OPENING STATEMENT

Hello! Thanks for joining me in a discussion of gifted visual-spatial learners! I
titled this session after my handbook for kids, If You Could See the Way I
(They!) Think, because, truly, if you could, you'd see the most fascinating
wiring and discussion of brain function to be found anywhere. In fact, lately I've
taken to asking kids to draw for me how their brains work and the most
fantastic worlds are exposed.

Anyway, we'll spend this weekend talking about how to identify your child
(ren)'s preferred learning style, what the implications are for home and school,
strategies for maintaining harmony at home and techniques for mastering
school subjects -- particularly those that have long been taught in an auditory-
sequential manner. I recognize that we have a nice mix of parents and
professionals participating and so, will try to tailor my responses or specific
subjects to both groups, when possible.

Please know that I will not be able to review individual reports and assess
unique situations during this conference. I'll be happy to consult with you
following the weekend discussion, if you like, but for the most part, my
responses over these next few days will be general in nature so as to be of
service to all.

I've kept the weekend clear and notified hubby and the kids that I'll be on the
computer a great deal, so I hope to be available quite a bit over these next
three days.

So, let's get things started with an introduction to this concept of a visual-
spatial learner:

The construct of the visual-spatial learner, developed by Dr. Linda Silverman,
Director of the Gifted Development Center, is based on the latest brain
research and our current understanding surrounding the functions of the
hemispheres. Linda coined the term “visual-spatial learner” in 1981 to define
those students who think in images. While in the process of testing children’s
intelligence, she discovered a pattern among children who scored in the
highest ranges. They did so with their phenomenal abilities to solve problems
presented to them visually and by excelling in the spatial tasks of intelligence
tests. Analyzing hundreds of children’s test results, Linda observed two
distinct learning styles: auditory-sequential and visual-spatial. Her theory boils
down to this: We each have two hemispheres of the brain. However, much like
handedness, many of us prefer one hemisphere to the other. That preference
can have dramatic implications in the classroom. (It is important to note that
both hemispheres work together to accomplish most cognitive tasks. It would
be wrong and, in fact, silly, to conclude that a student is exclusively right-, or
left-brained, functioning with only half a brain!)

School is geared to left-hemispheric learning. We teach in a step-by-step
manner and require mastery of one area before progressing to a higher level.
We also tend to teach, particularly in the higher grades, in a strictly auditory
fashion, leaving manipulatives and hands-on learning for younger students
only. Those who favor their right hemisphere are at a distinct disadvantage.
Because they are presented with new material in a sequential fashion, they
are required to use their weaker hemisphere, rather than their stronger.



This is analogous to an individual breaking the arm of a dominant hand and
being forced to handwrite with the weaker hand. Eventually, and with much
practice, the individual will be able to produce legible writing, but it will never
be the most efficient means, nor the most beautiful writing that he or she is
capable of. Only when the ability of the dominant hand is returned, can the
individual produce his or her best work. Schools were designed for right-
handed students during the ages when left-handed students were FORCED
to write with their right hands. Left-handedness was considered evil. We still
meet people in workshops all across the country that were forced to use their
right hands to write. My own grandmother, who was born completely deaf, said
her biggest handicap in school wasn’t that she couldn’t hear, but that she was
left-handed. Prejudice against our right hemisphere (which directs our left
hand) continues in the emphasis on left-hemispheric educational practices.
Only when we create classrooms that allow visual-spatial students to access
the right hemisphere will we afford them the opportunity to produce their best
work and learn in the most efficient manner for their learning style.



Understanding the specific learning style of students and differentiating
instruction based on those learning styles may be the single most important
aspect a teacher uncovers about them. To be able to teach to strengths may
be a life-changing experience for these students, one that will likely leave a
lasting impression for the duration of their academic career and beyond. Our
personal learning style affects not only how we learn while we are students,
but also how we think and approach problem solving as adults. How one
thinks and learns can dramatically affect one’s personal and business
relationships, too.

In the 1990s, research by the Gifted Development Center was validated using
an instrument they developed, the Visual-Spatial Identifier. The results
surprised even those who designed and conducted the study.















From the Visual-Spatial Resource website: www.visualspatial.org.
Available for use with permission.



The research included 750 students in grades four, five and six. The children
were primarily Caucasian and Hispanic, from all socio-economic
backgrounds and all IQ ranges, in an urban and rural setting.



The results demand the attention of every educator and administrator: Over
one-third of the study group strongly preferred a visual-spatial learning style,
while only one-fourth strongly preferred an auditory-sequential style. Of the
group (42%) that did not lean strongly one way or the other, most (30%)
favored a visual-spatial approach to their learning. This is an astonishing
percentage of kids in the regular classroom who prefer a visual-spatial
method of instruction (at least 63%) and far more than was anticipated.



















