See Here: Tutoring Your Visual Learner

If you're a frequent visitor to this blog, you know that we talk quite a bit about differentiated learning, multiple intelligences, and learning styles. That's because answering the fundamental question "How does my child learn best?" is so vital to successful tutoring. Many students are visual learners. They learn through seeing. These children might find it difficult to retain facts from a dry, hour-long lecture. But pair that lecture with plenty of colorful slides and big-idea diagrams, and learning will take place! When tutoring your visual learner at home, consider the following ideas and suggestions.

Color Their World. For the visual learner, a variety of color and shapes is crucial. While a first-grader may have no lack of brightly colored books and art projects, a middle- or high-schooler typically uses black-and-white, small-print textbooks to do her homework. Remedy this dull sitation by equipping your child with plenty of highlighters and colored pens. Encourage her to establish a color-coded system (e.g., vocabulary words highlighted in pink, main ideas highlighted in green). If she needs to take notes in the margin, have her do so in an ink color that will really stand out. These cues are tremendously helpful to a visual learner, who often thinks in a vibrant palette rather than in monochromatic tones.

Map the Way. Diagrams, charts, and word maps help visual learners organize information in a way that makes solid sense to them. Even a simple "spider map"—with the main idea in the center circle and supporting ideas written on lines—can help your child grasp the crux of a lesson or concept. If you have the space and the supplies, consider making larger-than-life diagrams that will really stick with your visual learner. You could use a white board, or a flip chart on an easel. Allow your child to fill in the diagram using brightly colored markers. The large visual aid—plus the action of getting out of his seat and supplying the information—will lead to greater retention.

Clear the Clutter. Visual learning is a two-sided coin. While it's very true that visual learners can gain a lot from what they see, it's also true that they can become overstimulated and overwhelmed by their surroundings. Students with a visual learning style are easily distracted by objects they find interesting. For this reason, make your tutoring space as clutter-free as possible. Take photos, toys, and other distractors off of the desk. Place only learning materials in your child's line of sight. This emphasis on minimalism will help your child focus on what matters: his studies.

Have a Vision. Your visual learner doesn't just learn from what is in front of her. Many visual learners are incredibly imaginative and possess the ability to call up clear pictures of concrete (or even abstract) concepts. Allow your child to take a moment to really visualize the subject about which she's learning. For example, a visual learner studying algebra might close her eyes and imagine numbers and variables moving around, to illustrate the transitive property. Or, a biology student might picture the parts of a cell in way-larger-than-life detail. Visualization encourages creativity, imagination, and high-level thinking—all of which results in a memorable and effective tutoring session!

If your child is a visual learner, you may want to consider an online tutor who utilizes lots of pictures, graphs, and videos. ClassOf1 makes excellent use of video tutorials, and TutorJam lets students "draw" on a shared whiteboard.