Saturday, October 15, 2016

Enhancing Learning With Visuals



Describe the roles that visuals play in learning.

Visuals play an important role in learning. Sometimes teachers face difficulty to make students attentive and involve in learning process. In order to create a congenial atmosphere, teachers should apply various methods, so that learners can be attracted and interested in gaining knowledge skills successfully. Teachers can use different visual aids such as charts, pictures, flash carts, and slides projectors. It is important to integrate visual resources into a classroom because it enhances learning and helps instructors to bring the real world into the classroom. Also, visual aids help students see the immediate meaning and absorb the concepts. Visuals also can help the teachers to clarify and coordinate accurate concepts, and empower them to make learning more concrete, effective, inspirational, and vivid.
In addition, Rao and Gagie (2006) stated that students with disabilities can get benefits from using visuals. It attracts and holds their attention. Visuals enable students to focus on the message to get the idea. It contributes to reduce the anxiety. Visuals help students to express their thoughts and ideas easily.
In conclusion, teachers should choose and create effective visual aids to encourage students to learn. The teachers should be well trained in using numerous advanced technical teaching aids to make learning domain comfortable and amicable to reach the students' needs.

Reference:

Rao, S. M., & Gagie, B. (2006). Learning through seeing and doing: Visual supports for children with autism. Teaching Exceptional Children, 38(6), 26.


Questions:
1/ How would you use visual aids in your class?
2/ What are some advantages of using digital photos?

3/ Describe how digital photos can be an effective tool for teachers?


4 comments:

  1. Arwa, I really appreciated that you discussed how visuals can assist students with learning disabilities. I will admit that discussing the impact of our students with learning difficulties did not even cross my mind. Although I have only been teaching a little over a year, the biggest lesson I have learned since I started in the classroom is the importance of visual aids in learning. It took me a couple months to realize that my students were not going to process what I needed them to if I kept presenting it to them in a lecture, especially for the digital age. Over the year I discovered that not only were the visual aids helping the students, they were helping me stay on track and focused.

    Visual aids are so powerful in the classroom, and I found the greatest success when I allowed my students to create their own visual aids such as anchor charts, power point projects, and videos just to name a few. Your final statement about teachers being trained in how to effectively utilize visual aids was especially interesting to me because even though I am more ‘new school’ than some of my peers, I know that I could be doing so much more with visual aids if I had the proper training.

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  2. Arwa, this is a great blog post! You have included students with learning disabilities, which is very important. Visual learning can really help them focus, express their toughts, but more importantly it keeps them engaged in lessons because visual learning can keep their attention.

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  3. Hi Arwa,
    Visual learning will help the students with learning disabilities. It helps them to be highly sensitive to how certain things look and can easily see the big picture.
    However, visual learning, while great for self-study, is not ideal for activities that require interaction with groups of people. Visual learners are limited to scenarios they can imagine and real events may prove to be different from the learner's expectations. It is also necessary for people who need to work in teams to socialize and interact with others.

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  4. Hi Arwa,
    I agree with you that integrate visual resources into a classroom is important.These visuals helps students organize and analyze information. They can use diagrams to display large amounts of information in ways that are easy to understand . I believe that by using these aids students integrate new knowledge and think critically.

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