“Even after ten years, our teachers are still using the strategies that we learned in the VAM class. And we are passing those strategies along to other content areas as well. And I know all the teachers in our school have been working on trying to figure out how we can best support our multilingual learners. And so I feel like the teachers in the math department have been leaders in that area."
EDC’s Visual Access to Mathematics (VAM) helps educators use visual representations and language-rich strategies to deepen all students’ math learning.
VAM offers research-based, classroom-ready strategies that strengthen instruction for all students. VAM equips educators to use visual representations and language-rich teaching to support deeper student understanding—all in the context of teachers' existing mathematics curriculum.
Bridging Gaps in Mathematics Education
Across schools and districts, expectations for inclusive, rigorous mathematics instruction continue to grow. Yet many educators have had limited access to professional learning focused on the integration of language and mathematics, in particular to support multilingual learners. In a 2023 research study, VAM participants reported improved ability to use mathematical representations effectively and greater confidence supporting multilingual learners.
VAM Professional Learning Priorities
VAM Professional Learning is for grades 5–8 educators, including math teachers, math coaches, English learner specialists, and special educators. Participants learn how to:
- Use math diagrams to build conceptual understanding of fractions, rates, and ratios
- Integrate language-rich strategies that supports development for all learners
- Analyze student work to understand thinking and identify misconceptions
- Plan inclusive, standards-aligned lessons using their current curriculum
- Build from each students’ strengths to support a thriving classroom
Professional Learning Structure
Led by expert facilitators, the 32-hour VAM Professional Learning course consists of an in-person VAM Academy, two online workshops, and six online modules.
At the 2-day, in-person VAM Academy, participants are introduced to the VAM approach through hands-on learning. The VAM experience then continues with a series of online modules. The six online modules each take place over a 2-week period, with time during each for participants to work on short asynchronous assignments and participate in a 1-hour online small group session. The full cohort comes together twice for two-hour online workshops—at the Midway Workshop after the first three modules, and for the Final Workshop at the end of the course.
Support for District Goals
Hundreds of educators have participated in VAM Professional Learning. Educators report that VAM is practical, easy to integrate with existing curricula, and highly effective in helping them support student thinking and language development. Practical training and ready-to-use materials are key for building confidence—supporting district goals for equitable, rigorous math learning for all students.
Meet the VAM Team
EDC experts in mathematics curriculum design, teacher practice and student learning, and multilingual learning designed VAM with funding from the National Science Foundation.* Learn more about the team by clicking the links to their bios.
*The Visual Access to Mathematics program was originally developed with support from the National Science Foundation under Grant No. DRL 1503057. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.