Lindamood-Bell®
Professional Learning Community
The Art of Error Handling
Visualizing and Verbalizing® Instruction
Kathryn Winn
February 12, 2014
©2014 Lindamood-Bell Learning Processes
Visualizing and Verbalizing Guide
Error Handling: Question, Compare the Response to the
Stimulus, and Give Choices.
Errors are handled in a positive, specific manner that
uses each error as a means to help the student think and
problem solve—while also developing the nonverbal
code of imagery.
©2014 Lindamood-Bell Learning Processes
Visualizing and Verbalizing Guide
Four Basic Principles for Error Handling
1. Note the student’s response.
2. Find a spot in the student’s response from which to
positively engage her.
3. Question to help her analyze her response.
4. Question to help her compare her response to the
stimulus.
©2014 Lindamood-Bell Learning Processes
Visualizing and Verbalizing Guide
Four Basic Principles for Error Handling
You read, “Some spiders spin big webs in trees.” And your
student says she pictures the webs on a fence.
1. Note the student’s response: the web is on a fence rather than
a tree.
2. Find a spot in the student’s response from which to
positively engage her: “I like how you are picturing the
spiders spinning webs.”
3. Question to help her analyze her response: “Your words
make me picture the webs on a fence. What are you picturing
for a fence?”
4. Question to help her compare her response to the stimulus. If
she does not modify her picture, re-read the sentence and ask
if it matches.
©2014 Lindamood-Bell Learning Processes
Error Handling
Sentence x Sentence
You read, “Teams of five people each gather on a crowded
street for a bus-pulling contest.”
Tommy responds, “I picture a man pulling a bus.”
How will you error-handle this?
©2014 Lindamood-Bell Learning Processes
Error Handling
MS x MS Picture Summary
You read, “The mule train wound its way slowly, single file
down into the Grand Canyon. Far below, the mighty
Colorado River looked like a thin brown ribbon. / The steep
trail was very narrow. A cliff went straight up on the left of
the trail and straight down on the right of the trail. / The
mules didn’t seem to mind, but some of the riders held onto
their saddle horns very tightly. They stared straight ahead
and did not look down.” (V/V Stories 1, Level 4, #4)
Your students struggle to recall pictures for the 2nd felt.
How do you handle this?
©2014 Lindamood-Bell Learning Processes
Error Handling
Word Summary
Your students have just started SxS and, initially, their word
summaries are complete retellings of their images.
How do you handle this?
©2014 Lindamood-Bell Learning Processes
Error Handling
Main Idea
You read, “Thousands of troops in George Washington’s
army camped on Long Island near the New York shore. A
British ship patrolled the channel between the island and the
shore. Late one night, Washington’s men began to sneak
into small boats tied to a dock. The men took the boats
across the channel all night. As the sun rose, the last troops
rowed through thick fog, right past the British ship, to
shore.” (V/V Workbook, Level 3, Book B, #7)
Sammy’s Main Idea: “The men snuck in boats to shore.”
How do you handle this?
©2014 Lindamood-Bell Learning Processes
Error Handling
Picture Details in Whole Paragraph
You read, “The tailorbird pokes small holes along the edges
of large green leaves with her beak. Then she pulls strands
of silk off a spider’s web. She pushes a strand in and out of
the holes of two leaves, sewing them together. With more
strands, she sews four leaves into a bowl. She fills the bowl
with grass and twigs to make a nest.”
When checking pictures, your students say they picture the
bird poking holes in the middle of small leaves.
How do you handle this?
©2014 Lindamood-Bell Learning Processes
Use each error as a means to help
the student think and problem solve, while
also developing the nonverbal code of imagery.
©2014 Lindamood-Bell Learning Processes