Visualize...Organize...Achieve
by Jesse Berg, MSIT,
MEd, Founder, The Visual Leap, LLC
THE PROBLEM
There is a problem. It has always been there. The problem relates to organization.  It makes it hard to write and to remember. It involves procrastination and makes learning very hard. Accomplishing the things you need to can be as hard as climbing a mountain; and achieving your goals can seem like an unattainable dream. This problem makes you fight yourself over what you have to do. You may be praised
for creativity, but chastised for failure to deliver. You know this is a problem, but the problem isn’t you! The problem is with the tools you have for learning, and the ways in which others have tried to teach you learn. You can’t fault them for trying, but their efforts may have been in vain.
Would you believe there might be a solution that can make learning and working easier? Would you believe it could be simple? Would you believe there are tools and strategies for learning that MATCH how you NATURALLY think? I wouldn’t say it unless I believed it to be true. I believe this because it works for me, and for thousands of others I have taught. An extensive body of research also supports this claim. There are easy-to-learn strategies that will help you to learn, perform and achieve. THE CAUSE
Many of we creative, disorganized types struggle in school and with our professional tasks because of how we naturally think. We are visual-spatial learners, sometimes characterized as right-brain dominant thinkers. Characteristics of ADHD and Dyslexia may factor into our learning style. School is mostly structured for left-brained organized types who follow directions, do their assignments, remember things, and show up on time. God bless them; school is like a smoothly paved road for these individuals.
This is not the case for us. We have usually stopped listening long before the directions are finished. Our minds drift even before the teacher/presenter/boss/associate/person-on-the-other-end-of-the-conversation is even finished talking. Unless, of course, we are intrinsically interested! For us, learning is more like exploring a mountain on a 4X4 vehicle. We learn like a Jeep Wrangler Rubicon drives - bumpy and free. We explore ideas. There are no roads for us. We need to find our own ways to learn.
This is a blessing and a curse. It is a curse because learning can be brutally hard. We cannot just naturally ease through a task, follow directions, and do it like it was shown to us. People who can do this learn like a  Honda Accord drives – smoothly down the road of learning, steadily and uneventfully following the established paths, successfully arriving at the destination, but rarely looking down the uneven side streets and alleys for surprises. For us Jeep drivers, learning is an adventure. We explore. We never stay on trail. We get into trouble, and we get stuck. However, there is more to it. Even though learning can be incredibly arduous, and full of fits and spurts, we leave ourselves open to discovery, surprise and wonder. We find our own ways to the destination, and may find unseen opportunities along the way. For us, learning can be like the moment we arrive at the peak of the mountain with a surprise vista. You can’t get that rush from an Accord. Only us Jeep folk get to feel that.
THE SOLUTION
To minimize the pain involved in learning, and maximize positive results, the visual  learner
needs specific strategies and tools that consistently make learning easier. These strategies must help him harness his creativity and become more productive and efficient. Most of all, the visual-spatial learner needs reliable and transferable skills that help her enjoy achievement, success and confidence in diverse settings and situations. For this type of learner, Visual Thinking can be the answer. It can unlock the intellectual potential of a struggling learner, who is so bright, but for whom the techniques primarily taught in school, do not work.
What is Visual Thinking and How do you Do It?
Visual Thinking is a method of organizing information graphically in diagrams, semantic webs and mind maps. The approach is effective for writing papers, studying for tests, memorizing vocabulary, taking notes, brainstorming and managing projects. It is particularly useful when a student needs more mental clarity.  Some of the best techniques involve using specific mind-mapping or visual thinking software like Inspiration®, MindJet® or The Personal Brain®. These programs offer many advantages for efficiency and learning, but visual thinking strategies using pencil and paper are still very effective.
Step 1: Visualize
The basic idea behind Visual Thinking is that you use words, pictures and symbols that visually represent all of the different pieces of an idea. This is a creative brainstorming process. You fill your page with words and pictures that relate to the main topic.
Step 2: Organize
The next step is to group those ideas in categories that make sense, and link them with arrows. This process organizes your idea visually and spatially. It also clarifies the hierarchy of topics, sub-topics and details. The process allows you to see your idea develop. In some areas, it is likely that there will be a lot of information. This is good. It means that this part of the topic is well understood. In other areas of the diagram, there will not be much information. This is a valuable
thing to observe too. It means that these areas need more attention.
Step 3: Achieve
Once you have a good map of your idea, it guides your final product – whatever that final product may be. If you need to write an essay, the map serves as an outline or guide. If the goal is to study for a test, the creation of the map is central to mastering the material. If the end product is a presentation, the visual organization of the diagram refines the content and message. There are myriad ways of utilizing Visual Thinking for productivity. These are just a few. Visual Thinking Is A Skill for Life
Visual Thinking is a strategy that is transferable and useful throughout one’s life. As one masters the strategies of organizing ideas visually, it becomes a skill to build on. For a child in elementary school, Visual Thinking is effective for writing a paragraph. For a high school student, Visual Thinking can be used to prepare to write an essay. For a college or graduate student, it is just as valuable for writing a thesis. For a professional, it is an effective tool for making a presentation, planning a meeting or developing a business plan. It is also the best strategy for note taking that I have ever encountered.
HOW DO I LEARN HOW TO “THINK VISUALLY”
Visual Leap, LLC courses are some of the best ways to learn how to use Visual Thinking principles, strategies and software to improve achievement, confidence and productivity in school and at work. The Visual Leap® Introductory Course in Visual Learning is a six (6) hour educational program based on 10+ years of practical classroom and corporate training experience with children and youth and adults of all ages in the use of semantic webs, diagrams, mind maps, and graphic organizers. There are versions of the course appropriate for learners of all ages. These courses can be customized to meet individual needs.
The Visual Leap® Introductory Course in Visual Learning utilizes technology and Visual Thinking software (Inspiration®, Kidspiration®, or another visual learning software). The methodology provides students of all ages with practical strategies for improving memory, organizing ideas, completing projects, writing paragraphs and essays, studying for tests and more. It even improves students’ attitudes about learning. How Does the Visual Leap® Course Enhance Visual Thinking?
In this course, students are taught how to utilize their innate visual-spatial intelligence to understand ideas, remember, write and learn. The goal of the course is to provide students with systematic strategies that that they can count on throughout life to problem-solve, organize ideas, get un-stuck, and ultimately reach their intellectual potential. By the end of the introductory visual learning course, clients will understand how to diagram an idea, and how to apply that skill for writing.
Students will also become proficient in using the leading visual learning software (Inspiration® or Kidspiration®) to help them with this process. By teaching students how to think visually – an approach that is natural to them - The Visual Leap® course helps students become independent and confident learners and thinkers. The Visual Leap’s instructional strategies benefit all learners but they are specifically designed
to positively impact visual-spatial learners (VSL) and learners
who present with problems associated with executive functioning
and ADHD. Contact The Visual Leap
For more information, contact The Visual Leap at (215) 694-6667
or online at www.thevisualleap.com. About the Author
 Jesse Berg, MSIT, MEd is the founder of The Visual Leap, LLC, a company dedicated to teaching visual learning and integrating visual learning solutions in education and industry. He has trained thousands of individuals how to diagram and mind map ideas and works extensively in the Philadelphia School District training teachers how to integrate technology and visual learning into the curriculum. Berg also partners with The Cooper Learning Center in New Jersey where he runs training sessions in Visual Thinking for children and adults with ADHD, Dyslexia and other learning differences.
Visual Learning Solutions for Education and Industry
©2010 The Visual Leap, LLC
(215) 694-6667
info@thevisualleap.com
http://www.thevisualleap.com
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