Anecdotally, our research has found that the number of students who favor a
visual-spatial learning style increases with intellect. In classes and schools
for the gifted, we have found as much as 70-75% of the students had stronger
right hemispheres than left. At one private school for the gifted in Colorado, the
incoming 2006-2007 student body (pre-K through 8th grade) was 98% visual-
spatial!



Recent validation conducted among the predominantly Navajo school district
of Page, Arizona found that nearly 70% of their student body (grades 3 through
8) are visual-spatial. Also of interest, over 90% of the students in Page that
had been referred to Academic Services (either needing remedial help,
experiencing behavior issues, etc.) were visual-spatial learners AND, 90% of
the students enrolled in special ed classes were visual-spatial. Efforts are
currently underway to validate the preferred learning style of the district's 9th
and 10th graders.



There is even more compelling research than the numbers of visual-spatial
learners in a classroom to support incorporating strategies that favor the right
hemisphere: Engaging the right hemisphere is good for every student,
regardless of their preferred learning style. By teaching to the visual-spatial
students in the room, in ways that activate and engage the right hemisphere,
teachers can more effectively reach every single student. Dr. Jerre Levy, a
brain researcher from the University of Chicago, who is credited (along with
Dr. Roger Sperry) with discovering the specific functions of each hemisphere
of the brain, is quoted:



The right hemisphere is especially important in regulating attentional
functions of both sides of the brain. Unless the right hemisphere is activated
and engaged, attention is low and learning is poor. (Levy, in Silverman, 2002,
p. 15)



Dr. Levy is referring to all students, not just those who prefer a visual-spatial
learning style.



So, what exactly constitutes a visual-spatial learning style versus an auditory-
sequential learning style? And how do we teach in a manner that honors
visual-spatial abilities, or “activates the right hemisphere”? That’s just what I
hope you’ll discover in this conference.



Visual-spatial learners, or VSLs, are people (kids and adults) who think in
images. Auditory-sequential learners, or ASLs, think in words. If you’re an
auditory-sequential learner, I’ll bet you can’t even imagine thinking in pictures,
right? The same is true for visual learners: they can’t imagine being able to
think in words! A few people can think in both pictures and words, or switch
between the two, but that is rare.



Can you guess which student below is visual-spatial and which is auditory-
sequential?




















Neither of the kids above is happier than the other, nor is either one doing
anything more efficiently or accurately than the other. Certainly, neither is doing
anything wrong. Each child is thinking and assembling in the manner that
works best for him or her. One is putting the model together in a step-by-step,
follow the directions style, the other is completing the project from a mental
picture. There’s no right or wrong way to complete the project just as there’s
no right or wrong way to think and learn. There is only what works best for
each child.



Here’s a quick overview of the two types of learners:

The Auditory-Sequential Learner The Visual-Spatial Learner
Thinks mostly in words Thinks mostly in pictures
Has auditory strengths Has visual strengths
Is a step-by-step learner Is a whole-part learner
Attends well to details Sees the big picture
Follows oral directions well Reads maps well
Does well at arithmetic Does well at math reasoning
Learns phonics easily Learns whole words easily
Can sound out spelling words Can spell words by visualizing
Can write quickly and neatly Can keyboard well
Can show steps of work easily Arrives at correct solutions intuitively
Learns well from instructions Develops own methods of problem solving
Is comfortable with one right answer Likes problems with many possible
answers
Is academically talented Is creatively, technologically, mechanically,
emotionally or spiritually talented
Can memorize math facts quickly Can tackle higher level math successfully
often before mastering basic facts



© Copyright held by Alexandra Shires Golon. From Golon, A.S. (2005). If You
Could See the Way I Think: A Handbook for Visual-Spatial Kids. Adapted from
Silverman, L.K. (2002) Upside-Down Brilliance: The Visual-Spatial Learner
Denver: DeLeon Publishing. May be reproduced.





In addition to the characteristics comparison above, there are quizes available
from the Visual-Spatial Resource website (www.visualspatial.org) to help you
determine your child's or student's (or even your own!) preferred learning style.
It is often helpful to have students complete the version designed for them and
compare those results to a parent's or teacher's observations.



Keep in mind that one's learning style preference lies on a continuum -- it is
very rare to see an individual answer yes to every single item on our quizes.
While most visual-spatial learners are poor spellers, for example, some
(especially gifted ones!) have no difficulty mastering spelling and often use
visual-spatial techniques (i.e., a mental whiteboard or other imagery) to aid
them.



Looking forward to your questions!

Allie
Alexandra Golon
Director, Visual-Spatial Resource
Author, Raising Topsy-Turvy Kids;
If You Could See the Way I Think; and The Visual-Spatial Classroom
alex@visualspatial.org
agolon@gifteddevelopment.com
Allie's Conference Page
          Jan. 26-28,2007
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