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How can we help students use the knowledge and skills of geography, civics, history, and more to understand the world around them and take informed action in their communities? 



This in-depth course lasts 8 weeks, taking approximately one-two hours per week to complete.  We will guide secondary and elementary teachers through the design of a course overview, unit plan, instructional calendar, and lesson plan for learning that transfers. 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. 


Familiarity with conceptual learning and transfer are highly recommended before taking this course. Participants who complete the course will receive a certificate noting 15 hours and 1.5 continuing education credits (CEU), plus a Learning That Transfers Level 2 badge to use in emails, resume, etc.


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


Please reach out with any questions [email protected] 

Course curriculum

    1. Welcome from Julie & Nichelle (5:40)

    2. Course Orientation

    3. Participant Introductions

    1. Module One Introduction (1:30)

    2. Complex World Discussion (1:33)

    3. How Learning Transfer Works (5:00)

    4. The ACT Model (4:53)

    5. Acquire and Connect Student Experience (3:28)

    6. Transfer and Student Action Student Experience (3:19)

    7. Envisioning Possibilities (5:10)

    8. Module 1 Reflection

    1. Module Two Introduction (1:43)

    2. Adapting to Changing Times (4:47)

    3. The Role of Student and Teacher (4:07)

    4. Teacher-Directed vs. Student-Directed Game

    5. Strategies for Student-Directed Culture (1:53)

    6. Impact of Technology on Curriculum (6:50)

    7. The Role of Curriculum and Instruction (4:40)

    8. Strategies for Deeper Learning (2:07)

    9. The Role of Assessments (5:10)

    10. The Unit Storyboard (3:19)

    11. Module 2 Reflection

    1. Module Three Introduction (3:20)

    2. Video: What Concepts Are Here? (2:36)

    3. Real-World Challenges (3:19)

    4. The Purpose and Role of Social Studies (1:47)

    5. Student-Centered Disciplinary Literacy (1:51)

    6. Selecting Disciplinary Lenses (2:52)

    7. Vertical Alignment (2:58)

    8. Module 3 Reflection

    1. Module Four Introduction (2:04)

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

    3. Real-World Challenges (1:31)

    4. Narrowing Our Focus (5:21)

    5. From Disciplinary Literacy to Modern Literacies (5:10)

    6. Horizontal Alignment (6:01)

    7. Module 4 Reflection

    1. Module Five Introduction (3:10)

    2. The Hill We Climb (6:31)

    3. Critical Steps for Arranging Content (7:09)

    4. Crafting the Story of Your Course (7:25)

    5. Selecting Anchoring and Subconcepts (6:53)

    6. Drafting Conceptual & Compelling Questions (3:43)

    7. Module 5 Reflection

About this course

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

Instructor(s)

Nichelle Pinkney

Nichelle Pinkney currently serves as a K-12 Social Studies Coordinator in Texas. Her ultimate goal is to make learning visible in all classrooms at each level and that EVERY student has at least a year's worth of growth as a result of it. She holds a Bachelors of Arts in Sociology and Political Science, a Masters in Educational Administration, a certification in online teaching and learning, and is currently pursuing a doctoral degree in Education Leadership.

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 social studies 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 social studies 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.

Anonymous Feedback

"This course was eye-opening! I am leaving with a LOT of great strategies and new ways of looking at the content I am teaching my students. Thank you!" - Course Participant, Cohort 1
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Course Facilitators

experienced educators who support participants' learning

Jennifer Hickey

Jennifer is an IB MYP Coordinator and middle school teacher, currently working in New York. She uses inquiry-based strategies, conceptual learning, and real-world connections to engage and inspire her students.

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.