Seen, Shared, Shaped Over Time: Making Learning Visible in Social Studies
- inquirED
- Apr 14
- 3 min read
What does it mean to make learning truly visible—and why does it matter so much for student growth and engagement? In a recent webinar, "The Walls Can Speak: Making Learning Visible in Social Studies," hosted by inquirED and NCSS, education experts explored a powerful yet practical approach to cultivating deeper student learning: making student thinking seen, shared, and shaped over time.
Key Takeaways
Visible learning emphasizes process over product, fostering continuous reflection and growth.
Collaborative visual tools, like anchor charts and inquiry walls, increase student engagement and ownership.
Revisiting learning regularly helps students develop adaptable, investigative mindsets for lifelong learning.
What Is Visible Learning?
Visible learning is a practice of making student thinking external, interactive, and continually evolving. According to LaKethia White, PD and Learning Lead at inquirED, "It's about capturing the messy, evolving journey of learning—so students can reflect, revisit, and revise as they go." It's not simply about polished final products displayed on classroom walls, but about the ongoing, dynamic process of learning itself. When students see their thinking represented visually—through anchor charts, vocabulary walls, inquiry walls, and more—they gain a powerful reference tool, develop critical skills, and build an investigative mindset.
Seen: Learning as a Living Environment
"Seen" learning isn't about perfect displays; it's about the real-time, functional visual presence of student thinking in the classroom. White explains, "It's present, public, and part of the learning environment—not hidden in workbooks." Whether through anchor charts capturing evolving ideas or vocabulary walls built as students encounter new terms, making learning visible:
Creates tangible reference points for revisiting and building knowledge.
Provides visual scaffolds critical for multilingual learners and others who benefit from language support.
Reinforces the value of student ideas, signaling that their thinking matters and belongs in the classroom.
Shared: Co-Creating Knowledge
Shared learning environments are collaboratively built by students and teachers. During the webinar, White emphasized, "When learning is shared, students actively participate in creating the resources that support their learning." Effective shared spaces:
Are developed through authentic conversations, capturing student language and ideas.
Grow organically, using student-generated definitions, images, and home languages.
Foster deep ownership, connecting students to concepts and their relevance.
Shaped Over Time: An Ongoing Journey
Learning "shaped over time" recognizes that understanding evolves. When teachers make learning visible, they have to build in time and space to revisit and revise it. Otherwise, even great tools risk becoming wall art. Effective practices include:
Regularly revisiting visual learning tools to prompt reflection.
Capturing evolving questions and insights, maintaining relevance throughout units
Supporting connections between past learning and new discoveries.
Documenting intellectual growth and learning progression visibly.
Explore the Inquiry Journeys Scope and Sequence
Explore the content and questions at the heart of Inquiry Journeys, elementary social studies that makes learning visible.
Practical Strategies and Examples
Hannah Berkowitz, a 5th-grade teacher at Jane Stenson Elementary, illustrated how visible learning enhances engagement and independence. She described how students actively contribute to an inquiry wall, noting, "It’s powerful because it captures their evolving thinking. They can see their growth over time."
Moderator Martin Andrews highlighted that visible learning isn't just for younger students: "Middle and high school students can benefit significantly, taking even greater ownership in creating rich inquiry spaces."
Cultivating an Investigative Mindset
Beyond academic outcomes, visible learning helps students develop crucial skills and mindsets. White described it as helping students see knowledge as "dynamic and continuously developing," preparing them for future challenges.
Visible learning transforms classrooms into living laboratories, shifting focus from products to the intellectual journey. By making learning seen, shared, and shaped over time, educators foster deep, lasting knowledge—and prepare students to become active investigators in their own learning.
Resources
Watch the Recording
If you missed the live event or would like to revisit any part of the discussion, you can watch the full recording below.
out inquirED
inquirED supports teachers with high-quality instructional materials that make joyful, rigorous, and transferable learning possible for every student. Our social studies curricula – Inquiry Journeys (K-5) and Middle School World History – are used across the country to help students build deep content knowledge and develop inquiry skills essential for a thriving democracy.
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