Resources › For Students and Parents Visual Learning Style: Traits and Study Strategies Share Flipboard Email Print Study Tips for Better Grades Introduction What Kind of Learner Are You? Quiz: What's Your Learning Style? Study Strategies for Every Learning Style Tips for Kinesthetic Learners Tips for Visual Learners Tips for Auditory Learners Why Math Is Hard for Some Learners Creating Your Study Space How to Create an Ideal Study Space How to Make a Small Space Productive for Studying Best Pandora Stations for Studying Best Spotify Stations for Studying Essential Study Skills How to Find the Main Idea of a Passage How to Use Sticky Notes to Remember What You Read Why Taking Notes in Class Is So Important How to Outline a Chapter How to Make Vocabulary Flashcards Breaking Bad Study Habits 5 Bad Study Habits and How to Fix Them How to Avoid Distraction and Stay Focused Quick Fixes to Improve Your Grades When to Study How Long Should I Be Studying? How to Study for an Exam in Two Days How to Study the Night Before a Test How to Cram for a Test How to Prepare for Different Kinds of Tests How to Study for Objective Test Questions How to Study for Fill in the Blank Tests How to Study for Multiple Choice Exams How to Study for Open Book Exams David Schaffer/Caiaimage/Getty Images By Grace Fleming Grace Fleming Education Expert M.Ed., Education Administration, University of Georgia B.A., History, Armstrong State University Grace Fleming, M.Ed., is a senior academic advisor at Georgia Southern University, where she helps students improve their academic performance and develop good study skills. Learn about our Editorial Process Updated on November 21, 2019 Do you find yourself drawing pictures of a biology process as you study for an exam? Are you occasionally distracted during lectures, but extra-attentive when watching a video? If so, you may be a visual learner. Visual learners are those who process and retain information best when they can see it. Visual learners often prefer to sit in the front of the class and "watch" the lecture closely. Often, these students will find that information makes more sense when it is explained with the aid of a chart or illustration. Strengths of Visual Learners Visual learners have many strengths that will help them succeed in the classroom: Good at spelling and grammarComprehends charts and graphs quicklyAble to convey complex ideas visuallyGood at sign language and other visual communicationCreative; may enjoy art or writing Visual Learning Strategies If you're a visual learner, try these techniques to improve your comprehension, retention, and concentration while studying: Ask for a demonstration. Visual learners need to see how something is done. Whenever possible, ask your teacher for a visual demonstration. Once you see the concept or principle in action, you'll have an easier time understanding it and recalling it later. Request handouts. Before class begins, ask the teacher if there is a handout you can review during the lecture. Handouts will help you keep track of the information being presented in the lecture. Incorporate white space in your notes. White space is important for visual learners. When too much information is crammed together, it becomes difficult to read. Think of white space as an organizational tool like any other and use it to separate information in your notes. Draw symbols and pictures. Use symbols like exclamation points (for important information), question marks (for information that's confusing or that you need to study further) and stars (for information you understand fully). In addition, consider illustrating complex concepts or processes. Use flashcards. Flashcards can help you remember key terms and vocabulary words. Create a set of flashcards and illustrate them with relevant pictures and symbols to boost your retention. Create graphs and charts. If you are learning information that can be organized as a graph or chart, take the time to make one. No need to be fancy—just scribble it in the margins of your notebook). Seeing information in this structured format will help you remember it. Make outlines. Outlines are an excellent organizational tool for the visual learner. In an outline, you can structure a large amount of information using headings, subheadings, and bullet points. Outline textbook chapters as you read, then review your outlines when preparing for exams. Write your own practice test. When you make your own practice test, you get to see the relevant test information right in front of you, which is a big help for visual learners. Use study guides, chapter notes, and relevant class assignments to put your original practice test together. Visual Learning Tips for Teachers Visual learners need to see information in order to learn. These students may struggle to pay attention to a conventional lecture, but they process visual information like charts and graphs with ease. Try these strategies to support the visual learners in your classroom: Give visual learners quiet study time to review their notes, outline chapters, or draw diagrams.Play short video clips during class to reinforce concepts discussed during lecture.Avoid "cold-calling" on visual learners after a lecture presentation, as they need a few minutes to process the information they've just heard. Instead, give your students a moment to think after the lecture ends, then allow them to provide written answers to questions.Create opportunities for students to express their creativity in class (e.g. poster projects and short skits). Cite this Article Format mla apa chicago Your Citation Fleming, Grace. "Visual Learning Style: Traits and Study Strategies." ThoughtCo, Apr. 5, 2023, thoughtco.com/visual-learning-style-p2-1857113. Fleming, Grace. (2023, April 5). Visual Learning Style: Traits and Study Strategies. Retrieved from https://www.thoughtco.com/visual-learning-style-p2-1857113 Fleming, Grace. "Visual Learning Style: Traits and Study Strategies." ThoughtCo. https://www.thoughtco.com/visual-learning-style-p2-1857113 (accessed June 10, 2023). copy citation