Our first Visual in Focus is Go + Slow Zones. Movement and energy can look different across learners, activities and environments. Go & Slow Zones is designed to help make it more visible where different kinds of movement and energy are supported throughout the day. Go supports movement, activation and higher-energy activities: → I can move more here. → My energy goes up. Slow supports slowing down, resetting and reducing stimulation: → I can slow down here. → My energy goes down. → I can reset. Rather than labelling movement or energy as good or bad, Go & Slow can help learners notice which kinds of movement work in different spaces while supporting communication, shared expectations, safety and self-awareness. I’ve included a black-and-white community version for you to download, try and keep. It's attached! 👇🏼 If you’re curious about the other variations or would like to learn more about the tool, you can explore Go & Slow Zones in the Visually Speaking shop: https://visuallyspeakinginc.com/product/go-slow-zone-visual-tool/ 💭 Where might Go & Slow fit in your world? Maybe there’s a particular space, routine or transition that comes to mind — at home, at school, in a therapy setting or somewhere else entirely. Share your ideas or wonderings in the comments. I’d love for us to explore this one together.

I stumbled across this competition to run a 6-part podcast as part of a competition organized by iHeart Radio: Top Host - This is not something I would naturally gravitate to. But guess what? I did it anyway! What’s my why? I thought the chance to talk to people with learner-centred conversations as the focus was something worth exploring. I humbly share the link and I give you to vote and support this fun side quest I’m on. Voting starts Monday and I will see where the journey takes me from there!

I shared a few little behind-the-scenes peeks and reels when I recorded an episode of The Educator Experience Podcast — and I’m really excited that I can finally share the full conversation with you! Salli and I talked about inclusive teaching, neurodiversity-affirming support, visual communication, and moving beyond one-size-fits-all approaches to learning. We also talked about something that sits right at the heart of Thriving Together: supporting the people who support learners. Because when the people who keep showing up for learners are supported too, we create more opportunities for learners to thrive. 🎧 You can listen on any podcast streaming platform. The Apple Podcast Link is here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/how-to-support-every-learner-inclusive-teaching-that/id1817723101?i=1000789636881 If you give it a listen, I’d love to hear what stood out to you — or what it leaves you wondering about. 🌱

This is a place to get curious about visual tools — what they can make more visible, how they might support different learners, and where they might fit in your world. Each month, I’ll feature a Visually Speaking visual for us to notice and explore together. You’ll also find an uploaded version that you can download, try and keep. Visually Speaking tools are designed to make important ideas more approachable through supportive language, meaningful illustrations, concepts presented one step at a time, and flexibility for different communication and sensory needs. There isn’t one “right” way to use a visual. Bring your questions, wonderings, experiences and ideas as we explore what each one might make possible for learners. Let’s see where the conversation takes us.

Some of you may notice my hard hat 👷🏻‍♀️ and steel-toe shoes 🥾 — that's because I've been working behind the scenes on how we navigate Thriving Together. As I've been considering the structure of our community, I've also been thinking about how the different pieces connect — and how I can facilitate way-finding. There are lots of ways to find your way in. One place you might want to start is with the Thriving Together Process in the Classroom. It's built around four actions: Notice → Explore → Respond → Reflect You can move through them in whatever order the moment calls for. Each one is an invitation — to slow down and notice what's happening, to explore it with curiosity and from different perspectives, to consider how we might respond, and to reflect on what we learn. You'll also start to see more of this structure reflected throughout Thriving Together. There will be more opportunities to Notice + Explore together — through visuals, frameworks and conversations, and by sharing observations, asking questions, exploring different vantage points and learning from what others are noticing. Visuals in Focus is a new space I've opened for us to do just that. It gives us a place to look more closely at visual supports — what we notice, what we wonder, what they might make possible, and what we might want to consider when using them with a learner. And because learners thrive when the people who keep showing up for them are supported too, I've created Thriving Together In Practice, a new paid tier for those looking for more intentional personal or professional development. It creates dedicated space for Respond + Reflect, with monthly live learning, implementation guidance, and an evolving archive of sessions and resources to support you in putting what we're exploring into practice. You can find Thriving Together In Practice under the membership options whenever you're ready to explore it. Take in what's meaningful to you, at a pace that works for you. Find your way in.