Evaluation of Hofschule Gaisberg

Evaluation of Hofschule Gaisberg

Special forms of learning for visual-thinking children

At Hofschule Gaisberg, located above Salzburg, 25 so-called visual-thinking children and adolescents were taught by a team of dedicated educators over a period of 6 years until the end of 2012. For the first time, practical research was conducted to explore how and under what conditions these children learn differently from language-thinking children and how they can develop their special talents. Michael Harslem was responsible for the practical research and school management. As chairman of the Academy for Developmental Support of People and Organizations e.V., he commissioned Dr. Jürgen Peters and Prof. Dr. Dirk Randoll to evaluate the work of Hofschule Gaisberg.

The evaluation addresses both the question of what characterizes these visual-thinking children and which educational support measures have proven particularly beneficial for them. Visual thinkers are characterized by connecting thoughts in images rather than through language and by having above-average intelligence. However, they can only learn the basic skills of reading, writing, and arithmetic with difficulty in a normal school context. They are often subjected to numerous tests and therapies. These children are frequently placed in special education schools, where their strengths, however, rarely come into their own. As a result, many of the affected children are traumatized. The phenomenon occurs in at least 4% of the total population and is attributed to a genetic cause. More recent studies by the University of Hamburg suggest that the proportion may be significantly higher.

The special characteristics of visual-thinking children arise from the fact that they are more predisposed to process creativity and problem-solving and to place things within their multiple contexts—in other words, the opposite of analytical thinking. This leads visual-thinking people to perceive their environment holistically and to think primarily in images. This becomes particularly clear, for example, in reading: visual thinkers do not read the letters; rather, they view words as images. When they have to read letters, confusion arises because, for example, the letter “d,” when viewed in a pictorial, circular way, can appear as “b,” “p,” or “q” depending on the direction of view. As a result, the word “der” presents infinitely many possible readings for a visual-thinking person, such as erd – edr – ber – bre – erb – reb, etc.

 

Further information:

The detailed report can be requested using the contact form.
Hofschule Gaisberg

 

Project management:

Dr. Jürgen Peters and Prof. Dr. Dirk Randoll

Prof. Dr. André Zimpel and Dr. Alfred Röhm are currently continuing the research at the University of Hamburg using experimental methods. Among other things, diagnostic methods are being tested and the special approaches visual thinkers use in acquiring writing skills are being investigated. A publication on the current results is in preparation.