Exploring Visual Research Methods for Students

Visual research methods gives kids a way to organize and work through ideas visually, which is often easier and more intuitive than trying to hold everything in words alone.

What Visual Research Methods Involves

At its core, visual research methods is about turning ideas into something visible, which makes it easier to organize, compare, and build on than working through the same ideas in words alone.

How To Practice It

• Use visual research methods to work through a real problem or question that comes up naturally.
• Practice visual research methods with a simple, familiar topic before trying something more complex.

Tips

• Keep the first attempt at visual research methods loose and messy — neatness can come later, if at all.
• There's no single 'correct' way to approach visual research methods; different visual styles are all valid.

Frequently Asked Questions

What skills does visual research methods help build?

Visual research methods supports organization, problem-solving, and the ability to break a big idea down into smaller, connected parts.

Is visual research methods only useful for school subjects?

Not at all — visual research methods is a flexible thinking tool that applies just as well to everyday problem-solving and personal projects.

For more along the same lines, take a look at Using Idea Webs to Solve Problems.

Conclusion

Visual research methods is less about the final drawing and more about the thinking it helps organize along the way.