Characteristics of a Visual Learner
Visual learners are people who comprehend information the best when it is presented through a picture or graphic; when information is illustrated, visual learners will have an easier time grasping the concepts presented. Visual learners enjoy when information is presented using colors and maps so that the information is easily visualized in the individual’s mind. There are many characteristics that visual learners can identify with. Having a good sense of direction, drawing a map when someone needs directions, remembering the location of a car in a large parking lot, and doodling when taking notes are all signs of a being a visual learner.
(Visual Learner, March 16, 2013)
Visualizing the different information allows this type of learner memorize, concentrate, and express their ideas. There are also phrases that visual learners may use more frequently than other learning styles. These phrases include: “Can I show you?”, “I can picture that”, “I remember his face but not his name”, and “I don’t see it that way”. All of these phrases indicate that the speaker can picture the information a certain way but may not be able to comprehend other information that is not presented visually. Visual learners may need to map something out in order to explain that information to someone else (The Visual (Spatial) Learning Style, 2010).
(Visual Learner, March 16, 2013)
Visualizing the different information allows this type of learner memorize, concentrate, and express their ideas. There are also phrases that visual learners may use more frequently than other learning styles. These phrases include: “Can I show you?”, “I can picture that”, “I remember his face but not his name”, and “I don’t see it that way”. All of these phrases indicate that the speaker can picture the information a certain way but may not be able to comprehend other information that is not presented visually. Visual learners may need to map something out in order to explain that information to someone else (The Visual (Spatial) Learning Style, 2010).
Being VisualIn this video, Bette Fetter talks about her book Being Visual. She explains how being a visual learner means learning holistically because visual learners look at an image and process it as a whole. She also describes how important it is to present information visually to these learners because it will make the students more engaged in the learning process (Understanding Visual Learners, March 7, 2013).
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Readers as Visual Learners
A study done by Linnea C. Ehri and Lee S. Wilce shows how young children learn to read visually instead of phonetically. A series of reading tasks, such as memory of spelling, word identification, and sound knowlegde, were given to all ages of elementary school children. The results showed that the kindergarten students who were learning to read retained the information visually; it was not until the upper grades that the students were able to produce words phonetically. It is important to understand that teaching young children to read naturally is a visual process for them and that introducing words visually is what will help them learn most efficiently (Wilce & Ehri, 1985, p. 163-179). (Rennie, M., Child Reading, July 16, 2012)
In general, students who enjoy reading and writing are visual learners because they like to turn spoken word into something that they can see. Instead of listening to the teacher speak, visual learners would rather write down every word the teacher says and then go back and review the information. Students who take very diligent notes and enjoy writing are usually visual learners because they will not retain or remember the material presented unless it is written down in front of them. Students who enjoy reading are also visual learners because they would rather go back and read and review the notes taken earlier in order to understand the information.
In general, students who enjoy reading and writing are visual learners because they like to turn spoken word into something that they can see. Instead of listening to the teacher speak, visual learners would rather write down every word the teacher says and then go back and review the information. Students who take very diligent notes and enjoy writing are usually visual learners because they will not retain or remember the material presented unless it is written down in front of them. Students who enjoy reading are also visual learners because they would rather go back and read and review the notes taken earlier in order to understand the information.
Teaching the Visual Learner
There are many ways in which a teacher can incorporate different activities and teaching methods in order to meet the needs of a visual learner. Using visual aids, such as overhead projectors, PowerPoints, or posters are the most common ways to reach visual learners. Seeing the information presented in front of them will allow these learners to comprehend and remember the information by making maps in their mind of the visually presented material.
