About the Book
Learning That Transfers empowers teachers and curriculum designers alike to harness the critical concepts of traditional disciplines while building students' capacity to navigate, interpret, and transfer their learning to solve novel and complex modern problems. Using a backwards design approach, this hands-on guide walks teachers step-by-step through the process of identifying curricular goals, establishing assessment targets, and planning curriculum and instruction that facilitates the transfer of learning to new and challenging situations.
Table of Contents:
Foreword: The Pleasures of Teaching Transfer xiii John Hattie
Preface: Where Are We in Place and Time? Why Do We Need to Rethink Curriculum Design?
About the Authors
INTRODUCTION: Chapter Overview and How to Use This Book
CHAPTER 1: Learning Transfer: What Is It and How Can It Transform Teaching and Learning?
The Role of Concepts in Promoting Transfer
ACT: The Learning Transfer Mental Model
Putting It All Together
Envisioning the Possibilities
CHAPTER 2: Shifts in Practice: How Can We Set the Foundation for Learning That Transfers?
Shifts #1 & #2: The Roles of the Student and the Teacher
Shifts #3 & #4: The Roles of Curriculum and Instruction
Shift #5: The Role of Assessments
Shifts #6 & #7: The Roles of Leaders, Parents, and the Community
The ACT Model in Action
CHAPTER 3: Disciplinary Literacy: How Can We Unleash the Power of the Subjects We Teach?
The Power of Disciplinary Lenses: Focusing Our Attention to Move Students Toward Expertise
Establishing a Vision for Each Discipline
Articulating a Disciplinary Vision
Vertical Alignment: Your Course in the Larger Context of a Student’s Journey Through School
Determining Disciplinary Lenses for Your Course
CHAPTER 4: Modern Literacies: What Do Our Students Need to Navigate Today’s World?
Determining Modern Literacy Concepts
Horizontal Alignment to Promote Cross-Disciplinary Breadth
CHAPTER 5: The Story of Your Course: How Do We Craft a Compelling Narrative to Guide Learning?
The Critical Steps in a Transfer-Focused Course
Story of Your Course
CHAPTER 6: Unit Planning: How Do We Intentionally Design for Learning That Transfers?
Flexible Options for Unit Planning Steps
Zooming In: The Unit Planner
Assessing for Transfer
The Unit Storyboard: Planning for Similar to Dissimilar to Real-World Transfer
Preserving Space for Student Voice, Choice, and Passions
CHAPTER 7: Assessments: What Is the Role of Assessment in a Classroom Focused on Transfer?
Assessment as a System of Feedback
Summative Assessments of Transfer
Authentic Value Beyond School Walls
Planning for Formative Assessment of Transfer
Putting It All Together
CHAPTER 8: Instructional Design: Building a Community for Learning That Transfers
Highlighting the Importance of Intellectual Growth
Acquiring Understanding of Individual Concepts
Connecting Concepts in Relationship
Transferring Conceptual Relationships to New Situations
Designing Instructional Calendars
Designing Lesson Plans
Conclusion: Remaining Nimble: How Do We Continue to Evolve in an Unprecedented World?
Afterword: Learning That Matters
Glossary
References
Index
About the Author :
Julie Stern is the best-selling author of Tools for Teaching Conceptual Understanding, Elementary and Secondary, Visible Learning for Social Studies, and Learning That Transfers. She is the thought leader behind the global workshop series Making Sense of Learning Transfer, and is a certified trainer in Visible Learning Plus. Her passion is synthesizing the best of education research into practical tools that support educators in breaking free of the industrial model of schooling and moving toward teaching and learning that promotes sustainability, equity, and well-being. She is a James Madison Constitutional Fellow and taught social studies for many years in Washington, DC and her native Louisiana. Julie moves internationally every few years with her husband, a US diplomat, and her two young sons. Her website is www.edtosavetheworld.com.
Krista Ferraro is a history teacher and department head at Thayer Academy in Braintree, Massachusetts. Her passions include civic education, social justice, and preparing students for effective global citizenship. Previously, she served as Deputy Director of Public Policy and Curriculum Innovation at Chavez Schools in Washington, DC, where she also taught history and public policy courses. Her published works include the bestselling Tools for Teaching Conceptual Understanding, Elementary and Secondary. Krista holds bachelor′s degrees in American Studies and Spanish from Cornell University and a Master of Arts in Teaching from American University. She is also an alumna of Teach for America.
Kayla Duncan is a personalized instruction coach for Forsyth County Schools in Cumming, Georgia. Her passion centers around empowering student voice through meaningful, authentic experiences and increased ownership. Kayla currently supports personalized learning schools in creating their new vision for education through the design thinking process. She believes the voices of students and the community should drive what happens in the school building. Before her coaching role, Kayla taught elementary physical education and middle grades mathematics. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Kinesiology from the University of Georgia, a Master of Arts in Mathematics Education from Western Governors University, and an Educational Specialist in Learning, Design, and Technology from the University of Georgia. Kayla is pursuing a Doctor of Education in School Improvement from the University of West Georgia and hopes to use this new knowledge to propel schools toward innovative visions for education. Kayla resides in Georgia with her husband, a fellow educator, and their fourteen-year-old dog Georgie
Trevor Aleo is a middle school English teacher in Wilton, Connecticut where he designs meaningful learning experiences while reading and writing alongside his students. Prior to his current position, he taught high school and was a grade level lead in Prince William County, Virginia. In addition to leading teams at his own school, he’s drafted curriculum at the district level, created instructional resources for the Virginia Department of Education, and presented at local, state, and national conferences. He believes education should help people become better sense makers and story tellers and is a passionate believer in pedagogies that align with those values. Growing up in a house of teachers, he developed a love of learning that continues to serve as the driving force behind all his work. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in English and a Master of Arts in Teaching from James Madison University and is currently pursuing a doctorate in Learning Design and Leadership at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Trevor currently resides in Fairfield, Connecticut with his amazing wife Lindsey and will be welcoming a son into the world somewhere around the release of this book.
