Helping Students Develop Understanding:
Nonlinguistic Representations
We store knowledge in two different forms: a linguistic form and an imagery form. Using both forms increases our ability to think about and recall knowledge. Studies have shown that teachers tend to focus on the use of linguistic representations to present new information. The use of nonlinguistic representations will help students increase knowledge with mental images.
The use of nonlinguistic representations in the classroom may include:
- creating graphic representations through organizers
- making physical models
- generating mental pictures
- drawing pictures and pictographs
- engaging in kinesthetic activities