Visual learning
What is it?
Visual learning is a type of learning style in which a student processes information best by seeing it in graphical display.
http://www.visualspatial.org - retrieved April 26, 2007.
Learners with a higher degree of visual or spatial intelligence have an amazing ability to perceive the visual. Because these learners think in terms of pictures, they often need to create vivid mental images to retain information. They enjoy learning through visual aids like maps, charts, pictures, videos or movies.
For this reason, explaining concepts in lecture form (auditory) often is not enough for the visual learner to grasp the full meaning of a concept or subject. Instead, visual displays including diagrams, illustrated text books, overhead transparencies, videos, flipcharts and hand-outs are needed.
How Can You Tell if Someone is a Visual Learner?
Visual learners are likely to be skilled at puzzle building, reading, writing, understanding charts and graphs, sketching, painting, creating visual metaphors and analogies (perhaps through the visual arts), manipulating images, constructing, fixing, designing practical objects or interpreting visual images. However, there are a number of assessments that may be used to more accurately determine a students’ specific learning style. Here are a few:
-
http://www.nalandainstitute.org/aspfiles/visual.asp - retrieved April, 30 2007.
Do Visual Learning Strategies Improve Student Performance?
Empirically based research demonstrates the use of graphic organizers for improving student learning and performance across grade levels, with diverse students, and in a broad range of content areas. The Institute for the Advancement of Research in Education conclusions from this review include*:
- Reading comprehension. Use of graphic organizers is effective in improving students’ reading comprehension.
- Student achievement. Students using graphic organizers show achievement benefits across content areas and grade levels. Achievement benefits are also seen with students with learning disabilities.
- Thinking and learning skills. The process of developing and using a graphic organizer enhances skills such as developing and organizing ideas, seeing relationships, and categorizing concepts.
- Retention. Use of graphic organizers aids students in retention and recall of information.
- Cognitive learning theory. The use of graphic organizers supports implementation of cognitive learning theories: dual coding theory, schema theory, and cognitive load theory.
* (Information attained from Inspiration Software, Inc. contracted with the Institute for the Advancement of Research in Education (IARE) at AEL to review the theoretical and/or research basis of visual learning and the use of graphic organizers for instruction. To view a PDF executive summary of this study go to http://www.inspiration.com/download/pdf/SBR_summary.pdf.)
Why it Works for Diverse Learners.
Spatial arrangements depicting the information’s structure reduce the cognitive demands on the learner. The learner does not have to process as much semantic information to understand the subject matter. This is one of the reasons why graphic organizers are such powerful devices for students with language-based learning disabilities and ADHD. For these students, it helps reduce the amount of information they are taking in and trying to process and helps narrow their focus. The more things a person has to learn in a short amount of time, the more difficult it is to process information in working memory. Graphic organizers assist in breaking information down into smaller, more manageable chunks that a student can process. Associations between objects, events, people, actions and places designed in various graphic maps also helps students link existing knowledge to new knowledge. (Ellis, 2004).
To learn more about visual learning strategies for studying, the Cuyamaca College website provides a useful list of facts and tips: http://www.cuyamaca.edu/eops/DSPS/resourcesvis.asp
