Conceptual Understanding in STEM with Julie Stern

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HRP7g4Sn5Fw

Want to take your students’ conceptual understanding to the next level? I had the incredible opportunity to join the first cohort of Julie Stern’s “Learning Transfer Endorsed Educator” course. As someone whose school uses a conceptual approach, I couldn’t pass up the chance to learn directly from the expert herself.

Here is a breakdown of the key tool I learned—the Learning Transfer Mental Model—and how I used it to design a 4th-grade STEM project.

Why We Need This Model

Our world is becoming increasingly complex. Students need more than just information retention; they need to think divergently and apply knowledge to unpredictable challenges. The Learning Transfer Mental Model helps organizing information into “concepts”—fundamental elements that act like mental folders. This organization builds schema in the brain, allowing students to retain information better and transfer it to new contexts.

The Storyboard Phases

1. Acquire (Surface Learning) In this phase, students learn the attributes of individual concepts.

• My Unit: Based on NGSS standards, I chose three anchoring concepts: Structure, Function, and Senses.

• Strategy: We used the Frayer Model and SEEI Model (State, Elaborate, Exemplify, Illustrate) to define each concept clearly. For example, looking at plant parts to understand “structure.”

2. Connect (Deep Learning) Here, students explore the relationships between concepts.

• Context: We asked, “How do our structures influence function and our senses?”

• Strategy: Using the BOLT strategy (Brainstorm, Organize, Link, Transfer), students examined burrs (seed dispersal), the human ear, and bat echolocation to see how structure determines function and sensory processing.

3. Transfer (Similar & Dissimilar) This is where the magic happens—applying knowledge to new situations.

• Similar Transfer: Students analyzed everyday tools and sensor-based devices (like automatic lights) to see parallels with animal senses.

• Dissimilar (Real World) Transfer: I introduced Biomimicry and Robotics. Students studied how engineers mimic nature—like gecko-inspired adhesives or bullet trains modeled after birds—to solve human problems.

Student Action

The unit culminated in a design challenge. Students had to solve a problem by mimicking an animal’s structure or sense, engineering a prototype that applied their conceptual understanding to a real-world issue.

This course was a game-changer. It moved my teaching from surface-level facts to deep, transferable understanding. If you want to design learning that sticks, I highly recommend exploring Learning Transfer.

I am still learning and not an expert, so I’d love to hear your feedback in the comments!