Accounting Made Easy: Using visual tools effectively imparts accountancy knowledge - especially to non-accountants.
Remember the days of the accounting instructor trying to explain the concept of a general ledger on the blackboard, writing away with squeaky chalk? Even if you liked numbers and appreciated the importance of learning about the basic building blocks of an economy, chances are much of the information went in one ear and out the other.
For exams, you’d need to furiously peruse your accountancy text book and class notes to feel fully prepared. But, there’s another way...
Using visual tools to impart complex accountancy knowledge is more effective. An article in Psychology Today notes that research shows that the effective use of visuals can decrease learning time, improve comprehension, enhance retrieval and increase retention.
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Here are the three top reasons why visual learning methods are highly effective:
They ensure the integration of new knowledge
Students remember information when it is represented visually.
Students can easily progress to more complex subjects
Students see how ideas are connected and how elements of accounting can be grouped and understood. This allows the student to progress to more complex concepts.
Students can summarise and analyse information
Using monopoly-like boards with real objects for example allows students to summarise large amounts information, and start looking at relationships and patterns. In addition, students will learn to think critically.
The more than 15,000 people that Accounting Made Easy has trained would likely agree with all these points.
CEO Mark Samowitz uses simple visual tools, that work as a game or a puzzle, to help non-accountants significantly improve their accounting literacy.
Mark says:
‘’Non-accountants struggle with the basics of accounting because there is so much jargon. This jargon is alienating and not conducive to creating a common accounting language.”
For example, Accounting Made Easy’s colour-coded income statement boards with moveable parts document income on the left (in red) and expenses on the right (in blue). These two sides can either be moved up or down (by pulling the moveable parts) to indicate whether the business is in a profit or loss position.
Accounting made Easy does basic training for non-accountants and can customise the training for non-financial employees according to real-life business concerns.
Visit the CFO SA Training page to sign up for Accounting Made Easy’s accessible one-day course. You’ll qualify for a 10 percent discount if you sign up with the code CFO2018.
What course participants had to say about Accounting Made Easy’s courses:
“Accounting Made Easy explained the practical business environment extremely well and will help me to partake in financial discussions as I now understand the language of finance.” - Jano Visser Section Engineer – Anglo American
“It simplified accounting jargon and helped me to understand how one makes profits. Furthermore, it gave me insight into reading and understanding financial statements.” - Madelein du Plessis HR Business Partner – Transunion
