This is a BIG year for us at PETE&C. The Visual Leap is leading THREE breakout sessions listed below and hosting a Monday night reception. Please visit us at BOOTH 12.

Link to Pete & C

eSchool News reports how The School District of Philadelphia selected The Visual Leap as a learning partner in a major Specialized Educational Services professional learning initiative. Teachers receive subscriptions to the award winning eTeachables Learning Portal, developed by Sublime Learning. This contains learning videos and downloadable classroom activity templates (created in Inspiration, Kidspiration, SMART Notebook or ActivInspire) that teachers can easily integrate technology into the classroom. TVL will also be leading district meetings to see that the resourse is implemented with fidelity.

Goals and Accomplishments

Do you wonder where the week went, let alone where the decade went? Do you want to do more, faster? Mind maps and webs help you prioritize and organize.

Please download and try these Inspiration® templates!

My Week
(Inspiration ISF file) (PDF)

My Decade
(Inspiration ISF file) (PDF)

The Judaic Leap® is the innovative way to learn Hebrew and Judaism visually.

The Judaic Leap® uses diagrams, symbols and thought provoking templates to teach.

The Judaic Leap® is a CONTENT MODULE that integrates seamlessly into Inspiration® software.

It facilitates differentiated instruction and allows students and teachers to express ideas, make connections and construct knowledge.

Learn More

The best software for mapping and understanding ideas has been improved.



Inspiration software (Inspiration 9, Kidspiration 3 and InspireData) is our passion, and training in how to integrate it for learning and productivity is our mission.

The Shut-Down Learner by Richard Selznick, PHD
highlights The Visual Leap in the section "The Winds of Change: Innovation Around the Country"

Selznick writes: " Over lunch, Jesse Berg, owner of The Visual Leap, passionately explains his view of different learning paths:

"When it comes to school and learning, some people are born with a mind like a Honda Accord and learning is like driving down a highway. It is a pretty smooth process, and the role of school is to even out the bumps in the road. Other people are born with a mind like a Jeep 4x4. For them, learning is like driving in the wilderness, with limitless possibilities, but no trails to follow. These creative people require unique strategies to navigate their mental terrain and organize their ideas. School doesn't do that much for these folks. However when they are taught learning strategies that match how they think, these learners can see possibilities and opportunities that are not visible from the road."-Jesse Berg

Read More About The Shut-Down Learner

Session Number: A07 Session
Time: Monday 10:15 am - 11:15 am
Program Title: Mining the Mind Map for Differentiation Program
Description: The problem: Over 30% of people think best visually, but donêt know how to harness this intellectual asset to learn. The solution: This high energy workshop presents practical methods for teaching a learning skill that matches how many learners naturally think. These strategies will target gifted, traditional and remedial learners.
Affiliated Organization: School District of Philadelphia
Session Type: K-12
Room: Magnolia D
Presenter: Jesse Berg
Strand(s): Professional Development/Teacher Preparation, Instructional Strategies/Successful Practices
Audience(s): All

Jesse Berg, Tracy McGrath and other School District of Philadelphia Classrooms for the Future Coaches will be presenting at the EduCon 2.1.

Details coming soon...Stay tuned.

"Differentiation through Visual Learning: Methods and Rational for Integrating Visual Learning into the Curriculum" by Jesse Berg MSIT, MEd

National Yeshiva Special Education Conference and New Jersey Association Annual Election Day Conference
Kushner Academy, Livingston, NJ
Election Day, November 4th
8 am - 4:15 pm

Many struggling learners who present with ADHD, with Executive Function Disorder and other language weaknesses are visual-spatial learners. Whether diagnosed or not, these individuals can benefit from proven VISUAL THINKING strategies - designed to work with how they think – that can make learning more manageable.

Learn why VISUAL THINKING is such a beneficial skill and learn how it can help you succeed in school and at work.

View seminar files and and EduCon 2.0 web site with more information about this workshop. (The much requested PowerPoint is not yet available.)

View the entire presentation online at the EduCon Wiki Space.

"Harness Visual Learning for Critical Thinking, Writing, Presenting and Thinking"
by Jesse Berg, MSIT, MEd

Effective 21st century education requires contemporary student centered teaching. Educators must consider multiple access points, different learning styles, and relevant projects that utilize authentic content which is student driven. Visual learning is a method that allows teachers to reach students, and visual learning is a framework from which students can construct meaning. Participants will leave this conversation with practical examples and lesson plans – for tomorrow morning at 8:00 AM - that utilize visual learning strategies as a framework for creating synthetic knowledge. In addition, teachers will gain a deeper understanding of the pedagogical basis for visual strategies in the classroom. This conversation will begin with a brief discussion of the following:

• The scholarly research that supports this approach
• How to identify visual/spatial learners
• How visual learning stimulates synthetic knowledge
• Examples of classroom examples of visual learning used to teach writing, presenting, critical thinking

Using visual learning in the classroom is rewarding and effective. It is a wonderful strategy to engage students, promote deep learning and put students at the center of the learning process, where they belong.

Visit EduCon 2.0 web site
Learn more about EduCon 2.0 (PDF)