We often hear and talk about how certain things are left brain and other things are right brain. In reality, there some of our activities and thinking that involve both; in different but supportive ways that help with memory, understanding and thinking (various neuroscience refs here). We also think that many people are confused by what it means to be a visual learner.
Visual learning (in our opinion) is not simply seeing an image or diagram. While that might help a tiny bit, the biggest factor is what happens when you do the diagram or image yourself, and what happens in your brain during that activity. It is similar to what the brain does when you write with pen or crayon versus typing. There are different things in play and some provide more opportunity for the brain to create networks and strengthen them than others.
The left brain helps guide and instructs what you need to know when you write or draw and having the brain do this activity provides the reinforcing the neural networks need. Simply seeing an image does not create the same networks, nor strengthen the ones that help understand relationships and what is needed to create the image. Seeing is not the same as doing. This is what we mean by visual learners and learning; some people need to create images during learning and when applying the ideas; it is not just seeing a chart on the whiteboard or in a slide deck.
Handwriting key notes and reflections is BETTER than typing them. Creating an image is BETTER than looking at one. Copying the same material time and time again practicing for an exam is not really effective, especially when typed, but if the student paraphrases and rewrites the material in different ways on different aspects, this will help. For example, we often suggest that a student stop reading a chapter or note when they get to the conclusions, write their own summary of the material (key lesson points etc.) and then compare to what the author has done. Reading a summary and then writing your own points is not the same as you will be severely biased by what has been already stated in the reading.
We occasionally teach painting to young children and we were once asked what are the cognitive skills learned through painting and sketching. Our thoughts were the following and all of them relate to what we consider to be visual learning and are applicable in high education situations.
