The Visual Learning Bridge is an essential component of every enVision lesson. The Visual Learning Bridge is not a Click-It-and-Forget-It type of activity. The animation in the brief video highlights key vocabulary, accentuates numbers, symbols, or representations that students’ eyes should be directing their attention to, and provides you with powerful tools to further provide meaningful instruction to your students.
Throughout the video, key vocabulary is introduced and highlighted. During this component, it would be a fantastic opportunity to create anchor charts in real time with your students to create meaning and solidify their understanding of the terms and concepts.
The animation will also automatically pause during specific times throughout the video. This allows you the ability to pause to ask guiding questions directly from the teacher’s manual, to clarify understanding, and to explore any questions that the students might have.
During this particular paused section, the class is prompted to “Select your answer.” The Visual Learning Bridge takes learning one step further in that you can have students interact with the content during paused moments to work out problems on whiteboards, dry-erase sleeves, templates, or with manipulatives. It is highly encouraged that students interact with the content themselves in addition to watching the animations. If this has not been a practice of yours yet, you are not alone! This may be a great goal to set for yourself in the coming months.
Lastly, in addition to paused sections that ask for answers, or some sort of response from the class, “Try It” interactive activities are also included. These activities are not available within every Visual Learning Bridge, however, when they appear, you must click on the “Try It” icon to interact with the activity.
The “Try It” activity may be a click and drag activity, as shown below. Other activities may include the opportunity to build representations, use manipulatives on the screen, or select appropriate diagrams that match what is being asked.
The student workbook perfectly mirrors the Visual Learning Bridge. Within each lesson page, student workbooks provide a snapshot of the major concepts taught from the video and animations. Have you ever asked yourself what to do if technology is not working? This is the answer! You can still use the images from the Visual Learning Bridge, paired with the guiding questions within your manual to introduce students to the concept being covered for that day’s lesson.
Following the Visual Learning, students are provided with the chance to engage with the content that had been introduced in the following component called “Convince Me.” Upon interacting with the “Convince Me” prompt, they must convince their classmates AND you of their understanding and how they applied their thinking to their approach for solving the prompt.
Allow students to make sense of what they have learned, attempt to solve the prompt, and then have time to express their thinking with others. This is your opportunity to clear up any misconceptions, respond to any student questions, extend thinking if applicable and test the waters for what your students are ready for prior to the “Guided Practice.”
Enjoy taking advantage of using the Visual Learning Bridge and the Convince Me, as they are two powerful instructional tools! Please reach out to your math coach for more information and for collaborating together using either component.
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