6) Visual Learners

Going through school, I was always a visual learner.  I had a hard time understanding directions given that were more than two steps, and as a result I was always looking around the room to see what everyone else was doing.  That is how I got most of my instructions.  When it came to work, I could answer questions about a picture, movie, graph, timeline, map, political cartoon, etc., but if you asked me to read and then answer questions it was a completely different story.  These are key characteristics of a visual learner.  Over the years I have worked with many visual learners and since I am one of them, it is simpler for me to accommodate to their needs.

Some strategies for teaching visual learners include:

1. Provide students with a general outline of the material to be covered before a lesson.
2. Oral directions with more than two steps should be displayed somewhere on the board.
   
3. If class notes are extensive, hand out a copy of the notes.
   
4. Use any of the following with each lesson: flip boards, photos, diagrams, laminated pictures that can be used with group assignments, power point presentations, charts, maps, movies, filmstrips, timelines, YouTube clips, etc.
   
5. Have students construct their own flashcards and illustrate them.
6. Create lessons where students can utilize computers.  WebQuests, brochures, interactive lessons, online games, online textbooks, etc. to provide greater visual exposure and practice.
   
7. Use the computer in the classroom to construct mind maps or webbing of the material. The student can see the material and manipulate it at the same time.
   
8. Use concepts maps with key points, boxes, circles, and arrows showing the connections of information such as Inspiration 9.1. Webbing provides the connections that visual learners must have.
9. Give a face to a name and an illustration to an event.
10. When doing oral questions and answers in the classroom, allow adequate wait time before calling on students. This is very important for the visual learner who must retrieve visual images before formulating an answer. If you give them time to determine what you are asking, they will have greater success.

All of these strategies can be used when working with visual learners.  Not only does making your lessons visually appealing aid visual learners, but it can be fun and engaging for the entire class!  However, like anything else in education, repetition of the same visual aids can make things boring.  Therefore, these strategies can be successful, but only if you use them properly!