PARENT TOOLBOX
What is Multisensory Learning?
“If a child is not learning in the way you teach, change your teaching strategy and teach the child in the way he learns!”
Multisensory techniques are frequently used for children with learning differences. Studies from the National Institute of Child Health and Human development (United States of America) have shown that for children with difficulties in learning to read, a multisensory teaching method is the most effective teaching method.
Multisensory teaching techniques and strategies stimulate learning by engaging students on multiple levels. They encourage students to use some or all their senses to:
Using a multisensory teaching technique means helping a child to learn through more than one sense. Most teaching techniques are done using either sight or hearing (visual or auditory). The child’s sight is used in reading information, looking at text, pictures or reading information based from the board. The hearing sense is used to listen to what the teacher says. The child’s vision may be affected by difficulties with tracking or visual processing. Sometimes the child’s auditory processing may be weak. The solution for these difficulties is to involve the use of more of the child’s senses, especially the use of touch (tactile) and movement (kinetic). This will help the child’s brain to develop tactile and kinetic memories to hang on to, as well as the auditory and visual ones.
Students with learning difficulties typically have difficulties in one or more areas of reading, spelling, writing, math, listening comprehension and expressive language. Multisensory techniques enable students to use their personal areas of strength to help them learn. They can range from simple to complex, depending on the needs of the student and the task at hand.
Learning Style Some researchers theorize that many students have an area of sensory learning strength, sometimes called a learning style. These researchers suggests that when students are taught using techniques consistent with their learning styles, they learn more easily, faster and can retain and apply concepts more readily to future learning. Most students, with a difficulty or not, enjoy the variety that multisensory techniques can offer.
Now we can go through some of the multisensory techniques which could be used to assist a student in his / her learning.
I. To stimulate visual reasoning and learning
The above mentioned techniques often include visual teaching methods and strategies.
II. Auditory techniques
III. Tactile teaching methods Multi sensory techniques that involve using the sense of touch are called tactile methods. Tactile methods include strategies such as:
IV. Kinesthetic methods Multi sensory methods using body movements are called kinesthetic methods. These involve fine and gross motor movements.
Praveen A.V
Multisensory techniques are frequently used for children with learning differences. Studies from the National Institute of Child Health and Human development (United States of America) have shown that for children with difficulties in learning to read, a multisensory teaching method is the most effective teaching method.
Multisensory teaching techniques and strategies stimulate learning by engaging students on multiple levels. They encourage students to use some or all their senses to:
- • Gather information about a task
• Link information to ideas they already know and understand
• Perceive the logic involved in solving problems
• Learn problem solving tasks
• Tap into nonverbal reasoning skills
• Understand relationships between concepts
• Store information and store it for later recall
Using a multisensory teaching technique means helping a child to learn through more than one sense. Most teaching techniques are done using either sight or hearing (visual or auditory). The child’s sight is used in reading information, looking at text, pictures or reading information based from the board. The hearing sense is used to listen to what the teacher says. The child’s vision may be affected by difficulties with tracking or visual processing. Sometimes the child’s auditory processing may be weak. The solution for these difficulties is to involve the use of more of the child’s senses, especially the use of touch (tactile) and movement (kinetic). This will help the child’s brain to develop tactile and kinetic memories to hang on to, as well as the auditory and visual ones.
Students with learning difficulties typically have difficulties in one or more areas of reading, spelling, writing, math, listening comprehension and expressive language. Multisensory techniques enable students to use their personal areas of strength to help them learn. They can range from simple to complex, depending on the needs of the student and the task at hand.
Learning Style Some researchers theorize that many students have an area of sensory learning strength, sometimes called a learning style. These researchers suggests that when students are taught using techniques consistent with their learning styles, they learn more easily, faster and can retain and apply concepts more readily to future learning. Most students, with a difficulty or not, enjoy the variety that multisensory techniques can offer.
Now we can go through some of the multisensory techniques which could be used to assist a student in his / her learning.
I. To stimulate visual reasoning and learning
- • Text and/or pictures on paper, posters, models, projection screens, computers or flash cards
• Use of color for highlighting, organizing information or imagery
• Graphic organizers, outlining passages
• Student created art, images, text, pictures and video
The above mentioned techniques often include visual teaching methods and strategies.
II. Auditory techniques
- • Books on tape, peer assisted reading, paired reading and computerized text readers
• Video or film with accompanying audio
• Music, song, instruments, speaking, rhymes, chants and language games
III. Tactile teaching methods Multi sensory techniques that involve using the sense of touch are called tactile methods. Tactile methods include strategies such as:
- • Sand trays, raised line paper, textured objects, finger paints and puzzles to improve fine motor skills
• Modeling materials such as clay and sculpting materials
• Using small materials called manipulatives to represent number values to teach math skills
IV. Kinesthetic methods Multi sensory methods using body movements are called kinesthetic methods. These involve fine and gross motor movements.
- • Games involving jumping rope, clapping or other movements paired with activities while counting and singing songs related to concepts.
