Visual learning

Visual learning is a learning style in the Fleming VAK/VARK model in which information is presented to a learner in a visual format. Visual learners can utilize graphs, charts, maps, diagrams, and other forms of visual stimulation to effectively interpret information. The Fleming VAK/VARK model also includes kinesthetic learning and auditory learning. There is no evidence that providing visual materials to students identified as having a visual style improves learning. A review study concluded that using graphic organizers improves student performance in the following areas: Retention Students remember information better and can better recall it when it is represented and learned both visually and verbally. Reading comprehension The use of graphic organizers helps improve the reading comprehension of students. Student achievement Students with and without learning disabilities improve achievement across content areas and grade levels. Thinking and learning skills; critical thinking When students develop and use a graphic organizer their higher order thinking and critical thinking skills are enhanced. Various areas of the brain work together in a multitude of ways in order to produce the images that we see with our eyes and that are encoded by our brains. The basis of this work takes place in the visual cortex of the brain. The visual cortex is located in the occipital lobe of the brain and harbors many other structures that aid in visual recognition, categorization, and learning. One of the first things the brain must do when acquiring new visual information is recognize the incoming material. Brain areas involved in recognition are the inferior temporal cortex, the superior parietal cortex, and the cerebellum. During tasks of recognition, there is increased activation in the left inferior temporal cortex and decreased activation in the right superior parietal cortex. Recognition is aided by neural plasticity, or the brain's ability to reshape itself based on new information. Next the brain must categorize the material.