Every person learns differently. There are Visual, Audio, and Kinesthetic learners. It is estimated that between 40 and 60 percent of people are visual learners. Despite this, modern schools are set up in ways that allow audio learners to perform best in the classroom. As teachers, it is essential that new technologies are utilized in ways that reach visual learners and allow for them to succeed.
One way that visual learning can be applied in the classroom is through brainstorm/concept mappers. To the left is a picture of bubbl.us, Bubbl allows users to create concept maps that help to better understand ideas. As a teacher, I can help my students learn by doing as little work as possible. The students will simply tell me what to write down and then they can have me group the ideas together that are connected. The fun and interactive nature of concept mapping will also encourage more students to participate. Other useful tools for concept mapping are Inspiration, Kidspiration, and Mywebspiration.
Another useful tool for visual learners are word clouds (as seen below). Word cloud generators allow the user to input words or phrases and then create a cloud of words based on what was input. The most useful aspect of word clouds are that the most common words input in the generator are the bigger ones. This will allow students to more easily remember important concepts, words, or ideas. The word cloud below was done using Wordle. However, sites like Tagxedo allow users to make even more complex looking word clouds.
The goal of every teacher should be a desire to have every student learn. By utilizing these technologies, visual learners can now be better suited for classroom success.
One way that visual learning can be applied in the classroom is through brainstorm/concept mappers. To the left is a picture of bubbl.us, Bubbl allows users to create concept maps that help to better understand ideas. As a teacher, I can help my students learn by doing as little work as possible. The students will simply tell me what to write down and then they can have me group the ideas together that are connected. The fun and interactive nature of concept mapping will also encourage more students to participate. Other useful tools for concept mapping are Inspiration, Kidspiration, and Mywebspiration.
Another useful tool for visual learners are word clouds (as seen below). Word cloud generators allow the user to input words or phrases and then create a cloud of words based on what was input. The most useful aspect of word clouds are that the most common words input in the generator are the bigger ones. This will allow students to more easily remember important concepts, words, or ideas. The word cloud below was done using Wordle. However, sites like Tagxedo allow users to make even more complex looking word clouds.
The goal of every teacher should be a desire to have every student learn. By utilizing these technologies, visual learners can now be better suited for classroom success.
