VSL's never outgrow being VSL's

VSL's NEVER outgrow being a VSL. Here is a sample of a VSL mom trying to clean her home: The kitchen is a mess, as usual. She starts in the kitchen somewhere after a moment of anxiety at the task. She picks up a dish to put in the dishwasher (if it has been unloaded) and wonders how many dishes could possibly be in this place. She sees that the toothpaste she purchased yesterday is still on the counter and it must be moved. She takes it to bathroom where she sees that towels need to be washed. She grabs a load of towels that are scattered about and takes them to the laundry room. She starts the washing machine only to discover that there is some leftover change sitting on top of the machine. She takes the change to her purse where she discovers that her purse is a mess too. She takes her purse to the living room floor to clean it out. She dumps it out onto the floor and finds the lollipops she had put in there for the kids to enjoy in the car. She takes the lollipops to the kitchen now because if she waits she'll forget. She takes the lollipops to the kitchen to put them away. She opens the pantry and notices that there is a delicious looking cake mix that she's been dying to make. She pulls it out with all the ingredients then suddenly remembers that over an hour ago she had started loading the dishwasher. So she stops with cake baking and heads back to the dishwasher. Then the phone rings and it's a call from one of her best friends. The conversation is so engaging that she must go out on the deck to not be distracted. She goes to hang up the phone in the kitchen and again notices that the dishwasher is still waiting to be loaded. She again works on loading the dishwasher and manages to load a few more when the children run to her to show her the new creature they found crawling in the yard. This is too exciting to pass up so out to the yard she goes. The kids need a container for the creature so mom runs to find something really cool with air holes and everything. Back to the kitchen she goes only to again see that dishwasher is only half loaded... and this is how goes forever and ever unless this mom's creativity is put to use, she makes money and she can hire someone to clean her house and a personal assistant to help her organize her life. Welcome to my world!

VSL's are NORMAL People

Parents and teachers often wonder, "What's wrong with this kid?"  Parents start searching for an answer and often come up with labels such as ADD, ADHD and other learning disabilities.  They really are normal.  The problem is that our left-brainers, aka audio-sequential learners, are the ones who think in steps and words and are the ones who keep this world in some sort of order.  They do not comprehend why it's so difficult for some people to think any other way.  So the order keepers, as I like to call them, have unknowingly put these geniuses in special ed and have medicated many of them.  I suppose they didn't know what else to do.  I dare to say there are as many VSL's as there are ASL's in this world but they have either figured out a way to hide their brilliance by finding their own methods of existing (which can lead to depression), or they get put away with special ed and medications.  If you do meet a VSL that has been nurtured, encouraged and given a platform to rise up, they are some of the most interesting people to talk to.  They see things others do not; their insight is amazing.  You remember Albert Einstein, right?  He was a full-on VSL. It's time to change their world!

Thanks for reading,
Traci

Organization with lists, plan books, office supplies and school binders

Organization with lists, plan books, office supplies and school binders don't work.  Not with the VSL anyway.  I've tried everything and have seen everything.  They don't the work.  The Visual Spatial people have challenges and this is one of the biggest.  Parents seem to get the most angry at the kids for not bringing home assigned homework and if it gets home, for not turning it back in.  It just disappears or gets lost somewhere.  The parents get frustrated and in turn, the kids get frustrated at themselves and once again feel like a failure.  Good news, there is hope.  Don't give up hope!

The biggest thing to remember about VSL's (visual-spatial learners) is "out of site, out of mind."  Once the plan book is closed or the list is put away it is forgotten.  Completely and totally forgotten.  Their visual mind is off creating and processing and putting words into pictures.  Their brains are in over drive (at least the right hemisphere).  The right side has taken over and all efforts of organization are gone.  Instead of daydreaming they could be organizing, right?  For crying out loud you just paid 20 bucks for that organizer!  No, they are not designed for that.  Remember they are dreamers, creators, and inventors.  They can't help it and I like them just as they are.  Often your best friend to help you organize your VSL is sticky notes, thumb tacks and your teacher's email address!

Thanks for reading,
Traci

VSL and Holistic Learning

Our VSL's (visual-spatial learners) often do better in a holistic learning environment.  Why?  These people need to know why they are learning what they are learning.  A VSL will often ask, "Why do I need to know this?"  If the answer provided doesn't add up to true importance to them then little to no learning will take place.  BUT if you engage these students in a holistic approach or a whole brain approach you will have much more success.  Unit studies often work well for these children as long as all subjects connect.  Spelling words and math need to tie into learning as a whole rather than subject by subject.  For instance, the school I have been teaching at for past few years uses an approach very similar to this holistic learning.  The main subject is history and history is very hands on and exciting.  Because the VSL's can visualize battles and picture events through stories or videos, these children will see the importance of reading, writing, and some language arts as long as they relate to the big picture.  This is a hard task to conquer for those in charge of planning as well as the teacher trying to make it happen.  But it is important to work towards this goal of holistic learning if we want to see success from our VSL's.  Too many, and I mean most, never live up to their full potential.  If you have a VSL then you need to try to find a school environment that strives to educate holistically.  Homeschool is a great option for them as long as the parents are willing to put in the effort to make it work for their child and this can be difficult when the parent doesn't understand the mind of the learner.  If your child is in a school that is not teaching holistically and you can't homeschool there are things that can be done to aid in their success.  I will post more about that later.  For now, dig deeper into understanding where the child is coming from.  The things they see and understand will astound you!

Thanks for reading,
Traci

Sorry Folks...

Sorry folks, especially teachers and parents. You can't force your ideals onto the visual-spatial learners. No matter how much you yell, spank, criticize or huff and puff, you'll never get them to be organized, to match up their outfits, to learn math facts, to write neatly and to NOT enjoy a healthy dose of sarcasm. They are who they are. You can crush them with your anger and frustration for not fitting in or you can build them up with encouragement, proper and healthy environment and here's the big one, by modeling better ways of doing things. They learn by seeing and doing.  You simply want your child to be successful, understandable but you have to find another way to get there.  Figure out a way to love them and teach them or you just might lose them. ~ Traci

Two Kinds of Learners

There are two types of learners and generally all people fall into one category or another but some seem to fit right in between the two. The audio-sequential learner tends fit in well in the classroom and easily learns by traditional, inside-the-box instruction. Then we have the visual-spatial learner who doesn't really seem to fit in anywhere and, while is extremely brilliant, not only learns out-of-the-box but seems to have completely skipped and jumped over the box! The audio-sequential learner tends to follow directions easily, does everything step-by-step and has a general self-awareness as to keeping themselves fairly clean and orderly (they can make fairly good to great grades in school). The visual-spacial learner never follows directions, can not learn by instruction and is often a mess and unorganized, personal hygiene isn't important but they can become OCD about things if it's drilled into their heads long enough. Certain clothing bothers them if it doesn't feel right. The audio-sequential is pretty good in traditional math classes and follows proper procedures. The visual-spacial learner is awesome at math as long as they are NOT required to follow any specific algorithm. They can see the answer without following any particular reason. They skip the steps all together yet come out with the correct answer.

My point is: If your child or a child you know is so smart but you don't understand why they lost their homework, their lunch box and why their room is a mess and they can't remember simple instructions then you are probably dealing with a visual spacial child. If given a proper environment, proper tools, proper encouragement and discipline and someone to set them up for success, that child will grow up and change the world. Let's not tag these children with ADD, ADHD, OCD, dyslexic, dysgraphic, or aspergers, let's set them up to be AMAZING!