The Writing Problems of Visual Thinkers

Abstract

Some people produce characteristic, recurring writing problems as a result of inappropriately applying visual thinking to writing. This paper traces the writing problems of such visual thinkers to three factors: a lack of words, the unimportance of sequence and the presumption of context. Because some gifted visual thinkers have difficulty producing the kind of writing required in schools and colleges, they may become casualties of a form of learning style discrimination built into the educational system. This exploratory paper pleads for better understanding of the thinking processes that produce such writing problems and the development of new ways of teaching writing that directly address visual thinkers.