Use of colour and visual elements

Colour for learning:

Color in the learning environment provides an unthreatening environment that can improve visual processing, reduce stress and challenge brain development through color stimulation.

Green

Green is a calming and refreshing color. Therefore, green has been used successfully in rooms where students with austism are being taught , especially if the walls and the floor are duller hues of green.

Blue

The color of the sky, blue is peaceful and can cause the body to produce chemicals that promote feelings calmness. People are proved to be more productive in blue rooms when require to do individual task or think deeply. Studies has showed that light blue color can promote concentration and on task behaviour.

Red

Red is seen as an intense colour. Red in classrooms are used as accents like on bulletin boards. It helps to attract student’s attention. Red should be used  in rooms where autistics students are taught.

Yellow

Yellow are more visible to the human eye compared to other color according to many studies .Hence, it draws your attention faster than any other color. Many experts also point out that yellow is good at stimulating the brain into rapid thinking, brainstorming and discussions.

The impact of color on learning:

Relieves eye fatigue:

It has been found that the end wall colors should be a medium hue with the remaining walls a neutral tint. The end wall treatment helps to stimulate a student’s brain when learning.

Increases accuracy and productivity:

The mental stimulation received by the color in a classroom will help the teacher and student to stay focused on the task. This is supported by a study that shows that schools with improved lighting and color will have the largest improvements in academic performance.

Support developmental process:

Children’s rejection or acceptance of certain colors is a mirror of their development into adulthood. Younger children will find high contrast and bright colors stimulating with a growing penchant for colors that create patterns.( NeoCon, 2003).

What are visual elements ?

Visual elements are the elements that we respond to when we look at a work’s form. There are  8  visual elements :

1.       Shape

2.       Mass

3.       Line

4.       Texture

5.       Color

6.       Time and motion

7.       Space

8.       Light

Use of visual elements in learning:

Visual elements is an innovative source in today’s teaching. When looking at works of art, you can see different colors , shapes, values textures and  lines . You can combine all these elements so that the ideas formed can be communicated and understood by viewers. It has been found that using visual elements in learning gives positive results.

Variations in Visual Elements:

The use of visuals in education, must be carefully planned according to  study  by Dwyer. Many forms of graphic for instruction and enhancing understanding exist to promote thinking and learning”(  Tarquin & Walker, 1997). Graphics can be used as a language to identify challenging problems by expanding the linear style used in learning to a non-linear format. In addition,  framework helps learners to visualize knowledge, ideas and information from other source. Besides that, story maps can be showed as vertical or horizontal flow maps. While venn diagram is useful in analysing  difference and similarities between concepts. Other visual organizers include flow charts , checklist and scoring tools.

 

Conclusion:

While we busy on exploring various kind of knowledge and skills to learn in this competitive world, do we ever stop and think about how to make fun of learning ?Learning can be more than letters and numbers. Introduce your child to the world of visual elements and color. It stands to reason that color and visual elements are beneficial in learning progress. So my opinion is , do take the advantages of visual elements and color to equip students with adaptive skills.

Reference:

Anon. n.d  <The Elements of Art> - 
www.getty.edu/education/for_teachers/building_lessons/elements.html

Tarquin.P& Walker, S(1997). Creating success in the classroom. Visual organizers and how to use them. Englewood, Co: Teacher Ideas Press.
http://ejite.isu.edu/Volume1No1/Stokes.html

Mahnke,Frank.H and Mahnke.Rudolf H Color, Environment and Human Response.John Wiley&Sons , Inc, New York , 1996. http://sdpl.coe.uga.edu/HTML/W305.pdf

Hathaway, W(1987),”Light,Color and  air Quality :Important Elements of the Learning Environment?”