Visual Learners: Strengthen Your Class Notes

By Lorena Roberts on March 23, 2017

Did you know that according to Howard Gardner, there are eight types of intelligence? I’m serious! There’s verbal, logical, kinesthetic, rhythmic, interpersonal, intrapersonal, naturalist, and visual.

If you’re a visual learner, you probably possess visual intelligence and you learn best when things are shown to you. Maybe you have one of those cool memories that snapshots everything. Do you remember pictures better than you remember text? Can you recall directions, what your best friend’s house looks like, and imagine a road map when driving? You’re probably a visual learner. 

Are you taking class notes based on the fact that you learn through images and spatial relationships?

If you aren’t, you should be. Regardless of whether or not you classify yourself as a visual learner, adding images, charts, graphs, and pictures to your class notes can strengthen your class notes in ways you can’t even imagine.

Here are five ways to visually strengthen your course notes.

1. Use different colored pens

This might make you feel like you’re in kindergarten, but believe me, using different colored pens can come in quite handy when you’re trying to remember a definition or a correlation on a test. Research shows that colors really do have an impact on performance; read this NY Times Article. In fact, colors are directly correlated with better memory, according to this National Center for Biotechnology Information article.

Try using one color for words you’ll define in your notes, one color for names of people, one color for dates, and one color for things you have questions about. Not only will this make you feel like your notes are more organized, you’ll know exactly what track you’re on when you’re studying later on.

Remember: Always make a key for the system you use for your notes … or else that isn’t going to be very useful later on.

pinterest.com

2. Create your own PowerPoint slide sketches

If your professor doesn’t use their own visual cues, it’s time for you to get inventive and make your own! When you go back over your notes and you’re studying for that big test that’s coming up, pretend like you’re having to present the material to your peers. You learn better when you have to teach something.

Focus on creating sketches of PowerPoints that would allow you to show the material in the most efficient, effective way. If you really want to get down and dirty with it, get a couple of your buddies together and get a study group going. It’ll benefit them and you if you all hang out and go over the material with the visuals that you’ve made.

3. Recreate textbook illustrations

When you’re reading through the assigned pages for class the next day, try recreating or redrawing the illustrations and diagrams from your textbook. Chances are if you’ve 1) looked at it, and 2) drawn it, when it comes to the test, you’ll remember it better! Inserting these recreated drawings into your notes is one way that you can easily review your notes and stuff from the textbook all at one time!

4. When reading, create diagrams or visual interpretations to help you remember

In addition to recreating the illustrations and diagrams from your textbook, try also creating your own visual cues! Having to recall the information from your memory as well as connecting it to something visual will help you recall the information (and much faster) when the test comes along.

Creating multiple diagrams or visuals for the same section of notes may also help. Pretend that you’re having to teach two types of visual learners. One likes black and white, while the other likes color. Cater to your “pretend students” by sketching two visual interpretations of the information. You’ll thank me later.

https://images.visual-paradigm.com

5. Google or YouTube visual aids when reviewing your professor’s lectures

One of the most helpful things I’ve ever done for myself while in college was to Google and Youtube videos that went along with the lecture. I’ve done this for biology, psychology, and history. The channel I usually gravitate towards is the “Crash Course” channel. They’ve literally got everything.

Subscribe to the different channels that align with the classes you’re taking! They’ll upload new videos, and even though it may not be material that you’re learning in class, going above and beyond never hurt anybody.

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