As chefs often say when cooking beautiful food, “You eat with your eyes.” Well, we can learn with our eyes as well!You probably use your eyes all the time while studying English—probably too much.So don’t those hard working eyeballs deserve a vacation from textbooks? Try learning English with pictures instead.
Haven’t you thought about learning through pictures since kindergarten? No problem. We’ve got some excellent advice to help you learn more effectively through all kinds of readily available images.
Remember when you were in school some people could remember everything the teacher said to them. Others could perform a dance perfectly after doing it only once. However, some of your classmates might have had a photographic memory—able to remember pictures, people and places down to the smallest detail.These lucky people were probably visual learners, preferring to look at diagrams, read books or watch movies to help them study. If that sounds familiar, you could be a visual learner! Visual learners explore the world with their eyes, so the way information is presented is vitally important. Does that sound familiar? Maybe you are a visual learner. So we have prepared 5 tips to help you improve your English using visuals.
1. ILUSTRATED BOOKS
Ilustrated books aren’t just for kids, although children’s books are a great place to start.
“Clarice Bean, That’s Me” by Lauren Child is an award-winning book about Clarice Bean and her large, noisy family. The pictures are simple and eye-catching. The text is fun and casual. Not only is it a perfect book for beginners, but it also teaches plenty of English idioms.
Another classic is “Oh the Places You’ll Go” by Dr. Seuss. The imaginative illustrations and quirky sense of humor will draw the reader into this inspirational book. The rhymes will also help with pronunciation—knowing that”day” rhymes with “‘O’Shea,” for example.
2. COMICS
We’re not just talking about traditional print comic books, there’s a wealth of online comics too. Luckily, Calvin and Hobbes by Bill Watterson comes in both formats, and you can also read it on Go Comics. Despite the heroes of the series being a 6 year old and his toy tiger, it still appeals to adults. The topics tackled are also quite advanced: politics, the environment and abstract art are just a few recurring topics of discussion. This is a recommended read if you already have a fairly solid understanding of English and a good sense of humor!
3. FLASHCARDS
Many websites like Inside Story Flashcards offer printable flashcards in sets to help you remember tricky vocabulary. Their flashcard sets give sample sentences so you can see how certain words are used in context.
Another great tip is to be creative and make your own cards! You don’t necessarily have to be able to draw like Walt Disney either. The Exam Time website lets you create cards from scratch, so you can simply upload photos or images to use on the front of your own personalized cards
4. RECIPE BOOKS
These are very visual and you can pick any cuisine that tickles your taste buds. Even if you aren’t a master chef, recipe books are fantastic for grammar practice! They contain plenty of food vocabulary and great examples of how to use conjunctions in sentences.
5. MAPS
Something you might not have thought of—at least if you’re not lost—is using maps! These are awesome for group activities, too. You can use street maps, orienteering maps or even sketch one out yourself. Hop right on to Google Maps and starting clicking around in English-speaking countries. Look at all the signposts, street signs, billboards and storefronts. Write down all the new phrases you see.