SchoolArts - April 2007

All Levels

Have you ever counted the number of visual learners in your classroom? Visual learners are students who learn best when images are incorporated into instruction. They usually outnumber other kinds of learners. Research tells us that the number of visual learners in a typical classroom is usually well above fifty percent.

• Use unlined paper in the landscape format to encourage nonlinear thinking.

• When using a graphic organizer for the first time, demonstrate the organizer and ask students as a class group to contribute to the content. Subsequent use should allow students to work alone or in small groups.

Posters, slide shows, videos, diagrams, charts, written or illustrated class notes, daily logs, to do lists, and written instructions are all helpful modes of teaching for visual learners. Another form of instruction that is helpful for visual learners is the graphic organizer.

• Ask students to record a main topic to explore such as the title of a work of art, an artist, or an art style.

could be created
to investigate an
artist, art style, or
any art opics

Sometimes called “mind maps” or “concept maps”, graphic organizers are illustrative tools that assist with managing thoughts, direct-

• Invite students to use their own words to jot down ideas about the topic or main idea that is being explored.

Examples of Graphic Organizers
The Venn diagram is a well-known
example of a graphic organizer.
With two overlapping circles that
provide areas for finding similari-
ties and differences, the Venn dia-
gram is a particularly effective and
popular graphic organizer. Discuss
the use of graphic organizers with
other faculty members. Using
a format in art that is also
used in another content
area supports learning
across the curriculum.
If you wish to design
your own graphic orga-
nizer, a wide variety of
examples are readily avail-
able online. Using a search
engine to query the phrase
“graphic organizer” will return
hundreds of sites.

Visit the

Making Art Connections with

SchoolArts Web site for an example of a graphic orga-

Graphic Organizers
made for the
visual learner

Pam Stephens and Cindy Hermus

ing learning, and making connections. Graphic organizers, it seems, are especially made for the visual learner.

Key Points Graphic organizers take many forms. Some explore one idea while others compare and contrast multiple ideas. Some are teacher made and others are student made. Although all are similarly effective, younger students or students with limited experience are more apt to benefit from teacher-made organizers. Older students or students with experience might prefer to create their own.

At this point, it is more important to write down essential information than it is to use complete sentences.

some explore
one idea while
others compare
and contrast
multipl deas

• Finally, encourage students to make connections among their ideas. Introduce color coding, highlighting, or using symbols such as arrows or dotted lines to make connections. These connections assist with organizing and later remembering crucial ideas.

nizer. The title
of an artwork
is written in the
center bubble while
details about the
object are written in the
surrounding bubbles. When
all necessary information
is collected and written,
students draw or make
connections between
the topic and the details
by adding color coding,
dotted lines, or other
symbols. A similar graphic
organizer could be created to
investigate an artist, art style,
or any variety of other art topics.

Creating a Graphic Organizer When creating and using graphic organizers, here are a few pointers to keep in mind:

• When the graphic organizer is finished, students can use the information they have gathered for such activities as writing reports, developing wall text for exhibitions, and initiating classroom discussions.

Pam Stephens is associate professor of art education at Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, and an advisory board member for SchoolArts. Cindy Hermus is an art specialist at Shady Brook Elementary in Bedford, Texas.