Visualize! See what I mean?

Congratulations! You’ve dug deep and discovered that you learn best by seeing – you are a visual learner. This means:

·         you enjoy reading

·         take lots of notes (whether you read them later or not)

·         often close your eyes while remembering or visualizing, and you ”see”  images of what you read

·         you are generally a good speller

·         you notice details, and are drawn to pictures and images, and enjoy all the little details in those images

·         you enjoy watching television and films

So how do you apply this method of learning to language acquisition? For visual learners, there are literally hundreds of ideas to help you on your path.

·         Flashcards can help with phrase development and vocabulary building. Attach sticky notes to objects in a room with vocabulary words.

·         Find pictures online. There are thousands: supermarkets, farms, sports venues, specialty stores (such as clothing, photography, technology, etc. – whatever strikes your fancy) Print two copies of each photo. Label everything in one photo, and then practice with the unlabeled image.

·         Many languages have visual dictionaries. These can be very helpful.

·         People watch. Go to a crowded place and sit watching the people as they go about their business. Public transport can be an excellent place for this activity. In your head, using your target language, piece together sentences from what you see. ”The man is wearing a green sweater.” – El hombre lleva un suéter verde.

·         Visualize words. I learned the word ’buscar’ (’to look for’ in Spanish) by visualizing the sentence ”I’m looking for a bus or a car.”

·         Watch films and TV shows in your target language. Make visual associations with action and the words used. However, if you’re going to use subtitles, make sure they are in the target language as well. As Gerhard Ohrband suggests in The Go Method, watch something that appeals to your interests.

·         Find newspapers, children’s books (especially with pictures), comics in the target language.

·         Make word maps or word clouds with associated words in your target language at several locations online: https://worditout.com/word-cloud/create is one example.

Visual learners are in luck in developed cultures. The Internet is rife with images, videos, texts and photos to assist those who enjoy exploring their world with their eyes. Go outside, look at billboards, advertising, signs, photos and millions of images that surround our daily lives. Label, translate, understand those images in your target language and see what you can learn very quickly.

Keep learning –

Tim 

Check out our book “The GO Method” on Amazon.