LAWS OF TRANSITIONS CERTIFICATE COURSE
Foster a culture of care and wellbeing in your international school or organizational community by embracing the principles of positive transitions-care. Elevate your skills, deepen your understanding, and gain practical insights through the deconstruction and implementation of the Six Laws of Transitions, developed by SPAN Founder, Dr. Douglas W. Ota.
Current Course Dates: February 24 - May 25, 2025 (mid-session break April 14-25)
REGISTRATION OPEN
See a snippet of Doug Ota's Introduction to the Laws of Transitions Certificate Course below:
Course Introduction:
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Why learn about the Six Laws of Transitions?
Unmanaged transitions across cultures and schools can negatively impact personal and educational growth. Well-managed transitions, however, have the potential to greatly enrich both personal and educational journeys. In this comprehensive online learning series, we will deconstruct each law of transitions outlined in Dr. Douglas Ota’s book, “Safe Passage: How mobility affects people & what international schools should do about it,” to guide you and your school or organization towards optimal transitions-care policies and practices. By applying the knowledge, skills and strategies gained in this Certificate Course, you will be equipped with solid foundations for fostering a sustained culture of care and wellbeing. These foundations will empower educational and workplace professionals to excel in their roles, enable parents to navigate transitions with confidence and support students in thriving throughout their learning journey.
Our Students:
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Who takes this course?
The Laws of Transitions Certificate Course is designed for individuals, as well as school and organizational groups who are committed to nurturing positive transitions-care for their students, families and staff members. Since positive transitions-care work can be more successful in teams, discounts are provided for schools/organizations registering groups.
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Course Overview:
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30
hours of learning
3
hours of live sessions facilitated by SPAN Trainers
12
weeks
(including two week
mid-session break)
Course Roadmap
Meet your Course Trainers
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Course Facilitators:
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Jane Barron (MEd) is an educational consultant specialising in student cross-cultural transitions. Her professional hats include educator, researcher and writer. Jane’s work is informed by a lifetime of mobility, parenting two Cross-Cultural Kids and over 30 years of teaching and consulting in both international and local schools. Committed to healthy cross-cultural transitions and attachment security, she has been a part of the Safe Passage Across Networks (SPAN) leadership since 2016 and is currently serving as their Director of Training and Consulting. Founder of Globally Grounded, Jane consults to schools, families and students crossing cultures, developing their understanding of the impact of cross-cultural mobility, creating programs and implementing support mechanisms to enhance learning and life. Currently based on Garigal land in Sydney, Australia, she is the lead researcher of Surveying the Landscape: Common Practices, Challenges and Opportunities in International School Transitions-Care (2020).
Valérie Besanceney (MEd) is originally Dutch, Swiss by nationality, and holds the numerous cultures she has lived in close to her heart. Valérie has been an international educator for the past 19 years. Founder of Roots with Boots, she currently consults for families, schools, and organizations. Author of two children’s books, B at Home: Emma Moves Again and My Moving Booklet , she is passionate about helping children and their families thrive through their transitions. She serves as the Executive Director for SPAN. Together with her husband, she also runs an English After School Activities Center in the Swiss mountain village that she calls home. She is the mother of two young cross-cultural daughters.
Course Lecturer:
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Dr. Douglas Ota is a psychologist, author, coach, presenter, consultant and PhD Candidate. Author of Safe Passage: How mobility affects people & what international schools should do about it, Doug’s passion is to challenge the educational community to address transitions effectively. He provides training to support, refresh, equip and connect transitions-care providers around the globe who are committed to healthy student, family and staff mobility within and between schools. Doug is the founder of SPAN and currently serves as the Advisor to the Governing Board. His PhD research, The Safe Passage Attachment Study at International Schools (SPASIS), examines the relationship between turnover and attachment security.
What our Alumni Have to Say:
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Testimonials
✓ 30 hours of learning
✓ 3 live sessions facilitated by SPAN Trainers
✓ 12 weeks (including 2 week mid-session break)
✓ Elevate skills, deepen understanding, gain practical insights
✓ Research-driven practical impact
✓ Dynamic and diverse learning tasks
✓ Build global connections
✓ 6-month access to all content
Secure your place in our next
SPAN Laws of Transitions Certificate Course
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