Part III
Some children/people ingest information through seeing,
others through hearing, others through touch, or by
rearranging information through sequence and so on. Children
may be very bright, but if the educational approach does not
access their method of learning, they may not grasp the
material fully. What to do?
Part I discussed the different types of learners. Part II
offered suggestions to the teacher in offering arts and
crafts as hands-on ways of learning.
VISUAL MODELS AND EXERCISES THAT PARENTS AND TEACHERS CAN
PROVIDE
These include:
* Retrieve visualized information
Teach children how to use their intuition and retrieve stored
information from their heads. Closing their eyes and relaxing
through thoughts helps children temporarily forget about the
risk of failure and removes other interfering thoughts that
hinder the ability to read or answer questions or do other
tasks. Thinking of color or visualizing a color is pleasant
and relaxing and eliminates the pressure of achievement and
sets the climate for releasing the child's knowledge.
* Color Coding
Let colors be a visual symbol. Just as we use blue plates for
dairy and red plates for meat, so can we use colors to label
without words.
* Color writing
Write individual words or letters in different colors
according to categories. Colors have impact or impression on
some people just as smell does for others.
* Math or graph paper
Use to keep letters and numbers evenly spaced and in
order.
* Demonstrate concepts
Use actual objects or substitutes to "show and tell."
* Picture charade games
Encourage use of visual language with representation (in
drawing lines, shapes etc.) and symbols as child identifies
and guesses names of objects.
* Charts and homemade posters
Remind children with visual references of order and format
such as the alef beis or how to schedule their day or
set up a page to write a letter.
* Practice handwriting
Script, especially the letters with loops or the bow tie or
the figure eight shape that are done in one continuous line,
help strengthen the child's concentration. One theory is that
looking at the center point of the eight shape helps balance
the left and the right side of the brain. The action of
writing can help learning. It is multi-sensory, combining
tactile and visual. Some methods of learning to read use the
concept of writing first, then reading. Guidelines for
handwriting control impulsivity. The children learn to stay
inside the lines and relate to space, placement and size.
* Tactile writing
Use sensory stimuli at the ends of the fingers with heavy,
textured or three dimensional material to transmit
information to the child. Use finger painting, beans, rice,
toothpicks, sticks, sandpaper and pipe cleaners to form
letters, words etc. Demonstrate to child how to make the
letters by cutting, placing and gluing by himself.
* Relaxation techniques
Realigns the child's focus and direction. Give child
activities and projects s/he enjoys.
* Pictures
One picture is worth a thousand words. Talk about what you
see in the picture.
* Art lessons
Artistically talented children can relax with some type of
art or craft lesson. Games with drawing or parent-child
drawing sessions can help the child see him/herself and the
world around them.
ART THERAPY
Helpful for children with motorical or emotional conflicts.
This is an opportunity to communicate through visual means
until the time when s/he will be comfortable in a situation
where they learn to compensate and manage in a school
setting.
Art or Art Therapy for visual learners gives them the
opportunity to learn, get out, express themselves and their
relationship to the world. With proper guidance, this can
also be an opportunity to go over hand skills: cutting,
gluing, copying, drawing, using colors and shapes, building
three dimensionals that prepare the child for other skills in
life and/or use the child's interests and directions. Using
these skills and tools can help them to internalize school-
related material.
SELF HELP TOOLS IN THE CLASSROOM FOR THE VISUAL
LEARNER
Teach your child self help methods when visual models are not
available.
Everything that the parent or teacher can do for the visual
learner, the child can learn to do for himself. As with all
the suggestions here, time and repetition are the biggest
winners.
Teach the child to:
MAKE associations with the environment. Noting what the
teacher was wearing or what they eat for lunch before the
lesson is one type of association.
VISUALIZE in his/her mind the information. Close eyes and
imagine you see in front of each eye a number or word or
image of something you need to remember. Or close eyes and
keep a color in your head. Let the color identify with the
subject the child needs to remember.
MAKE charts
USE diagrams. The same idea as a flow chart with information
filled in clearly and simply.
MAKE flow charts. Children fill in information as they listen
in, connecting squares and circles.
USE worksheets. Elementary age children don't take notes but
this teaches them to take notes as they fill in a few words.
Ask the teacher for worksheets with missing words to be
filled in.
MAKE tables / TAKE notes with key words / WRITE what teacher
says
TYPE notes. The action of typing on the keyboard with its
rhythmic dancing finger work is satisfying. Typed words and
pages are easier to organize and rewrite than handwritten
words.
The visual learner relies on the representation of words and
concepts. It is our job as parents and teachers to provide
such means and offer the child the opportunity for
success.
Devora Piha is available for art and crafts therapy for
motorical skills and/or emotional difficulties.
Ramat Beit Shemesh 02-992-0501
