Some visual thinkers have such a strong visual mind that it causes conflict with their verbal side (speaking, listening, reading, and writing). This can cause symptoms in any or all of these areas. If you would have asked me if Meredith had strong vernal skills, I would have said yes, because she always had a strong vocabulary. However, after we learned of her strong visual mind, we discovered that Meredith's listening skills were very weak--something she had learned to hide very well. We thought for many years that she was just oppositional...but we just didn't know that verbal instructions and directives were playing to her weakest side. Did you know that parental guidance is 98% VERBAL?!? That causes a problem if you have a highly visual child.
We began working with Dr. Cheri Florance (maverickmind.com...I'll talk more about her later) who suggested we give Meredith's teachers a questionnaire designed to identify any weaknesses in these verbal areas. Turned out that Meredith failed or had difficulty with listening skills about 80% of the time. No wonder she struggled in school--an environment where listening is the number one skill, making up 76% of time in elementary school. The further one progresses in the education system, the higher that percentage gets.
A visual thinker tends to forget what they hear and remember what they see. School--or "Verbal Land" as Dr. Florance refers to it--plays to the students with strong verbal skills. Throughout history, many of the most creative thinkers who changed the world in novel ways struggled in school.
No wonder Meredith is thriving in her new school environment. This year she is attending Odyssey School. It is a school for "Bright Kids Who Learn Differently." Meredith loves all the hands on activities and the focus on multiple intelligences. Now she is relearning things that she only "heard" before. Remember, visual thinkers forget what they hear and remember what they see!
Wow! I'm not a visual learner on the scale she is but I never can remember things people tell me. I never have been able to. I have to see it, write it, something. Just tell me something and it's in one ear and out the other. I've learned to deal with that but my 5th grader does terrible at "listening" to instructions. Is it better to write things down or to just show her what to do? Or do people just have to learn how to listen? I'm assuming some people just need to learn the skill and do fine once they learn. Does Meredith "listen" better if she is busy doing something with her hands or she just really doesn't "listen" well? I hope I'm not offending you or being too nosy, it's just so interesting and makes me think a little more about noticing how my kids learn... especially my younger ones who are really just beginning.
ReplyDeleteYou are not being nosey at all!!! That is why I started this blog, afterall. I have been forced to learn a lot and I want to share it.
ReplyDeleteWhat I have come to learn and what many experts are advocating is that you focus on a child's strengths (visual or otherwise) instead of any weaknesses. In my opinion, it is very hard to "teach" someone to listen better (with exception to the therapy that Dr. Florance has designed...I'll blog on that later, but it is pretty advanced). Rather, if you take the time to discover what the strength is of the child (consult multiple intelligence information...Dr. Thomas Armstrong's website on the right might be a good place to start) and then adjust yourself to that learning style, you'll be much better off and the child will feel like they are more understood, helping his self-esteem.
For visual learners, if that is the case of your 5th grader, use pictures, pictures and more pictures. For example, I would write out a list of chores with a little picture next to each one. For making a list of what to pack on vacation, I would make a list and add pictures of shirts, pants, shoes, etc. Generally speaking, anything that is hands-on/kinesthetic will probably be a good bet also.
A couple of things you might explore with your 5th grader is to catch yourself using a figure of speech like, "Keep your eyes peeled for your brother." For very visual learners, they may be seeing a picture of peeling his eyes and be pretty confused about what you were asking. Visual thinkers take language literally and often make a picture for it. When I told Meredith I threw my back out, I asked her what she saw and she said she saw a picture of me taking my spine out of my body and throwing it away.
Also, check in a lot for comprehension. Meredith got very good at faking understanding. I wear hearing aids now and I had totally mastered how to do this before getting them...you just fake it! You've probably done the same thing at a noisy party. Now I regularly ask Meredith if she understood what I said.
For Meredith, when she was in fourth grade, she was failing tests when we studied in the traditional manner...me quizing her (auditorily) from her study sheet. Once I found out she had pictures for words, I started making her study guides with pictures. Her grades shot up dramatically.
Just explore a little bit with these things and see how it goes. Also, how is your fifth grader (what is his/her name?) with spelling? Visual learners are often very week with spelling...but there are tricks for that, too.
Oh, and yes, Meredith is better if she is doing something with her hands. In her case, sometimes she actually has to look away or else she focuses too much on the visual input and not the auditory. The other main trick with a visual learner (and is generally a good idea with most all learners!) is to engage the right brain. Sing directions, dance instructions, draw something colorful...do anything to engage that right brain!!!