The Visualizing and Verbalizing program, developed by Nanci Bell, is a multisensory reading comprehension and language development program designed to help individuals, particularly those with language-based learning disabilities, improve their reading and comprehension skills. This structured program focuses on strengthening a person's ability to create mental images from text and verbal descriptions, enhancing their reading comprehension and overall language processing abilities.
Key features and components of the Visualizing and Verbalizing program include:
- Mental Imagery: The program places a strong emphasis on teaching individuals how to create mental images (visualizations) while reading or listening to spoken language. This skill is fundamental to comprehension and memory.
- Concept Imagery: Concept imagery involves the ability to visualize and understand the core concepts, main ideas, and relationships within a piece of text or spoken language. The program helps individuals develop this skill, enabling them to grasp complex ideas.
- Comprehension Strategies: Visualizing and Verbalizing provides individuals with a set of comprehension strategies, such as making inferences, predicting outcomes, and identifying cause-and-effect relationships within texts.
- Descriptive Language: The program teaches individuals to use descriptive language effectively, both in generating mental images and in conveying their thoughts verbally or in writing.
- Phonemic Awareness: Although primarily a program for reading comprehension, Visualizing and Verbalizing may also incorporate phonemic awareness activities to support reading and spelling skills when necessary.
- Structured Approach: The program follows a structured and systematic approach, beginning with foundational skills and progressing to more complex comprehension and verbalization tasks.
- Multisensory Techniques: Visualizing and Verbalizing uses multisensory techniques to engage learners in a variety of modalities, including visual, auditory, and kinesthetic. These techniques help reinforce learning and improve memory.
- Individualized Instruction: The program can be tailored to meet the unique needs of each learner. It is often used in one-on-one or small group settings, allowing for personalized instruction and support.
- Progress Monitoring: Visualizing and Verbalizing includes tools for progress monitoring, allowing educators and therapists to assess a student's growth in comprehension and verbalization skills.
- Application to Various Text Types: The program is adaptable and can be applied to a wide range of text types, including narrative, expository, and technical texts.
- Cognitive Skills Development: In addition to reading comprehension, Visualizing and Verbalizing aims to strengthen cognitive skills such as memory, attention, and problem-solving.
- Applicability Across Ages: While commonly used with students who struggle with reading and comprehension, Visualizing and Verbalizing can benefit individuals of various ages, including children, adolescents, and adults.
This program is often employed by educators, reading specialists, speech-language pathologists, and other professionals to help individuals overcome reading difficulties, including those associated with dyslexia and language-based learning disabilities. By developing strong mental imagery skills and effective comprehension strategies, individuals can become more proficient readers and better understand and retain the information they encounter in written and spoken language.
