Support Visual Learners With This Classroom Tool

Anybody who has heard a series of directions or instructions verbally only to be left scratching his head knows the value of visual learning. For some, hearing information just isn’t enough to truly commit details to memory.

According to Education Planner, “If you are a visual learner, you learn by reading or seeing pictures. You understand and remember things by sight. You can picture what you are learning in your head, and you learn best by using methods that are primarily visual. You like to see what you are learning.” Simply put: while some people are auditory learners and can process information best by taking it in through their ears, visual learners learn best by taking information in through their eyes.

The article offers these suggestions to help individuals with visual learning style:

• •   “Write down key words, ideas, or instructions.
• •   Draw pictures to help explain new concepts and then explain the pictures.
• •   Color code things.”

Whiteboards and glassboards can greatly support the visual learner because they are an avenue for graphs, diagrams, maps, and other helpful visuals. Take it a step further and get a set of colored markers to color code the information.

Need inspiration on how to incorporate whiteboards and glassboards in your classroom? Check out  Ghent’s Education Applications for a variety of ideas: “The furniture in a flexible, collaborative classroom needs to encourage active learning through teamwork, hands-on experiences, and individual needs. Glassboards are a premium writing surface for everyday use and have the aesthetic for today’s spaces. Nexus creates a culture that supports collaboration, while empowering individuals through mobiles, porcelain boards, and tablets.”

A mobile glassboard like Stroll is an excellent option because it can be maneuvered anywhere in the classroom to keep your students’ attention. If you want to be more interactive with all sections of the classroom to keep the kids focused and make it fun, also consider a lightweight mobile whiteboard like Roam.

How about including some color? An Elle Decor article expounds the science behind using color for wellness, “Chromo therapy, or color therapy, is the increasingly popular practice of using color to stimulate positive emotion and improve mental health.” The article goes on to explain which colors can promote zen vibes, “ ‘Blues and greens are inherently calming because they remind us of nature. Imagine looking out over the ocean on a beautiful day, or sitting in nature looking up at the trees,’ says Jamie Davis, co-founder of Portola Paints.” So, if you want color on the glassboard itself, consider blue or green. Both colors are calming and could help students struggling to focus to bring it in.

Let’s review a quick recap. Try using a portable board on casters to reach parts of the classroom that might normally be neglected. Don’t forget to reiterate key words, use plenty of pictures, and make use of color code. Incorporate a blue or green—or better yet, blue-green blend—glass board in your classroom and see how the calm creativity can flow!