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 Adverse Experiences. Then click connected factors to explore strategies related to multiple factors.
Adverse Experiences are events that can cause trauma, including abuse, witnessing violence, and instability at home. The trauma that comes from experiencing adversity releases stress hormones that can lead to changes in the body and brain. Experiencing chronic stress during a critical time in development can negatively affect students' cognition, health, and physical and emotional well-being, as well as their academic achievement. The effects of Adverse Experiences are cumulative (at least to an extent), so the more Adverse Experiences a person is exposed to, the more it may affect their development. However, children and adolescents' brains allow a high degree of neural reorganization or plasticity, potentially supporting recovery and resilience following Adverse Experiences. In addition, family, school, and community Social Supports can play a key role in mitigating some of the negative effects.of these experiences on adolescent outcomes.
Adverse experiences can include:
Many children in the U.S. are affected by Adverse Experiences: for example, in a retrospective survey across 23 states, over 60% of US adults reported experiencing one or more Adverse Experiences before adulthood. Black, Latino, and Indigenous children and adolescents are more likely to be exposed to early Adverse Experiences than their white or Asian peers. This is likely due to structural discrimination which has led to pervasive differences in Socioeconomic Status across racial groups, and thus a lack of access to resources. In addition, Students from historically and systematically excluded groups often experience racial trauma in the form of implicit or explicit biases or discrimination, such as school disciplinary policies.
Adverse Experiences can give rise to chronic stress and trauma, which can result in long-term changes to health, behavior, social skills, and brain structure and functioning, and have the potential to increase the risk for learning disabilities and ADHD. And students with ADHD also have higher Adverse Experience exposure compared to those without ADHD. These effects can have far-reaching consequences on learners' sense of Safety, Physical Well-being, and Emotion, as well as on academic outcomes. Appropriate Social Supports can help reduce learners' chronic stress, potentially buffering them from the negative effects of Adverse Experiences. Educators have an opportunity to offer the Social Supports so critical for students undergoing Adverse Experiences, and can reduce the likelihood of school-based trauma: for example, by avoiding disciplinary policies that disadvantage students of systematically and historically excluded backgrounds, and that aren't supportive of the needs of those students who also have ADHD or learning disabilities. In addition, a strengths-based, supportive and attentive classroom environment can help students with Adverse Experiences close academic opportunity gaps.
Despite high prevalence rates of Adverse Experiences and the increasing awareness of the importance of this topic, screenings in adolescent health care settings are often inconsistent, and clinicians may not be aware of the full spectrum of experiences that causes trauma, failing to diagnose many cases. It is important that adolescents feel supported and safe in order to share personal information with trusted adults to ensure they are given the supports they need, and school systems should have the services and supports for educators and students alike. Promising research has shown that children and adolescents' malleable brains have increased opportunities to form new connections, and to recover and learn from experiences of trauma. While we know that recovery is possible, there is significant variability in learners' paths to recovery from trauma, so more research in this area can contribute important insights into interventions and recovery.
Except where otherwise noted, content on this site is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License
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.
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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.
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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.
