Given the robust nature of learning sciences research, this website is best viewed on tablets and computers. A small screen experience is coming in the future.
On June 22, 2021, we will launch updated strategies for the Math PK-2 model, as well as additional updates to the Navigator that highlight equity, SEL, and culturally responsive teaching. To learn more, visit our Site Updates (available in the "About" menu at the top of any page).
Hover to see how factors connect to Visual Processing. Then click connected factors to explore strategies related to multiple factors.
Visual Processing allows us to understand what we see and is essential for reading and writing. Visual Processing skills help students recognize and order visual information, allowing them to develop into quick, accurate readers and writers. Learners with dyslexia may demonstrate differences with the Visual Processing of words, often stemming from difficulties with Phonological Awareness, which can disrupt the process of directing Attention to and Decoding words.
Difficulties with Visual Processing can occur even when a student has good Vision. Visual Processing impacts reading and writing development in multiple ways:
Audiobooks allow students to hear fluent reading and to experience books above their reading skills.
Communication boards are displays of graphics (e.g., pictures, symbols, illustrations) and/or words where learners can gesture or point to the displays to extend their expressive language potential.
Daily review strengthens previous learning and can lead to fluent recall.
When students explain their thinking process aloud, they recognize the strategies they use and solidify their understanding.
In guided inquiry, teachers help students use their own language for constructing knowledge by active listening and questioning.
Spending time with new content helps move concepts and ideas into Long-term Memory.
Practicing until achieving several error-free attempts is critical for retention.
By talking through their thinking at each step of a process, teachers can model what learning looks like.
Through one-on-one conferences, teachers can provide individual support to each student to deepen comprehension and interest in reading.
Books for vision differences support reading development for learners with visual needs.
Providing tools so learners can choose to listen to a text supports individual strengths and needs.
Spaces that are structured, organized, and clean provide increased room for collaboration and active learning.
Having students verbally repeat information such as instructions ensures they have heard the information and supports remembering.
Visual supports, like text magnification, colored overlays, and guided reading strips, help students focus and properly track as they read.
Writing conferences allow students to share, reflect on, and receive feedback about their writing, which promotes Motivation for revising.
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Learner variability is the recognition that each learner is a unique constellation of strengths and challenges that are interconnected across the whole child. Understanding these connections and how they vary according to context is essential for meeting the needs of each learner.
It disrupts the notion of a one-size-fits all education. Understanding learner variability helps educators embrace both students’ struggles and strengths as we connect practice to uplifting the whole learner.
Throughout the site, we talk about "factors" and "strategies." Factors are concepts research suggests have an impact on how people learn. Strategies are the approaches to teaching and learning that can be used to support people in how they learn best.
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On this page, using your heatmap, you will be asked to select factors to further explore, and then select new strategies you might incorporate into upcoming instruction. Once done, click “Show Summary" to view your Design Summary Report.
On this page, using your heatmap, you will be asked to select factors to further explore, and then select new strategies you might incorporate into upcoming instruction. Once done, click “Show Report” to view your Design Summary Report.
By selecting "Show Report" you will be taken to the Assessment Summary Page. Once created, you will not be able to edit your report. If you select cancel below, you can continue to edit your factor and strategy selections.
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Learner variability is the recognition that each learner is a unique constellation of strengths and challenges that are interconnected across the whole child. Understanding these connections and how they vary according to context is essential for meeting the needs of each learner. It embraces both students’ struggles and strengths. It considers the whole child.
Throughout the site, we talk about "factors" and "strategies." Factors are concepts research suggests have an impact on how people learn. Strategies are the approaches to teaching and learning that can be used to support people in how they learn best.
The Learner Variability Navigator is a free, online tool that translates the science of learner variability into factor maps and strategies that highlight connections across the whole learner. This puts the science of learning at teachers' fingertips, empowering them to understand their own practice and support each learner.