One piece of technology that teachers can use to cater to visual learners is an interactive whiteboard. In a study conducted by Kate Wall, Steve Higgins, and Heather Smith, the introduction of interactive whiteboards (IWBs) to years 5 and 6 in English primary schools was studied. (Seed Starting at LaSalle Academy, March 16, 2013)
The research aimed to gather information regarding pupil views of IWBs and the impact these tools can have on teaching and learning. One great thing about smart boards is that the students have a great visual representation of material that is usually hard to conceptualize. When the researchers asked the students what they liked about the IWBs, one 10-year-old girl stated, “You learn better with a smartboard because you can demonstrate things and not just tell them”. Another student, a 10-year-old boy, stated, “Science: it’s easy to understand because you can see something happening rather than someone telling you”. Other students made comments about how the color on the screen helped them memorize and how being able to move things around on the screen helps them make sense of the problems. Using IWBs in the classroom is another great way to cater to visual learners (Wall, K., Higgins, S., & Smith, H., September 2005, p. 851–867).
One visual technique that can be used when teaching is to have students visualize things in their heads if there is not a good physical visual representation of the material. An example of this is when teaching students to spell, present the word, have the students close their eyes and visualize it, make them spell it backwards in order demonstrate the visualization of the word, and then spell it forwards. Finally, have the student write out the word as they would on a spelling test. These steps allow the student to visualize the word, comprehend it, and present it correctly. Another way to help visual learners comprehend information is to allow those students to discover their own methods of solving problems. When teaching division, for example, give the students a simple division problem with a divisor, dividend, and quotient. Allow the students to figure out how to get the answer in a way that makes sense to them. When they succeed, give the students a harder problem that is already solved and have them check to see if the methods that they came up with work for all division problems. In doing this, the students will be able to visualize their own way of problem solving. Visual learners do not learn well when given step-by-step instructions on how to solve problems, such as division, and work better when allowed to discover their own methods. A crucial part of teaching visual learners is to allow them to construct, draw, or create visual representations of the concepts presented. By doing this, the students will maximize the amount of information that they are learning. Representing the information visually allows the teacher to see that the material taught is being comprehended and expressed in a way that makes sense to the student (Silverman, Effective Techniques, p. 3)
One piece of technology that teachers can use to cater to visual learners is an interactive whiteboard. In a study conducted by Kate Wall, Steve Higgins, and Heather Smith, the introduction of interactive whiteboards (IWBs) to years 5 and 6 in English primary schools was studied. (Seed Starting at LaSalle Academy, March 16, 2013)
The research aimed to gather information regarding pupil views of IWBs and the impact these tools can have on teaching and learning. One great thing about smart boards is that the students have a great visual representation of material that is usually hard to conceptualize. When the researchers asked the students what they liked about the IWBs, one 10-year-old girl stated, “You learn better with a smartboard because you can demonstrate things and not just tell them”. Another student, a 10-year-old boy, stated, “Science: it’s easy to understand because you can see something happening rather than someone telling you”. Other students made comments about how the color on the screen helped them memorize and how being able to move things around on the screen helps them make sense of the problems. Using IWBs in the classroom is another great way to cater to visual learners (Wall, K., Higgins, S., & Smith, H., September 2005, p. 851–867).
One visual technique that can be used when teaching is to have students visualize things in their heads if there is not a good physical visual representation of the material. An example of this is when teaching students to spell, present the word, have the students close their eyes and visualize it, make them spell it backwards in order demonstrate the visualization of the word, and then spell it forwards. Finally, have the student write out the word as they would on a spelling test. These steps allow the student to visualize the word, comprehend it, and present it correctly. Another way to help visual learners comprehend information is to allow those students to discover their own methods of solving problems. When teaching division, for example, give the students a simple division problem with a divisor, dividend, and quotient. Allow the students to figure out how to get the answer in a way that makes sense to them. When they succeed, give the students a harder problem that is already solved and have them check to see if the methods that they came up with work for all division problems. In doing this, the students will be able to visualize their own way of problem solving. Visual learners do not learn well when given step-by-step instructions on how to solve problems, such as division, and work better when allowed to discover their own methods. A crucial part of teaching visual learners is to allow them to construct, draw, or create visual representations of the concepts presented. By doing this, the students will maximize the amount of information that they are learning. Representing the information visually allows the teacher to see that the material taught is being comprehended and expressed in a way that makes sense to the student (Silverman, Effective Techniques, p. 3)
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Teaching Math VisuallyIn this video, Matthew Peterson talks about how in California there is only a small percentage of students who learn best using words, even though that is the main way that lessons are presented. He explains different ways that math teachers can give instructions without using words, such as changing word problems into pictures. He uses informative feedback so that the students know why they get a problem right or wrong (Teaching Math Without Words, March 7, 2013).
