I would call myself a visual learner, but know from experience that the classroom environment is not always kind to us. The classroom is geared towards auditory learners, and if you are anything else, or need a little of everything to learn, then, well, you are in trouble. So...
What is a visual learner?
Visual learners are students who learn best from visual stimulation versus auditory or kinesthetic methods. These students do not learn well in a classroom in which the teacher stands directly in front of the room and lectures while having a board full of notes. These students learn better with pictures, movies, seeing the information.
Three types of learners
Visual- Learn using pictures, movies, text....
Auditory- Learn best from hearing, songs, lectures...
Kinesthetic/ tactile- physical learning, hands on activities Labs...these are the Do-er's of the learners
Facts about Visual learners (taken from http://www.visualteachingalliance.com/ )
Are you a visual learner?
Edutopia has a test that you can take to find out what type of learner you are... visit their site
Helping Visual Learners in the Classroom
Sadly, students spend 80% of their time in the classroom experiencing auditory learning. As teachers we need to change our teaching method to best fir out classroom and reach all types of learners. We need to bring more visuals into the classroom and get our students thinking and learning!!!!
What is a visual learner?
Visual learners are students who learn best from visual stimulation versus auditory or kinesthetic methods. These students do not learn well in a classroom in which the teacher stands directly in front of the room and lectures while having a board full of notes. These students learn better with pictures, movies, seeing the information.
Three types of learners
Visual- Learn using pictures, movies, text....
Auditory- Learn best from hearing, songs, lectures...
Kinesthetic/ tactile- physical learning, hands on activities Labs...these are the Do-er's of the learners
Facts about Visual learners (taken from http://www.visualteachingalliance.com/ )
- about 65% of the population are visual learners
- the brain processes visual information 60,000 times faster than text
- visual aids in the classroom improve learning up to 400%
Are you a visual learner?
Edutopia has a test that you can take to find out what type of learner you are... visit their site
Helping Visual Learners in the Classroom
- Use visual aids often in the classroom
- Have students create their own visual aids using content learned in class
- When giving directions, write down the steps/order where students can see and look back
- when writing notes on the board, using a power point or other form to relay notes/information, make key words, ideas or phrases bold, use a different color, or highlight them.
Sadly, students spend 80% of their time in the classroom experiencing auditory learning. As teachers we need to change our teaching method to best fir out classroom and reach all types of learners. We need to bring more visuals into the classroom and get our students thinking and learning!!!!
Tagxedo
Tagxedo is a site at allows you to take an number of words and put them together into a shape, words that are used more often, are shown in larger next. For example, a student could write a paper, or a blog, on copyright laws and the use of technology in the classroom. If that student then took the document and turned it into a Tagxedo, it would look very much like the one to the left. when looking for different ways to use Tagxedo in my classroom, I came across a blog, Tagxedo's blog to be exact, and came across, 101 ways to use Tagxedo.
Timetoast
Timetoast is a site that allows you to make a visual timeline. You can add pictures, a description and only takes a few minutes. The timeline below is a timeline about technology in the classroom.
Other Visual Tools (I stole these from a classmate in my tech class, see her blog here!)
Word Cloud | Graphic Organizers | Visual Timelines | Interactive Maps | Infographics |