SIX-WEEK ONLINE COURSE · SARAH OWINGS · US$139
You do not need another rigid training rule. You need a way to make the next revision.
“Split, don’t lump.” “Keep the rate of reinforcement high.” “Say the cue once.” Useful principles can become paralysing when they are treated as recipes that must fit every learner, behavior, and moment. Then a session departs from the plan and the trainer is left deciding which rule they broke.
Brave Learning 101 replaces that search for perfect compliance with a practical cycle: Performance–Feedback–Revision. Begin with the learner’s existing repertoire, plan one or two manageable projects, observe what actually happens, and let that evidence change the next plan.
- Start from repertoire
Build from what the learner can already do instead of planning from the finished behavior backwards in one leap. - Turn performance into information
Keep the first attempt, observe the details, and use them as feedback rather than as a verdict. - Revise deliberately
Change one useful part of the plan: antecedents, criteria, cues, reinforcement, mechanics, or prerequisites.
The perfect plan is not the goal.
Training plans are hypotheses about what may help this learner produce the next approximation. They become useful only when the trainer is prepared to revise them. An error can reveal a missing prerequisite, an unclear antecedent, a cue package, a mismatch between the criterion and the learner’s current repertoire, or a trainer mechanic that needs practice away from the live session.
Brave Learning 101 teaches you to inspect those possibilities without lowering the ambition of the project or blaming the learner. The course values principles, but it also asks when a familiar rule fits, what relation the rule is meant to protect, and what the performance says now.
The Performance–Feedback–Revision loop
- Choose one or two simple projects. The behavior can be modest; your planning and observation are the main subject of study.
- Map the starting repertoire. Identify useful component skills, existing cues, movement patterns, and conditions already familiar to the learner.
- Plan the next performance. Arrange the antecedents, select an achievable criterion, prepare reinforcement, and decide what you will watch.
- Collect feedback from what happened. Keep the first notes or clip and distinguish the observed performance from your expectation.
- Make the smallest useful revision. Change the plan, rehearse a trainer skill separately, or return to a prerequisite—then compare again.
A six-section route from rules to responsive planning
1 · Become a brave learner
Begin with principles over recipes, Performance–Feedback–Revision, the learner’s current repertoire, and the idea that you cannot build from a skill that is not yet available.
2 · Give the project a structure
Use Three Act Training, staircase and breadcrumb-trail planning, big-picture goals, and the Brave Learning Rubric to turn an idea into achievable sessions.
3 · Learn from errors without arranging them on purpose
Examine what “errorless” can mean in practice, how to respond when the plan does not work, and how the learner’s behavior can reveal another route.
4 · Add cues as part of the whole context
Explore the art and science of adding cues, identify cue packages, and prepare a cleaner transfer to the signal you intend to use.
5 · Examine stimulus control
Use the four conditions of stimulus control and applied course examples to ask which features of the context are actually influencing the response.
6 · Build fluency and use rules with judgment
Consider whether fluency is a final polish or part of the behavior itself, then decide which principles the current performance supports and what you will revise next.
Tools for thinking between sessions
Work with a repertoire library, big-picture plan, breadcrumb trail, Three Act session structure, Brave Learning Rubric, and repeated Performance–Feedback–Revision records. These tools keep the reasoning visible: what you planned, what the learner and trainer did, and what one change you will test next.
You will also identify trainer skills worth rehearsing away from the learner. Timing, delivery, body position, prop handling, and cue presentation can be practised without asking the animal to wait while the human finds the movement.
“101” describes the foundation, not the audience ceiling.
This course welcomes caregivers, training students, experienced trainers, and behavior professionals who want a more responsive planning system. Beginners receive a route through competing advice. Advanced learners receive a disciplined way to examine the assumptions inside a familiar plan.
Bring curiosity, one or two safe projects, and enough time to compare attempts. The course is about developing the trainer’s planning and revision skills; it does not promise that a specific behavior problem will be resolved within six sections.
Your instructor: Sarah Owings
Sarah Owings is a Karen Pryor Academy Certified Training Partner, international speaker, ClickerExpo faculty member, and experienced nosework competitor. She is known for bringing behavioral principles into difficult practical questions with close observation and compassion for both the animal and human learner.
Brave Learning 101 reflects that teaching style. Sarah does not hand you a flawless recipe. She makes the reasoning visible, invites you to examine the performance honestly, and shows how the next revision can become more precise.
What learners from earlier editions noticed
“Don’t let the ‘101’ part fool you. Trainers of all levels will benefit from the course.”
Alice Hengst, Brave Learning 101 learner
“She makes learning fun, accessible, compassionate, and joyous.”
Cory Abshear, Brave Learning 101 learner
Earlier editions included individual feedback. The current US$139 offer provides the complete course for independent study.
Make your next training decision more useful
- Format: six-section online course
- Project: one or two simple behaviors chosen by you
- Included: written lessons, demonstrations, planning approaches, course rubric, and project questions
- Access: one year
- Current option: Auditor / independent study
- Price: US$139
Questions before you join
Is Brave Learning 101 only for beginners?
No. Beginners gain a coherent planning route; experienced trainers gain a framework for inspecting assumptions, cue arrangements, prerequisites, fluency, and the evidence behind a revision.
What behavior should I choose for the project?
Choose one or two safe, manageable behaviors. The most impressive final performance is not the goal; select a project that lets you practise observation, planning, and revision.
Does “brave” mean pushing through discomfort?
No. Brave learning means engaging honestly with evidence and changing the plan when the current arrangement does not support the learner. It is not a request to flood or pressure an animal.
Does the current offer include Sarah’s individual feedback?
The current US$139 option is the complete course for independent study. Earlier testimonials may discuss feedback that belonged to a different edition.
Must I finish in six weeks?
No. The six sections show the teaching sequence, and your course access lasts one year.
Keep the first attempt. Make the next question better.
Build from the learner’s repertoire, let performance provide feedback, and turn that information into one deliberate revision.
If you only take one course on Tromplo, make it this one!! Brave Learning 101 was so much more than I thought it would be!. Don’t let the “101” part fool you. Trainers of all levels will benefit from the course. Sarah Owings meets you where you are and helps you get to new heights of skill and understanding. Using her amazing skills of observation and communication, she provides more than generous and always helpful feedback. With Sarah’s help, you will discover what I call “judicious use of braveness”. I can hardly wait to take another course from Sarah!