VISIBLE LANGUAGE ™
Helping students see the language behind learning.
Language is the invisible curriculum.
But how do you make language visible?
Westerlund Consulting presents the Visible Language™ Toolkit, a methodology founded on research-based Systemic Functional Linguistics (SFL) and genre-pedagogy research, providing a framework which will illuminate language for K-12 students
The Visible Language™ Toolkit
The Visible Language™ Toolkit is a practical, research-based professional learning system designed to help educators recognize and teach the language students need to succeed in school. Grounded in Systemic Functional Linguistics and connected to the demands of academic content, the Toolkit helps teachers make the often-hidden patterns of academic language visible, understandable, and teachable. The Toolkit includes;
Professional learning
Instructional tools
Curriculum and Instruction Design
Classroom-ready strategies
In person and virtual training
Coming soon - online asynchronous teachers’ PD
Dr. Ruslana Westerlund
Westerlund Consulting CEO and Chief Academic Officer
Dr. Ruslana Westerlund, University professor, author, trainer and coach, and former WIDA standards researcher, brings her years of expertise, classroom experience, and linguistic charisma as she shares her methodologies of training for genre-pedagogy.
Dr. Westerlund has provided strategic leadership in partnership with states’ departments of education, guidance and coaching to school districts and administrators, and a multitude of in-person and virtual professional development training presentations.
Westerlund Consulting provides the solution to illuminating language for national and international schools with the Visible Language Toolkit, a methodology which provides teachers with a grasp of language theory to implement in their approach to teaching and to empower students with the vision to see language.
When educators are equipped with a clear, functional Visible Language™ toolkit for language development, they move beyond instructional guesswork to ignite student agency.
Spring 2027 Book Study
Join an author-guided professional learning series in spring 2027 to learn how to utilize your Visible Language™ Toolkit to develop language-centered literacy instruction. Details to come. Sign up here to receive news about future events.
WIDA 2020 Co-Author
Dr. Ruslana Westerlund helped shape the standards that reach millions of U.S. students. Today she works globally with districts, agencies, universities, and publishers to turn rigorous content into accessible, language-rich instruction.
Ways We Can Help
Professional Learning
Book studies, courses, and district PD to help current and pre-service educators learn how to use Visible Language pedagogy to strengthen daily classroom practice and disciplinary thinking.
Pedagogical Thought Partner
Strategic consultation to help publishers and school systems design initiatives and brainstorm solutions for instructional challenges.
Curriculum Coherence
Expert review of curricular scope, sequence, and core materials to identify gaps, strengthen pedagogical scaffolding and defragment learning experiences for students across core programs and interventions.
