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 Sense of Belonging. Then click connected factors to explore strategies related to multiple factors.
A Sense of Belonging allows us to feel included, respected, and supported in school. It is heavily tied to our own identities, supports the development of a positive identity, and is context and culture-dependent. School settings have the potential to be a source of adversity or can be a supportive environment, fostering positive identity development among culturally and historically marginalized students. Students who report stronger Sense of Belonging in school typically have greater self-efficacy and academic success.
Belongingness, closely tied to Social Supports, is the extent that students feel personally valued, included, and supported by others in their learning environment. In U.S society, white people typically have an internalized and mostly unconscious sense of racial belonging. However, members of culturally and historically marginalized groups may feel uncertain about the quality of their social bonds in academic settings. Students' lack of school belonging is rooted in structural policies which privilege certain values and norms while devaluing the cultural wealth and knowledge that other students possess. In addition, marginalized students may experience negative behaviors from teachers and other students, signaling that they do not belong in these settings (signal influences).
Identity development involves asking questions about one's past, present, and future self. This process starts at birth, peaks at adolescence, and continues through adulthood, and is heavily dependent upon lived experiences. Identity formation includes self-awareness, information-seeking, and exploration about the groups with which we identify. Identity development occurs differently across different facets of students' identities (e.g., race, gender, sexual orientation, class, disability, immigrant status, etc.). In the U.S., members of more dominant, privileged groups are often considered the ‘standard'; therefore, individuals from marginalized groups may feel as if they don't belong or their identities are not represented. A strong ethnic or racial identity has been shown to buffer the negative effects of discrimination in Black, Latino, and indigenous adolescents, and to encourage positive psychological and behavioral outcomes across identities, including higher self-esteem, psychological well-being, and school adjustment. In addition it is important to note that many students have multiple marginalized identities which intersect and may further compound difficulties in belonging. When educators recognize students' intersectional identities, this can build a strong positive culture and play a role in empowering students.
Racial Identity Theory suggests that our racial identity is made of three core components:
Racial identity development entails forging an understanding of how the centrality and public perception of race is intertwined with personal identity.
It is also important to recognize that many people have concealed/non-visible identities that may be stigmatized, such as mental or emotional health, or learning disabilities. These non-visible identities can impact an individual's Sense of Belonging, Social Supports, and health. Students with learning disabilities may experience labeling, separation, and stereotyping in school, which may reduce a learner's Sense of Belonging and academic growth.
Exploring and connecting with specific identities is particularly important during adolescence, due to the social and cognitive changes that occur during this developmental period. Similar to school settings, social media may provide opportunities for adolescents to explore their individual identities within extended online communities. Research has shown that many teens, particularly marginalized teens, have developed an increased Sense of Belonging through these communities. Similar to school settings, social media communities can be a supportive place, promoting students' self-concept, but may also have negative effects on emotional well-being, due to social comparisons.
Physically acting out a text or enacting major themes from texts enhances reading comprehension, particularly as texts become more complex.
Project-based learning (PBL) actively engages learners in authentic tasks designed to create products that answer a given question or solve a problem.
For adolescent learners, the Composition process can become more robust, as learners begin to express ideas through multiple media, which includes visual, audio, and digital production.
When students express information visually, they are activating more cognitive processes while problem solving and increasing their experience with alternate texts.
When students write from a non-dominant or marginalized perspective, they consider and give voice to points of view that are often missing.
Students practice making and finding meaning in texts through book discussions moderated by teachers to varying degrees.
Flexible grouping is a classroom practice that temporarily places students together in given groups to work together, with the purpose of achieving a given learning goal or activity.
When peers are able to work together to plan, draft, edit, and revise during the Composition process, their writing quality improves.
When adolescents can connect and communicate with authentic audiences about their interests and values, reading and writing become more personally meaningful and relevant.
Research shows that, along with traditional reading comprehension strategies, students use unique strategies to read the non-linear, hyperlinked structure of online texts.
By observing, rereading, and closely analyzing published writing, students see examples and learn the strategies of good writing that they can integrate into their own Composition.
Instruction in multiple formats allows students to activate different cognitive skills and Background Knowledge that are necessary to remember procedural and content information.
A strengths-based approach is one where educators intentionally identify, communicate, and harness students' assets, across many aspects of the whole child, in order to empower them to flourish.
Journaling allows students to reflect on their thinking and feelings, process their learning, and connect new information to what they know, supporting their identity development and Sense of Belonging.
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.
Connecting information to music and dance can support Short-term and Long-term Memory by engaging auditory processes, Emotions, and physical activity.
With figurative language and creative sentence structure, poetry supports the development of a deeper understanding of the different ways language makes meaning.
