People typically have one of five main learning styles—aural, physical or kinetic, verbal, logical, and visual. If you have a visual learning style, you learn best by seeing. Images, pictures, charts, graphs, diagrams, and videos are all the most useful tools when it comes to processing and learning new information. Here are some ways to study when you have a visual learning style.
Make Outlines
If you have a class that is very lecture and note heavy, turn those notes into outlines. First, seeing the information on paper will help you learn it. Having it in an outline, especially one that is structured and tiered, will help you visualize the major points and smaller points, since you can see them out on the paper. Use letters, numbers, bullets, and symbols to break it down in a way that makes sense to you.
Mark Up Your Notes
Make your notes more visually interesting by marking them up. Use pens, symbols, drawings, and highlighters to group information. Assign a color or symbol to different topics or major points. For example, if you’re studying the Civil War, use yellow highlighter to mark up everything about Lincoln, green highlighter for important battles, and pink highlighter for political information. When you take tests, you’ll be able to recall the colors associated with each topic.
Create Graphs, Charts and Illustrations
While doodling in your notebook might seem like a distraction or way to procrastinate, it can actually be beneficial for visual learners. If you’re studying history, make drawings and timelines about what you’re learning. Turn numerical data into charts or graphs that you can look at it. You can even copy charts from your textbook into your notes to help reiterate the information you’re learning.