"The Writing Problems of Visual
Thinkers""The Writing Problems of Visual
Thinkers"
Conclusion |
The modern world needs strong visual
thinkers, but this crucial talent pool is at risk. Students of
high visual ability but low expertise in writing may produce
the kind of writing that makes them sound unintelligent, rather
than gifted in a mode of non-verbal thinking. They may then become
casualties of what might be seen as a form of learning style
discrimination, a prejudice not only against visual thinkers,
but against thinkers who are intuitive, kinesthetic, empathetic,
holistic, musical, emotional, creative, and those gifted with
the peculiar insight and compassion of comedy. As Thomas West puts it, "conventional educational practices may be systematically weeding out many of those who might have the most to give" in terms of deep creative thinking on difficult problems in important fields. (p. 245) Unless students such as the ones considered here are identified as having the writing problems of visual thinkers, they may never receive instruction sufficiently matched to their mode of thought that they can learn to write well enough to enter college and graduate in graphic design, interior design, architecture, engineering, or other fields in which visual thinking is prized. And what we learn while trying to teach visual thinkers is likely to help us teach many different kinds of writers better. |