What is the Visual Learning Style?

The Visual Learning Style - About Visual Learning Styles

 

Did you know that an estimated 60% of all people claim that they learn best using visual aids? That means that well over half of all learning styles are most likely visual in nature, which also means that many of us are likely to take a learning preferences test and find out that we learn best with pictures and other visual materials.

Visual learners often retain information most effectively when they have materials to supplement traditional lectures. For instance, a visual learner would be better served if his or her instructor placed graphs, charts, models, and other visuals along with the discussion whereas a verbal learner might do better to hear the words spoken by the professor and by writing down what is said. There are no value judgments here; no one style is better than the other, but by realizing you need visuals and taking steps to seek them out, you will find that your study time could be far more productive.

Having a visual learning style or learning preference means that you are someone who learns best when information is presented visually. When you can see or visualize something you are able to retain it and recall it better and have an easier time conceptualizing difficult ideas within the context of an image or visual representation. If you are a visual learner, your visual learning preference makes you better able to succeed when you can use colors, charts, graphs, illustrations, and multimedia tools to see information.

There are numerous ways to determine whether or not you have a visual learning style, even without taking a round of tests. Most of us instinctively know if we learn best with visual or textual information without a battery of quizzes to tell us, but those learning preference tests can be very valuable in terms of providing more concrete information about what works best for our personal learning success.

Understanding the core concept behind the visual learning style, or any other learning preference for that matter, is not difficult in itself. However, once we better understand some of the more nuanced issues involved with working within our learning styles, we can realize new heights as we seek to learn and retain new information.

This article is more of a general overview of the visual learning style whereas others in this and the other sections on this site, which is completely dedicated to the visual learning preference, handle more specific topics on the subject. Please take time to browse the site and whether you’re a teacher, a student, or just someone who is curious, you’ll find out more about how you and others retain and interpret information.