Enhancing Learning with Visuals

Describe the roles that visuals play in learning?

            Many educational researchers proved that the retention of information is six times greater when information is presented by visual means. They also suggest that 83% of human learning occurs visually. Visually-rich training materials keep the eyes busy and therefore, the brain more alert and active to learn information. Pictures are a direct route to long-term memory, each image storing its own information, as a coherent Chunk or concept.

            A large body of research indicates that visual cues help us to better retrieve and remember information. The research outcomes on visual learning make complete sense when you consider that our brain is mainly an image processor, not a word processor. In fact, the part of the brain used to process words is quite small in comparison to the part that processes visual images. Based upon research outcomes, the effective use of visuals can decrease learning time, improve comprehension, enhance retrieval, and increase retention. Various types of visuals can be effective learning tools: photos, illustrations, icons, symbols, sketches, figures, and concept maps, to name only a few. Consider how memorable the visual graphics are in logos, for example. You recognize the brand by seeing the visual graphic, even before reading the name of the brand. This type of visual can be so effective that earlier this year Starbucks simplified their logo by dropping their printed name and keeping only the graphic image of the popularly referred to mermaid (Kouyoumdjian, 2012).

Reference:

Kouyoumdjian, H. (2012). Learning through visuals. Retrieved from

https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/get-psyched/201207/learning-through-visuals


Questions:

1. What's Your Learning Style?
2. What are the characteristics of the visual learner?
3. How can the visual learning help students to remember the information?