No 2 - Five Smart Ways to Improve Your Visual Study Style

Nikki Clarke • April 30, 2020

Can you remember things more easily if you read them?

Do you prefer it when your teacher draws or writes on the Smartboard?

A student with a Visual Study Style needs to see things to learn easily. If you are a visual learner, these five study strategies will help you improve your studying at High School.

1 Make visual hierarchies of your information

The brain finds it much easier to store information if it has a clear overview of what it must retain. If you are a visual learner, the best way to give your brain this overview is to make a visual hierarchy of the content you are studying. You are then giving your brain a filing system so that when you study, it knows where to store the information so that it is easily accessible later.

If you have a visual study style , you must see information to improve your studying at high school.

Here is an example of a visual hierarchy.

A diagram showing the different study styles

2 Make notes, summaries, Mind maps and flash cards

Making notes, rewriting notes and making summaries is an ideal way for a visual learner to study.

For sections of work which have short answers, make yourself flash cards. There are many online sites that will assist you. This site lets you make flash cards, study them and then it creates a test for you.
For more complex work, Mind maps are a useful way to structure and link information. Here is a video that will help you learn how to make a Mind map.

3 Use colour to highlight important points

Colour can help visual learners remember information. So, use colours to highlight words, underline headings and to circle important points.

Choose which colours you want to use for which purpose, and then consistently use these colours. Your brain will learn to associate these colours with specific functions. For example, choose a colour for your main headings, and another colour for sub-headings, a colour for keywords and a colour for important points.
Limit how often you use colour so that the colour you do use makes the important information stand out.

4 Link the content you’re studying to visual images

As often as possible, try to link what you’re studying to visual images. Imagine a scenario in your mind or use the Memory Palace technique to help you fix ideas in your mind.

A memory palace is when you imagine a place you know well. You then plot a route through this place marking “stops” along the way. The number of “stops” is equal to the number of points you must remember. You then link a point to each stop, practising it in the order of your route. Click on the link below to find out more.

Memory Palace

5 Watch videos on the topics you’re studying

As a visual learner watching videos on the topic you are studying will help you remember the content better. There are many free educational videos available that will help to enrich your knowledge.

If you have a Visual Study Style, try out these five study strategies and adapt them so that they work best for you. These study strategies will make learning easier, more fun and improve your studying at High School.