Review :
Learning that Transfers is a rare combination of practical and inspirational. Drawing
together concepts from psychology, neuroscience, and the learning sciences, the
authors mount a case that transfer is one of the keys to designing curriculum that can
produce deep and durable learning for the 21st century. Educators everywhere will
welcome the book for its clarity, use-value, and timeliness.
Accessible. Reflective. Timely. Inspiring. Engaging. By asking all of the right questions,
this book enables teachers to navigate overwhelming numbers of outcomes by creating/
uncovering complex relationships between concepts and extending learning through
real-world transfer. I want education to help develop deep thinking, compassionate
humans, and this book supports this aim fully.
There is so much I love about this book. Learning That Transfers: Designing
Curriculum for a Changing World provides a step-by-step process that allows readers
to connect their learning and transfer it to the work they do. It is based in research
and practice.
This is a serious and ambitious book that makes explicit connections from a model
of learning right through to curriculum design and implementation. In doing so,
it provides the reader with an explicit structure that supports their progress as they
acquire, connect and transfer what they learn, demonstrating the efficacy of their
model of learning.
The authors have brilliantly captured the purpose of instruction today. Our students
MUST be able to acquire, connect and transfer knowledge and, as educators, we must
be intentional in our curriculum design to ensure that happens. This book is a great
resource for ALL 21st Century educators.
How might we design agile curriculum that prepares learners for a wildly unpredictable
world? How might we design learning experiences for a silo-free system, even as we
continue learning inside of them? The practical wisdom and tangible tools tucked into
every nook and cranny of this ground-breaking text make this the right book for the
right time, and these are the right people to learn from.
The book guides you from "what to WOW" in a clear and concrete way, offering a
multitude of strategies as a primer to design learning that transfers. Everything in it
has been tested with diverse students around the globe by educators like you. This
work is a promise for transformation in education with an abiding focus on student
ownership, complex thinking, and relevant learning.
The authors have advanced a critically important new synthesis of the science and
art of effective teaching. By focusing on the practical methods teachers can use to
help students engage deeper conceptual understanding, this book helps keep the big
questions about life, humanity, and sustainability in mind, even as we structure the
fine-grained details of everyday classroom lessons.
We live in a world of often bewildering particularities. Children begin thinking,
Vygotsky says, by assembling their immediate world into mental complexes where
particularities understood by their juxtaposition. With schooling, children learn to
organize the world by concepts or transferable patterns of meaning. The authors
of this important new book masterfully explore the way these two pivotal ideas—
concepts and their transfer—play out in educational practice.
In an increasingly neoliberal world of performance and accountability, this book is a
call-to-arms for anyone passionate about real learning. The "Try Next Day" strategies
would enhance any classroom because they complement what you do already.
Learning That Transfers articulates the interconnected relationships between past and
present knowledge, offering a framework for future learning that will stand strong as
education evolves. As a teacher educator, I value the fusion of theory combined with
practical "Next-Day Strategies" that make this book a valuable addition to any teacher
preparation program.
Imagine an education system that "empowers teachers and students to tackle the
problems facing us in the 21st century and beyond". It’s possible and this book shows
us how. With equal parts inspiration and practical implementation, the authors detail
the strategies, tools and supports they use in their own classrooms to enable their
students to thrive in an unknowable future. HIGHLY recommend!
As educators, we constantly strive to prepare our learners to navigate the complexities
of their world. Drawing on latest research, the authors articulate a compelling visual
model that enables students to apply their understanding to new contexts. Learning
that Transfers is a must for teachers who are seeking ways to provide opportunities for
authentic learning.
Our world is increasingly complex and preparing our students for tomorrow depends
on our teacher’s ability to teach more than just curriculum. Learning That Transfers is a
thoughtful and essential guide for any educator concerned with preparing students to
meet challenges through deep, powerful thinking and learning.
What a fantastic resource! This book is loaded with concrete examples of how to
design meaningful and engaging learning experiences for students. I felt empowered
as I read each chapter, thinking the ideas could easily be integrated into my practice
immediately. This book should be a mandatory resource in every school and in teacher
education programs.
In a connected and complex world, our ability to navigate myriad contexts becomes
paramount. What’s essential in that world? Learning transfer. Immediately practical,
drawing on diverse scholarship and rich classroom experience, this book reveals the
what, why, and how of learning transfer, for teachers of all types. This is a must-read
for anyone striving for equity and excellence in education.
No one today would suggest that we live in a stable world with little change, little need
to adapt as individuals, to meet the challenges of the next several months let alone the
next 10, 20 or 30 years. Ch 4 Modern Literacies alone is why every educator should
read this book. Like never before we must teach and lead our students not for a final
exam, but for life. This book will help.
It’s a uniquely human trait to make deep meaning out of knowledge, giving it
significance and context. Through the ACT mental model, practical examples of shifts
in practice, guidance in curriculum planning and more, Learning That Transfers is
a text that empowers readers to reframe learning and build in that deeper level of
meaning that makes all the difference in revolutionizing education.
