Building Memory USA Memory Championships

This New York Times Magazine (2.20.11) article by Joshua Foer, "Secrets of a Mind-Gamer" is pretty awesome, from its catchy hook to its participatory journalism slant to it Ripley's-believe-it-or-not topic. It's also related to English education... I've been thinking for a long time about how almost all reading is "imagery," all "visualization." Kids who really struggle have are very weak at creating "pictures in their heads." I've found this to be the distinction, too, between the "best and worst" of my AP students this year.

Could it be that kids today, surrounded constantly by ready-made image, have less and less NEED to visualize?