• Any large movement activity for students involving dancing, bean bag tossing or other activities involving concepts, rhythmic recall and academic competition such as quizzes, flash card races and other learning games.
Praveen A.V
How Can I Help My Child Develop into a Stronger Reader?
You can use a method called The Pressure Release Technique. The Pressure Release Technique is a powerful technique. It is the answer for a child who has trouble transferring phonetic knowledge to reading. It measurably increases confidence in reading, as well as fluency. The Pressure Release Technique transforms word-by-word reading into fluent reading by activating the language processors in the brain, which synthesize information and build meaning. The Pressure Release Technique is the vehicle for students applying their knowledge of new sounds and phrase reading for fluency without experiencing frustration. As the teacher models fluent reading, students are able to access their language processors and read with fluency and comprehension. As fluency increases, comprehension increases and so does the enjoyment of reading.
Steps on how to use the Pressure Release Technique:
Eventually, your child will read more and you will read less.
Steps on how to use the Pressure Release Technique:
- Sit to the right of your child
- Have your child begin reading as she or he swings the tip of a pencil or index card under the text.
- The child reads until she or he makes a mistake. Then without saying a word, just point to the mistake-this nonverbal cue means: “sound out the word, and think about whether it makes sense in the sentence.”
- The child continues reading while swinging his/her pencil tip or card under the text until the second mistake. At the second mistake, point and let the child try to self-correct the mistake.
- Now, quickly drop your pencil tip on the text, and take over the reading and swinging under the text while your child reads with you.
- After two or three sentences, pull up your pencil tip and let your child take over again using his/her pencil tip or card to swing under the text and read.
- This technique should become effortless, with smooth transitions from your child reading and swinging the pencil tip or card under the text to you reading and swinging the pencil tip under the text. Your child should follow along, reading aloud while you are reading and pointing.
- Be consistent in using non-verbal cues to make these transitions, i.e., pointing to the mistake and silently waiting for your child’s correction; dropping your pencil onto the print to signal that it is your turn to read; lifting your pencil tip off the print to signal to your child to take back the reading.
Eventually, your child will read more and you will read less.
What Is Fluency?
Fluency is the ability to read smoothly and automatically, with expression and attention to punctuation.
Pace = the speed in which you read
Phrasing = Chunking the words together into meaningful phrases
and bought some bread
Intonation (Expression) = Reading with feeling in your voice
Punctuation = Reading with attention to punctuation
*One of the best ways to improve reading fluency is through repeated readings. Simply have your child reread the same passage or short stories at least 3 to 4 times. This does not have to be done one sitting. It can be done over the course of a week.
Pace = the speed in which you read
- The goal is to read at a "just right" pace
- Reading not too fast and not too slow
Phrasing = Chunking the words together into meaningful phrases
- Reading in phrases and not reading words one word at a time
and bought some bread
Intonation (Expression) = Reading with feeling in your voice
- Changing your voice to match a character
- Reading like you would speak (and not like a robot!)
- Moving your voice up and down
Punctuation = Reading with attention to punctuation
- stopping at periods
- taking breaths at commas
- making your voice go up for question marks
- showing excitement for exclamation points
- using "quotation marks" to change voice for characters
*One of the best ways to improve reading fluency is through repeated readings. Simply have your child reread the same passage or short stories at least 3 to 4 times. This does not have to be done one sitting. It can be done over the course of a week.
Ipad Apps for A Multisensory Approach to Literacy
Vowel Intensive Practice
Blending Sounds to Make Words (Sweeping)
CVC Word Spelling
Practice Reading Words With Specific Features (e.g. /au/ ; /igh/)
Word Sorts
Phoneme Segmentation
Comprehension
Spelling
Phonics Game
Kinesthetic Writing
- Sound Beginnings (Select Middle Sound; Select Pictures to Letters) Consonant Blends
- Montessori Crosswords (Words With Consonant Blends)
- Spelling Magic 2 (Consonant Blends)
Blending Sounds to Make Words (Sweeping)
- Word Wizard – Movable Alphabet. Place letters with sounds on sound board. Computer will voice each sound and whole word once a word is created. The teacher dictates words to spell.
CVC Word Spelling
- Spelling Magic 1/ABC SPELLING MAGIC - Focuses on short vowels
Practice Reading Words With Specific Features (e.g. /au/ ; /igh/)
- Phonics Genius
Word Sorts
- Word Sort Wizard (Select Feature – e.g. o_e and oa )
Phoneme Segmentation
- Magic Reading 2 Consonant Blends
- Phonics Awareness (easy)
Comprehension
- 2nd Fiction Reading Comprehension Fiction for 2nd grade by Abitalk Short Passages with Quiz
Spelling
- Simplex Spelling Quiz (Select word list or enter your own list)
- Spellosaur (add your own words)
Phonics Game
- Sound Literacy (Use the same as you would Orton letter cards)
- Tic Tac Toe Phonics
Kinesthetic Writing
- Writing Pad
- Whiteboard