A brief personal history: I still recall my very first day in kindergarten when I was pulled aside by my teacher when my parents came to pick me up. “I think your child has a mild case of ADHD, Mr. and Mrs. Huang…she can’t seem to concentrate at all in class. You might want to enroll her in a mental disabilities class.” This news was no doubt THE universal fear of all parents—to hear that your child is anything less than a perfect little angel, and nothing like the rosy picture above. Through faith and love, I managed to continue enrollment in public school system. I actually do not have ADHD; it’s a common case of misunderstanding in different styles of learning. I am not mentally handicapped; I am a visual learner.
Teachers sometime wrongly judge their student to have a mild case of ADHD or other mental abilities when the child acts out of “the norm” in class. In the case of Visual Learners, these kids have trouble following verbal directions, are easily distracted by noise, or flail their hands and feet trying to communicate a point. The problem exacerbates when the child is isolated because of his/her unusual behavior and is made to think that he/she is just “stupid.”
Every student has the ability to do well in school. The only issue is how teachers and parents can help to unleash the child’s potential by identifying how he/she learns. Visual learners usually:
- Use color, pictures, and diagrams to communicate with others
- Have good balance of color
- Comprehend by making a mental “movie” or “snapshot” of the material
- Memorize things better by seeing them on paper
- Are good spellers
- Are organized
- Would rather observe an activity, rather than participate
- Take notice of details
- Remember faces better than names
- Doodle on paper
Visual learners study best by seeing the material presented in a visual way. Some strategies that can greatly assist a visual learner’s learning experience are:
- Making flashcards
- Color coding/highlight important facts
- Memorize material by making a funny “mental film” (very helpful for U.S. History!)
- Use visuals: maps, models, videos, charts, power point, and etc.
- Use dry erase boards
- Jot down the main point when giving verbal directions
- Reserve a quiet space/time period for the child to study
But of course, the KEY to helping any child learn is to have Patience. If you take the time now to develop strategies and understand how your child, he/she will grow to enjoy learning and soar higher in the future than you’d ever imagine. Every child can do well in school. The point is, are you willing to step up and guide him/her during the first crucial steps on the journey of academia, competition, and life?
©The photo used in the above article is curtsey of Reader’s Digest
Excellent information about visual learners. In the classroom, I was able to capture the attention of the visual learners by wearing funky reading glasses and singing the story instead of reading the story. Needless to say, my class was often dramatic but the elementary aged students seemed to really enjoy and increased test scores proved that I was doing something right.
As an entrepreneur, understanding the learning styles of your clients and prospects leads to offering products of extreme value. Happy client + extreme value = a happy trip to the bank!