Vivid Imagination

Picture thinkers have great—often wild—imaginations. They form strong, vibrant mental pictures that are often on the move. They make their own mind-movies as they read and listen. Picture Thinkers’ spatial imaginations can run away with them in great leaps from one fantasy to another, but when under control, there is almost nothing they cannot bring into play in the arena of their mind’s eye.

Seeing Relationships

When VSLs get the big picture, they see the whole of something and how the parts fit together. They are very aware of personal relationships among people as well as how things relate to one another. While they can become very good at sorting into categories, this skill is secondary to that of recognizing the balance of relationships.

3-D Mastery

Although they may be called picture thinkers, VSLs are oriented to the dimension of space and see in 3D. Their world is far more complex than the flat worksheets or textbook pages in a classroom. VSLs often “see” ideas in 3D like computer animation with depth. This 3D ability makes reading difficult to master, since reading feels like Flatland. The p,d,b and q are all the exact same shape in different orientations. To a VSL, they all look alike. They learn to read holistically, rather than phonetically.

Visualization Skill

Visualization takes imagination a step further. There are 2 parts to visualization. There is the “cognitive scratch pad” that is like your computer screen where you input what you see. Then there is the long-term storage of all the visuals that is like your computer memory. Visualizing works for all kinds of thinkers, but is home territory for picture thinkers.

Out-of-Box Thinking

An important aspect in understanding picture thinkers is that they need to think in their own way. They are uncomfortable with following someone else’s line of thought, partly because such linear thinking is not the way their minds operate. Sometimes they really just can’t follow along step by step. Their tendency towards originality can make teachers uncomfortable. Not only does it throw off lesson plans, teachers may have an uncomfortable feeling that they are not doing their job teaching them.

Radar Scanning

It is as if picture thinkers have a radar that is always scanning the environment and taking in information in the periphery. VSLs are alert for changes in tone of voice and shifts in energy. They notice what is missing - if something they saw yesterday is missing today. They scan for the general feel of things as well as signals that something is going to happen. They are more capable of foreseeing the future.

Getting the big picture

Visual-Spatial Learners love novelty. Upon encountering something new—a new subject, a new experience, some unknown object—picture thinkers want to know right away what that thing is. They want to get to the heart of it, what it IS. Once that need is satisfied, they can sit back and learn about the details, all the bits and pieces that are part of the picture.

Pattern Recognition

Scanning and searching for significance combine to produce a talent for pattern recognition in picture thinkers. It is part of their awareness of connections. If a pattern (recurring connection) exists, they will see it. Picture thinkers immediately recognize patterns that are pointed out to them but really excel in finding their own, often seeing connections among things that are overlooked by others. Once pointed out, the connections make sense to others who wonder how they never noticed that.

Joie de Vivre

Picture thinkers want life to be upbeat. They love humor, fun, excitement, and challenge. They are affronted by dullness and drudgery and will often sabotage a dreary atmosphere, creating excitement of some sort. They were usually happy, cheerful, fun-loving bon vivants as toddlers. Just as then, they have boundless curiosity, are natural explorers, and delight in discovery and excitement.

For Teachers

Research done using the Visual-Spatial Identifier™ has shown that at least one-third of the student body is strongly visual-spatial. Only a quarter of the students are strongly auditory-sequential. Of the group of students not showing a strong preference, most leaned toward a visual-spatial learning style. We found that 60% of the children in a regular classroom preferred VSL style of learning. All students have right hemispheres and thrive with visual-spatial learning methods.

Find tips for teaching Visual-Spatial Learners and creating a classroom that’s inclusive of all learners.