| Copyright 2006 Julie Shepherd Knapp |
| Copyright 2006 by Julie Shepherd Knapp. All rights reserved. |
| about the book |
| The Homeschool Diner's Guide to Homeschooling Specials Twice Exceptional Resources Homeschooling Gifted Visual-Spatial Learners aka "Right Brained" or Creative Students by Julie Shepherd Knapp, copyright 2006 "Visual-Spatial" is a learning style that corresponds to a dominance of and/or reliance on the brain's right-hemisphere abilities. It is informally referred to as being "Right-Brained". The opposite learning style is "Auditory-Sequential" (A-S), conversely termed "Left-Brained". V-S learners think in pictures rather than words and are "whole to part" learners, rather than "sequential" learners. They learn best from visual materials, such as diagrams, pictures, maps, books, and visualization techniques. V-S learners also excel at "synthesis" of knowledge, but have trouble with memorization of discrete facts (such as the times table). A gifted child who is highly Visual-Spatial is at a distinct learning "disadvantage" in the typical classroom environment of lecture classes and sequential instruction. In addition, most gifted and honors programs include extensive writing assignments, when, in general, V-S children have trouble translating their ideas to written words. Gifted V-S children may have a wonderfully rich imagination, but be unable to put their stories down on paper, or organize their ideas into essays. Also, V-S children often get frustrated trying to memorize math steps, when they have no idea why the steps are needed. To a gifted V-S child, not knowing the "whys" of math can be so confounding that they dismiss the subject all together. When V-S children struggle in school it may be suggested that they have a learning disability. There is a distinct overlap between the characteristics of a struggling visual-spatial learner and the symptoms of several learning disabilities/disorders, including Dysgraphia, Dyscalculia, Attention Deficit Disorder, Auditory Processing Disorder, and Sensory Integration Disorder. How to understand and help with these issues is discussed in articles in the Visual Spatial and Creative Learners section. Homeschooling is a wonderful choice for educating gifted V-S Learners. Parents can help located materials that fit their learning style and make learning easy for them. Parents can give their children the freedom to "run with" their unusual and creative ideas and, as a result, actually feel successful at academics. When parents make an effort to match their curriculum to their children's learning style, V-S Learners can gain back their confidence that they are smart and capable students. The articles below discuss how gifted V-S students are at risk in the classroom, and how we can help them succeed. "I Think in Pictures, You Teach in Words: The Gifted Visual-Spatial Thinker by Lesley Sword, ..."four main factors that put gifted visual spatial learners at risk: they have well above average intelligence, they are creative and divergent thinkers, they are physically and emotionally sensitive and they have an extreme visual spatial learning style coupled with an auditory sequential information processing problem"... Written Output Suggestions for Gifted Visual Spatial Learners by Leslie Ansell-Shepherd Algebra for Gifted Visual-Spatial Learners by Steven Haas Borenson's Hands-on Equations a visual method of teaching how to solve linear equations in algebra Nurturing the Child Gifted in Fine and Performing Arts by Kandi Chong Emotional Support for the Visual-Spatial Learner -- by Michael Davis "...negative self-image, feelings of being judged, alienation, frustration, resignation and hopelessness are among the painful feelings that result from visual-spatial learners struggling in auditory-sequential systems..." Support and Encouragement: Homeschooling Extraordinary Children -- support for parents homeschooling gifted children with a variety of learning differences Spatially Gifted, Verbally Inconvenienced -- by David Lohman, University of Iowa, discusses how being v-s can mean that words don't always come easily, uses Winston Churchill as an example Thinking Like Einstein: Returning to our visual roots with the emerging revolution in computer information visualization by Thomas West -- a book discussing how visual-spatial learners are leading the way in a new era "where the most advanced work in science, art, or business will be done using modern information visualization technologies and techniques", also author of the book "In the Mind's Eye" The Right Brain Difference -- by drs. Fernette and Brock Eide, several articles explore the neurological basis for slow thinkers and late bloomers |
| "Do not worry about your difficulties in mathematics. I can assure you that mine are still greater." ~~ Albert Einstein (1879 - 1955) |
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