See It Right!

Today's post will cover an interesting new area I came across.  I colleague of mine is exploring the use of color transparencies to help students who struggle with visual perception.  I wanted to post a link here in the hopes that the information would prove useful to some of our visual spatial learners who may also have troubles with perception and graphic representations.

Please explore the research here:

See I Right! research link

Here is an informational video on YouTube:

The website provides additional information about this fascinating area of exploration and research.  Recently, I had the chance to watch a few students sampling the tool kit.  One student commented that when he read the black letters on the white background the letters "moved around."  But when an aquamarine transparency was placed over the same text, he commented that it "sealed it up."  It will be interesting to continue to read and follow the development of these tools and to explore their practical application.

Working With Emergent Readers

Here is a quote from Upside-Down Brilliance: The Visual-Spatial Learner by Linda Silverman,

"Visual-spatial children master reading in a different manner from auditory sequential

children. Some VSLs have a difficult time learning to read, while others seem
to magically absorb the entire process before they enter school. Perhaps the key here is 

'before they enter school.'"

The journey toward reading successfully can be a long and dusty road for some.  In this post, we will take a look at some options and techniques to help a VSL who is struggling with the reading process.  Research suggests that some students cannot break down the parts of words (phonetic instruction) and then reassemble those parts into whole words this can ultimately effect comprehension, too.  It is recommended that sight word instruction can serve as an excellent way of helping some VSLs develop a solid reading vocabulary.

The sight word instruction can take many forms.  Using color and imagery to help students make a mental image of the word are two important techniques.  In the picture below, you will see a struggling reader's "treasure box" of words.  This is an excellent way to develop a resource of words that the student can carry from place to place and use for writing exercises.  A treasure box should be filled with the student's favorite and desired words.

This treasure box is simple, but some students decorate their special word boxes.

This students had some trouble with the word "dark" and it looks like "bark."  We'll see a possible approach to creating a better mental image of the directionality of "b" and "d" in a series of pictures below.

The other day, the student pictured below mentioned the box in his head.  He said that when he needs to keep a "bunch of things together" he puts them into a box in his head.  Then, when he needs to see them, he brings the "imagined box" forward and looks inside.  I decided to create a "brain box" for him using different colored acrylic boxes.  See below for our work with letter confusion and the his "brain box."

In this image he has the letters written correctly and he is naming them.

Here our student discusses how to use his left and right hand to think about "b" and "d"

The student spent a few moments matching his hands to the direction of the letter and then chose which box each letter should go into.  Below you will see his interest in looking through the box to see the letter and talk about its direction  He also noted that he could hold out his left hand and create the letter "L" and thus know which hand was his left hand.

 

Here he holds up his hand in the direction the "b" is pointing

In this image our emergent reader pays close attention to the "d" in the box.

 After he held up the box and closed his eyes to imagine the letters going in the correct direction he then practiced writing some "b" and "d" words:

Later in the day he was able to write "bark" with ease.  We'll keep using his "brain box" to help him remember important reading concepts.

Below is an example of a colored transparency with a guide line.  Students can use this tool to assist them as they read text.  The color sometimes helps students by reducing glare and adding greater clarity to the letters on the page.  The line allows students to follow the text without losing place.

These are just a few tools to start with.  Always try to bring joy and enthusiasm to the learning environment.  VSLs tend to have an astute sense of humor - have fun!

Visual Tools in a Text-Driven World

My husband and I were having a discussion about VSLs the other day.  Although he is highly visual-spatial, he was asserting that sometimes, information is more important than visual “flash.”  While I agreed, and acknowledged his point that fancy “stuff” doesn’t replace the meaning of what we need to learn, I did point out that, for some learners, it is the visual tool that teaches the concept or presents it in a way that is meaningful enough to learn.

He paused and said, “Hmm, I’ll have to think about that.”  Then he noted that if there is one visual presentation method that communicates concepts in a uniquely learnable way it is video (he does a lot of video production work so he might be somewhat biased). 

He then told me of a recent experience where someone he knew created a video of a concept he had always struggled to learn.  He said, “I saw that video and all of the sudden, I just knew.”  

The video he saw is here, however a less complex insight into the visual world of this professional can be found in this video about Max.  Max allows sound, visual and interactive media artists to create with abandon.  They use objects - also thought of as visual boxes - that are imbedded with programs that have specific commands in them.  

Below is a video the provides an excellent insight into why an artist and designer uses Max as a development tool.  She comments that due to its specific visual presentation Max works as a tool for her specifically because it is so visual.  She states that it allows her to see what the program does and how it works in ways that traditional programming does not allow (think of line by line coding).

 

Angela Lorenz on Visual Design

The video below is an interview with David Tinapple, a video artist at Carnegie Mellon University.

Tinapple discusses his use of Jitter, another visual development tool used by media artists.  Listen as he states that the interface "treats your eyes like your brain" and he notes that he believes we can "think" with our eyes.

 

So take this brief journey into the world of some highly accomplished and creative visual-spatial artists who see and create with visual tools.