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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 Learner Mindset. Then click connected factors to explore strategies related to multiple factors.
A learner's Mindset is a lens through which learners see the world. It affects their beliefs, attributions, attitudes, and behaviors that can either help or hinder their learning. For example, a learner's Mindset about their intelligence and abilities can have a huge impact on how they approach learning challenges, affecting academic achievement in turn. Environmental factors ranging from feedback from teachers and caregivers, adults' reactions to mistakes, or school and classroom performance indicators, play an influential role in the development of learners' Mindsets. And research suggests learners can change their Mindsets at any age (not just early in childhood). Therefore educators and caregivers can play an important role in facilitating positive Learner Mindsets for learners of all ages.
How learners think about and respond to situations affects how they perceive their ability to learn and handle problems that come their way. For example, students may believe that they have a certain amount of intelligence that they cannot do much to change (a "fixed mindset"). Or, students can view intelligence as something that can be developed through hard work, good strategies, and input from others (a "growth mindset”). As a result, learners with growth mindsets see failure and effort as useful and necessary for learning. Importantly, mindsets vary by context: learners can feel more or less oriented towards growth (or fixed) mindsets in response to different challenges, at different times, and across different disciplines and areas.
When learners are given the support and opportunities that promote their sense of self as capable and ever-growing learners, they can develop the capacity to see themselves as problem solvers capable of addressing challenges. In turn, learners improve their skills for effectively solving problems that may challenge them. These mindsets are also related to other beliefs and perceptions of abilities and attributes that influence Motivation and learning including:
Educators can support the development of positive Learner Mindsets by demonstrating the values of challenges as well as providing feedback that highlights these values, for example, focusing learners' Attention on the process of learning by trying multiple different learning strategies. Educators can foster positive mindsets when they provide many opportunities for students to practice with feedback, and encourage development of mastery through mistakes and challenges rather than focusing on underlying abilities. In addition, research suggests that it can be difficult for students to develop a growth mindset in the classroom if their teacher does not hold a growth mindset. This is especially true for students with learning disabilities and ADHD, and those who have been historically and systematically excluded who may have reduced self-efficacy in the classroom and are more influenced by their teacher's self-efficacy that they can effectively teach these students. As such, it is important for educators to practice and model their own growth mindsets, to best support their learners.
Games support learning, as learners engage with new information in fun and informal ways.
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.
Incorporating think-alouds, or verbalizing thinking while reading or working through a new concept, can be a powerful way to help learners explore disciplinary texts, learn new skills, and retain content.
In guided inquiry, teachers scaffold student learning and help students use their own language for constructing knowledge by active listening and questioning.
Supported independent reading, sometimes called Scaffolded Silent Reading, is when teachers scaffold and monitor learners' independent reading time, offering students a choice of accessible texts, and periodic check-in's with individual students to provide guidance and accountability.
A strengths-based approach is one where educators intentionally identify, communicate, and harness students' assets, across many aspects of the whole learner, in order to empower them to flourish.
Goal-setting and monitoring involves teachers working with students to set individualized academic or behavioral goals, plan actions to achieve those goals, and track progress.
When students are able to encourage themselves through kind and motivating self-statements, they are practicing positive self-talk.
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.
Providing instructional steps clearly and concisely can help learners understand classroom expectations, reduce cognitive load, and complete tasks more efficiently.
Self-advocacy is the ability of an individual to understand and effectively express and assert their own rights, needs, desires, and interests.
Growth mindset is the belief that people can grow their intelligence and abilities (through effort, good strategies, and support from others).
Providing students a voice in their learning is critical for making learning meaningful.
Culturally responsive texts include those that reflect different facets of students' identities, including race, ethnicity, gender, socioeconomic, and disability status, as well as the intersections of those identities.
Equitable grading systems and practices reimagine how to communicate student progress and mastery through various methods that reduce subjectivity, and increase opportunities to learn.
Learning about students' cultures and connecting them to instructional practices helps foster a Sense of Belonging, increase positive student Identity development, and mitigate Stereotype Threat.
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.
Respectful redirection, or error correction, outlines a clear and concise way that educators can provide feedback on behaviors that need immediate correction, in a positive manner.
Developing empathy in educators and in learners is an iterative process that requires taking the time to understand and honor others' perspectives.
Flipped learning is when the delivery of traditional content (i.e., lectures, videos) occurs outside of the classroom, allowing class time to be used for more active and application-based activities.
A rubric is a tool that communicates expectations for success for students to achieve and can include symbols or charts that are easy for students to understand.
Feedback is the process of providing learners with information about their learning to support their progress and improvement, and can come from a range of sources, including teachers and peers.
Creating a culture of error means creating an environment in which errors are valued and encouraged as a necessary part of the learning process, which can help learners view errors and learning more positively.
Socratic seminar refers to a discussion technique that engages learners in the exploration of content through Critical Thinking and classroom dialogue in order to help learners make meaning from what they are learning.
Youth participatory action research (YPAR) is a student-centered approach that puts the learner at the helm of the research process, from ideation to dissemination, to investigate and advocate for change they want to see in their schools and communities.
An open classroom climate is an educational environment where students feel comfortable and confident expressing their opinions in class.
Collaborative writing activities allow peers to work together to plan, draft, edit, and revise during the composition process, supporting writing skills and engagement with content knowledge as students write to reflect upon and apply what they have learned.
Spaced practice is a learning strategy that deliberately spaces out learning or study sessions over varying periods of time, with the purpose of increasing retention, understanding, and long-term knowledge acquisition.
Retrieval practice requires students to access information, or get information “out” from Long-term memory in order to support better retention and understanding.
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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.