This program is designed to develop and support the careers of trained teachers, teaching professionals, educational administrators, researchers, and policymakers.

Our 2026-2027 Online Certification Institute will begin with a virtual kick-off event on August 25, 2026.

We will come together over Zoom as a group of educators from around the globe to celebrate and kick-start the Institute!

This will be an interactive, virtual orientation where you meet fellow Institute participants and get ready to begin your learning.

You can expect to spend 2-3 hours a week on the self-paced video modules, unit planning, and readings. With an additional 1-2 hours participating in the Zoom coaching calls and lessons on the weekend.

Because the video modules are self-paced, if you have a particularly busy week, you can catch up the following week.

We understand that you may not be able to join every call; some are optional, and others are required. For calls when attendance is expected, we recognize that you may have other commitments from time to time, so we have a 90% attendance requirement for these sessions.

We will take two vacation breaks during the year, from mid-December to early January, and then again for two weeks in April. We have done our best to align these with common school holiday breaks worldwide. 

The program fee is:

€7,490 (standard payment)

€8,000 (payment plan option)

This includes:

Full 12-month certification program

Certification and trainer licensing

All course materials and professional resources

Coaching, assessment, and expert feedback

Flexible payment plans are available, and many participants receive partial or full funding from their school or organisation.

All participants who successfully complete the program are awarded:

H. Lynn Erickson and Lois A. Lanning Certified Trainer in Concept-Based Curriculum and Instruction

Certification is awarded to the individual in all cases.

Your funding approach does not change your certification or limit your long-term opportunities.

Every certified trainer will receive:

1. Dr. Erickson’s, Dr. Lanning, and Rachel French’s latest book, Concept-Based Curriculum and Instruction for the Thinking Classroom, second edition. © 2017, Corwin

2. Dr. Erickson and Dr. Lanning’s book, Transitioning to Concept-Based Curriculum and Instruction: How to Bring Content and Process Together. © 2014, Corwin

3. Dr. Lanning’s book, Concept-Based English Language Arts: Meeting the Common Core with Intellectual Integrity. © 2012, Corwin

4. Dr. Lanning and Tiffanee Brown's book, Concept-Based Literacy Lessons: Designing Learning to Ignite Understanding and Transfer, Grades 4-10. © 2019, Corwin

Plus, once certified, you will also receive...

Lifetime access to the complete set of Dr. Erickson and Dr. Lanning’s copyrighted PowerPoint Slides for facilitating CBCI workshops.

The difference is based on the level of organisational contribution:

More than 50% organisational contribution (School-Funded):
You use your certification to lead professional learning and curriculum development within your organisation.

50% or less organisational contribution (Self or Shared-Funded):
You hold your certification independently and can apply it across a range of contexts.

Lifetime access to the complete set of Dr. Erickson and Dr. Lanning’s copyrighted PowerPoint Slides for facilitating CBCI workshops.

All certified participants can apply their expertise in meaningful and flexible ways.

You may:

Lead professional learning within your school or organisation

Deliver CBCI workshops nationally and internationally

Present at conferences and professional events

Develop consulting opportunities and professional services

The CBCI trainer certification is taught in four separate, consecutive courses that focus on different aspects of the Concept-Based approach and how to guide teachers in applying it to different disciplines. During each of these courses, you will gain access to new self-paced video modules each week.

Course 1: Concept-Based Curriculum and Instruction for the Thinking Classroom

Through a series of video modules, Dr. Lynn Erickson and Dr. Lois Lanning will guide you through the unit design process. This course provides the foundation for building conceptual understanding - you will learn how to design curriculum to use these structures to focus teaching and learning and significantly improve the academic performance of all students.

Course 2: A Closer Look at Process

Take a deep dive into the process side of Concept-Based Curriculum and Instruction as you develop your understanding of strategies and skills in both knowledge and process-based disciplines. During this course, you will design your own skills-based lesson plan (in a subject and grade level of your choice) and get individual feedback from Tiffanee Brown.

Course 3: Coach, Collaborate, or Consult

Taught live through our weekly Zoom calls, this course provides you with the opportunity to build your skills as a coach or consultant in providing feedback to your peers on the actual units that they have designed. You will work in small groups to refine your units and practice your coaching skills.

Course 4: Leading CBCI Workshops

Build your skills and confidence as a trainer through this self-paced course. View footage from real workshops and our video trainers’ guides as you navigate each of the modules in Dr. Erickson and Dr. Lanning's Signature Workshop in preparation to lead this workshop yourself. You will maintain lifetime access to this course so you can revisit the modules whenever you are preparing to present.

Here is a detailed breakdown of the certification agenda: https://professionallearninginternational.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Institute-Agenda.pdf?seg_id=null.12299.1773706138087

In addition to the four online courses, you will also have 10 virtual lessons with our subject specialist team over the course of the year.

You will practice spotting errors in generalizations and learn the types of questions and scaffolding used to support teachers in more clearly articulating their thinking and in crafting stronger generalizations.

You will enter each subject specialist’s virtual classroom as a student and participate in a Concept-Based lesson to experience first-hand what it’s like to build conceptual understanding through an inductive process.

There are four key components to becoming an Erickson and Lanning Concept-Based Curriculum and Instruction certified trainer:

1) You must complete all of the online modules and course assignments and participate in 90% or more of the group coaching calls.

2) Then you will complete an online written assessment to demonstrate that you know and understand the key components of Concept-Based Curriculum and Instruction.

3) You will then present two modules from a Concept-Based Curriculum and Instruction workshop in a 20-minute performance assessment. This is your opportunity to demonstrate your command of the content and your ability to clearly articulate key messages with confidence. This presentation will take place via Zoom.

4) Finally, you will design your own Concept-Based unit and teach at least one of the lessons from your unit. We will ask you to submit a unit plan, a lesson plan, and a video of classroom practice. We will meet with you for a final coaching call to give you feedback on this lesson.

The global pandemic forced us to rethink what was possible with the format of the Institute, and we spent several months redesigning the program.

That is when new possibilities emerged...

We added new components to the training that were simply not an option in the old 8-day format.

We realized that working with educators over the course of 12 months allows you to spend time implementing your learning before coming back to us with questions.

The extended learning time provides rich opportunities for you to share your successes and your challenges and learn from each other through ongoing collaboration.

This online format has also made it possible for educators to attend who may not have been able to travel for an extended period, broadening the global community.

Having discovered how powerful it is to work with educators over an extended period, we simply can't go back to the 8-day format. In the future, we may offer a blended approach with online and face-to-face, but we have no plans to return to the 8-days alone.

Concept-Based Inquiry in Action and the CBCI Institute are distinct programs, though they share some similarities.

Both require developing a unit plan; however, the first module of the Institute is shorter and does not focus as deeply on the inquiry cycle or learning experiences as CBI in Action does.

Many participants who have completed CBI in Action find that this prior experience gives them a steady and confident start.