow, previously served as Director of Curriculum Innovation for a network of schools, and taught social studies for many years. Julie moves internationally every few years with her family.

Learning Intentions and Success Criteria

Design learning experiences that use the knowledge and skills of visual and performing arts to help our students make sense of the world and respond to its complex problems.

  • Explain why education needs to evolve and articulate how the ACT model helps students become adaptable.

  • Build a disciplinary vision for visual and performing arts that fosters disciplinary literacy.

  • Select Modern Literacies that prepare students to navigate a complex and changing world.

  • Write a story of the course that articulates the disciplinary vision and modern literacies that students will harness to transfer learning.

  • Draft unit plans that foster deep thinking and transfer of learning.

  • Design a summative assessment and a formative assessment plan for learning that transfers.

  • Create an instructional calendar that harnesses the ACT model to move students toward conceptual organization that transfers.

  • Create a lesson plan that helps students become more conscious of their learning and transfer their learning to new situations.

Facilitators

Andrew Ranson

Andrew Ranson is an educator, coach, big thinker, and trying-to-keep-up-with-a-two-year-old father. His teaching, leading, and coaching experience includes work in public and private schools in the U.S., international schools, and ngos. In recent years, he has emphasized supporting self-direction and tending to those previously on the margins. When not thinking about how to shake it up in education, Andrew dreams of building a nacho-truck empire.

Lennie Davis

Lennie Davis is currently a music educator and specialist team leader at the American School in Japan. Lennie is sparked by combining Learning that Transfers with proven active-music-making approaches that lead to transformative experiences for students.