Building positive and trusting relationships with learners allows them to feel safe; a Sense of Belonging; and that their academic, cognitive, and social and emotional needs are supported.
Chunking involves breaking texts down into more manageable pieces to help learners focus their Attention while reading and to comprehend text more effectively.
Actively and authentically encouraging all students to seek support, ask questions, and advocate for what they believe in creates a safe space for risk-taking and skill development and supports a Sense of Belonging.
Reading aloud to adolescents models Reading Fluency as texts become more complex and disciplinary in nature and therefore, more difficult to understand.
Using texts to discuss complex emotions and perspectives with students can help them see how they influence behavior and draw their own personal connections.
Giving students voice and choice in their learning is critical for making learning meaningful and relevant to them, an important aspect of promoting Sense of Belonging.
Providing visuals to introduce, support, or review instruction activates more cognitive processes to support learning.
Selecting culturally responsive reading materials, including multicultural and diverse texts, is critical for supporting all students.
Learning about students' cultures and connecting them to instructional practices helps foster a Sense of Belonging and mitigate Stereotype Threat.
Developing cultural awareness as an educator is an ongoing process that includes building empathy for the full diversity of students, intentionally recognizing how one's own identity intersects with students' identities, and creating an awareness of how the learning environment can impact students' Sense of Belonging.
Discussing race with students can range from celebrating the importance of diversity to understanding the impact of racism from the perspective of those who have been historically marginalized.
Student-led conferences are meetings between students, parents, and teachers where the student actively leads the conversation by reflecting on their progress toward goals and sharing examples of their work.
Developing empathy in educators and in learners is an iterative process that requires taking the time to understand and honor others' perspectives.
Family engagement happens when educators and schools collaborate with families to collectively support their child's learning in meaningful ways, both at school and at home.
Translanguaging is a flexible classroom practice enabling students to listen, speak, read, and write across their multiple languages or dialects, even if the teacher does not have formal knowledge of these additional languages.
A first step to supporting learners is truly understanding who they are.
Checking in with learners, or taking the time to talk with individual learners about their experiences or goals, is important for fostering a positive classroom environment.
Shadowing a student involves an educator, administrator, or designated adult observing a learner across different parts of their day to deepen their understanding of that learner's experience beyond their classroom.
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This is our homepage. You can access many of the features of the Navigator here, and learn more about how learner variability intersects with topics in education and learning. To start, select a content area – we call them Learner Models – to visit a factor map.
Factor maps show research-based concepts, "factors," that likely impact learning. They are organized into four categories: Learner Background, Social and Emotional Learning, Cognition, and Content Area. The map is interactive. Move your cursor over a factor to see connected factors. Select any factor to visit its summary page. We'll look at factor summary pages next.
This is a factor summary page. It provides a brief definition and review of the factor, a factor connections diagram, additional resources, and strategies that support this factor. On the strategy card, the multi-colored boxes show all the factors that it supports. Select a strategy to visit its summary page.
Strategy summary pages have an overview, information about using the strategy in different learning environments, resources of interest, the factors this strategy supports, and related strategies you can explore. To view all the strategies in a content area, use the strategies tab at the top of the page. We'll look at all the Strategies for this learner model next.
The strategy page shows ALL of the strategies for that learner model. You can select factors of interest for you or your learners, and it will narrow the strategies to only those that match all of the factors selected. This makes it easy to find key strategies to better design for learner variability. Again, select the strategy name to visit its summary page. Use the plus signs on each strategy card to add a strategy to a workspace. We'll explore those next.
The “Tools & Workspaces” tab on the navigation bar or the “My Workspaces” button on the account menu takes you to a page that shows your workspaces. There are two tabs on the My Workspaces page: a Workspaces tab and a Reports tab. The Workspaces tab lists workspaces you can personalize and update. You can create new sections, move cards between sections, add annotations, share with collaborators, and write reflections. The second tab, "Reports", are a kind of workspace created through the Instructional Design Tool or the Product Assessment Tool and have fewer personalization options.
There are three, step-by-step tools you can access on the Navigator to help make workspace or a workspace report. The Learner Centered Design Tool has four steps and helps you create a workspace. First, enter basic information and select a content area of interest. Second, select a few factors that you want to focus on. Third, review connected factors you may not have considered. Note – you don't have to select any extra factors on this step if you don’t want to. The fourth and final step, review and select strategies that you want to use, and save them to a workspace.
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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.
Use the Learner Centered Design Tool to build a workspace. Go to Learner Centered Design Tool.
Or, create a new blank workspace for your product or project.
Use one of the guided tools to build a workspace.
Or, create a new blank workspace for your product or project.
Make a copy of this workspace.
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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.
