In a lot of ways, I'm a visual learner. If I'm studying something that is new and complex, it's much easier for me to look at graphs or flow charts that explain the idea, than to read an article about it.
But I still love reading books for fun, and like to read the book before seeing a movie representation of it. Books give the reader the pen and paper and let them illustrate the story in their mind. I remember thinking as a little kid, if I put a book down before finishing it that somehow the story was going to continue without me. I still love the feeling of finding a book that is so good I can't put it down.
I think reading and words are really important in building and fostering a child's imagination. If a child is only ever exposed to movies or video games, they have fewer opportunities to create and imagine. Books give us part of the story, and our minds fill in the rest.
And that's where the good ideas come from.
I think reading and words are really important in building and fostering a child's imagination. If a child is only ever exposed to movies or video games, they have fewer opportunities to create and imagine. Books give us part of the story, and our minds fill in the rest.
And that's where the good ideas come from.
I agree. I think I am much more of a visual learner. Many concepts exist as images in my mind rather than words because that's how I think I primarily understand things.
ReplyDeleteLike you mentioned, however, books are more 'writerly' than films in that they invite you to participate in creating the world of the story--I tend to always prefer my mental constructions of stories in books than their representations in film (ie: Hogwarts was much more exciting and mystical when I imagined it while reading Harry Potter than it was depicted in the movie).
If one is a visual learner, then perhaps writing still fills an important role that visuals can't--it allows you to fill in the gaps rather than dictating the whole scene for you. (Though the best movies tend to do that too).
I like your opinion on still enjoying reading books. I think that once people have an appreciation for reading books, they will never lose that, no matter how visual our society gets.
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