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Group vs. Individual Activities
There are many activities that cater to the visual learner in groups and individually. Because group activities are generally discussion based, it is hard for visual leaners to make the most out of group time. One effective group activity for visual learners is flashcards. Flashcards cater to the visual learner because it allows the student to see the word or math problem in front of them, which will allow the student to visualize the answer. This is a great group activity because the students can take turns quizzing and answering. Bright and colorful flashcards will also aid in the memorization process for visual learners. Using board games in a group is another activity that visual learners will excel with. Using a board with phonics, spelling, vocabulary, and grammar would be helpful to visual learners because it will allow them to see their task in front of them; the visual clues that are part of the game will help teach the concepts (O'Neal, Visual Learners in Small Groups, 2010).
While group activities are helpful when teaching, individual activities are also effective in teaching a concept. One activity that serves the needs of a visual learner is a reading scavenger hunt. Because visual learners usually excel in reading, using a book when teaching a concept can be vital to helping a student understand the concepts being taught. When teaching about parts of speech, for example, the teacher could give the student a book and give them to use a different colored pencil for each part of speech (i.e. noun, adjective) and allow them to underline the different parts of speech. Allowing the students to see the different parts of speech visually with colored pencil in the sentences of a book will deepen the understanding of the material (Vernon, How to Teach English, 2012). Another activity that is great for visual learners is creating a photo essay. A photo essay is simply a sequence of pictures used to tell a story. This can be a great activity to give students when doing a compare and contrast essay. Using pictures can allow a visual learner to actually see the comparison in front of them and allow them to deepen their understanding of the comparison (Petterd, Learning Activities, 2009).
While group activities are helpful when teaching, individual activities are also effective in teaching a concept. One activity that serves the needs of a visual learner is a reading scavenger hunt. Because visual learners usually excel in reading, using a book when teaching a concept can be vital to helping a student understand the concepts being taught. When teaching about parts of speech, for example, the teacher could give the student a book and give them to use a different colored pencil for each part of speech (i.e. noun, adjective) and allow them to underline the different parts of speech. Allowing the students to see the different parts of speech visually with colored pencil in the sentences of a book will deepen the understanding of the material (Vernon, How to Teach English, 2012). Another activity that is great for visual learners is creating a photo essay. A photo essay is simply a sequence of pictures used to tell a story. This can be a great activity to give students when doing a compare and contrast essay. Using pictures can allow a visual learner to actually see the comparison in front of them and allow them to deepen their understanding of the comparison (Petterd, Learning Activities, 2009).
Visual Learning and Age
It is important to note that as the age of the children change, the material and way in which it is presented will also change. For the younger grade levels, there are many ways to incorporate the visual learning style into the lesson plans. One way to do this is to have pictures with directions that are given for an activity. For example, if the first instruction is to get paper and a pencil, there could be a picture of a hand holding those two items next to the written words. Another way to incorporate the visual learning style into a lesson plan for younger children is to incorporate color in as many aspects of learning as possible. An example of this could be writing all of the vocabulary words in red and all of the definitions in blue so that the child can visualize the word and its meaning. As children grow up and reach high school and college, the way in which information is presented is usually in the form of a lecture. One way to incorporate the visual learning style in a lecture is to include a PowerPoint with words, pictures, and video clips. Doing this will allow the students who do not learn well by listening have something visual to grasp onto and remember. Another way to incorporate visual learners is to encourage them to take notes or make concepts maps on a computer that way they turn the lecture into a format that makes sense in their minds.