Multisensory Teaching: An Effective Method for Learning Difficulties - Essay Sample

Introduction

Multisensory teaching refers to a technique applied in the learning of learners with studying differences. Researches from the United States of America's National Institute of Child Health and Human Development have indicated that a multisensory teaching approach stands out as the most effective learning method for children with difficulties in reading and learning (Troeva, 2016, pp. 367-387). Multisensory teaching methods and techniques encourage learning by involving students on several levels. The procedure motivates learners to employ all or some of their senses to collect information about an assignment, associate information to concepts they already acquired and comprehend, and identify the rationality entailed in solving problems.

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Besides, the program enhances the learners' ability to acquire problem-solving skills, utilize logical nonverbal skills, fathom connections between ideas, and store information for current and future use. Most teaching methods involve the use of either hearing (auditory) or sight (visual). However, a solution to difficulties entails the usage of more of the child's senses, particularly the utilization of movement (kinetic) and touch (tactile) (Warnick & Caldarella, 2016, pp.317-335). Such an approach that combines several thoughts, such as auditory, tactile, visual, and dynamic, enhances the child's brain capability to develop and acquire knowledge effectively. The purpose of this paper involves the assessment of a multisensory teaching approach as the most effective approach for dyslexic learners.

Understanding Dyslexia

Scholars argue that children learn and progress at their speed. Children find reading problematic at various stages. However, if the difficulties continue, and makes some children remain behind their peers, then they may have a learning disorder called dyslexia. Dyslexia affects a child's ability to distinguish and handle the sounds in language (Kumar & Nathan, 2016, pp. 629-633). Learners with the dyslexic condition have difficulties decoding and encoding words that they can then sound out. Such a disorder results in problems with reading, spelling, and writing. Often, they compensate by remembering names, but they will have difficulties identifying new words or slow in recalling similar words. Dyslexia does not signify a child's intelligence. However, it elaborates on the variation in a learner's competency and attainment.

Multisensory Techniques

Learners with studying problems usually have complications in one or more areas of spelling, reading, listening comprehension, writing, math, and expressive language. Multisensory strategic teaching enhances the learners' competency to apply their strengths to enable them to study (Troeva, 2016, pp. 367-387). The technique involves simple to sophisticated approaches, subject to the requirement of the child, and the responsibility that needs handling. Learning style refers to the learners' field of sensory studying strength. Researchers argue that teaching students by employing approaches consistent with their studying styles enhances their capability to acquire knowledge more effortlessly, faster, and retain and apply ideas more willingly to future education (Troeva, 2016, pp. 367-387). In stimulating visual perceptive and training, teachers can use text/pictures on paper, models, posters, projection screens, or computers.

Besides, teachers can use color for highlighting, imagery, or organizing data. Furthermore, graphical organizations, outlining passages, and learners' developed art, text, video, images, and pictures entails visual teaching strategies and methods. Auditory techniques involve the deployment of learning materials on tape, group studying and discussion, and computerized text readers (Kaldonek-Crnjakovic & Fiser, 2017, p. 139). Besides, tutors can utilize video or film with additional audio. Furthermore, the use of music, instruments, song, chants, speaking rhymes, and language games is essential in stimulating auditory senses. Tactile teaching approach involves the application of methods like sand trays, raised line papers, textured objects, finger paints, and puzzles to enhance sufficient motor abilities.

Also, teachers can use modeling materials like sculpting and clay materials. It is also advisable to use tiny materials known as manipulatives to characterize numbers in teaching mathematics. Kinesthetic teaching methods entail the use of games involving clapping, jumping rope, or other movements coupled with additional activities related to the concepts taught like singing and counting (Odisho, 2018, pp. 3-28). Besides, the teachers can employ some large movement undertakings for learners, such as dancing, bean bag flinging, or any other movement relating to the ideas, rhythmic remembrance, and educational competition like tests and flashcard race, among others.

Case Study Analysis

I had the chance to interact and teach a student by the name Sally, a six-year-old child with problems in learning, especially literacy. I employed a multisensory approach to ensure she improved in her reading (decoding abilities), writing (encoding/spelling skills), and handwriting skills. Under the program, I employed a phonic multisensory strategy that helped the child in her writing and reading of the English language. The program enhanced Sally's phonemic cognizance through hearing, recognizing, and controlling phenomes (Kaldonek-Crnjakovic & Fiser, 2017, p. 139). The initiative aimed at teaching the learner the correlation between the phonic sounds and the spelling designs (graphemes) that signifies them. The approach involved the learner deciphering new printed words by orating them out or through employing the technique of blending the sound and the spelling outlines. The strategy emphasizes on the printed and spoken patterns within the words, which entails sub-lexical methods.

I incorporated literacy games that comprised reading out high-frequency words, practicing handwriting in glitter, on the whiteboard, air forming, walking the letter on the floor, and verbalized the message out loud during the activities. I had to inspire the student, Sally, through the employment of techniques earlier discussed that involves motivating the area of sensory learning strength of the child (Odisho, 2018, pp. 3-28). I employed the 'onset and rime' games, which stimulated the auditory sense of learning of the student to sound out aloud when reading the words. The approach enhanced the student's ability to decode. Besides, the child has developed an affinity for placing the alphabetical letters in an organized order at the start of every learning session, therefore, utilizing tactile teaching technique to enhance the learner's competency.

In enhancing the approach, I highlighted the vowels with yellow colors and the consonants with red color, deploying the visual effect in my teaching approach. Furthermore, I engaged my student in singing the alphabets to the tune of 'twinkle twinkle little star' with some of the letters stacked in the bag. Deploying the tactile approach, I managed to take the student through a touch stimulation method of teaching that involved feeling the alphabetical letters in turns, describing them visually after correct identification of the message (Lee, 2016, pp. 1019-1034). Besides, I invented a game that involved using a feather at the front of the mouth to see if there existed any movements in the feather when pronouncing the letters p, d, and b. I this activity, I implemented the kinesthetic technique of teaching to encourage the dyslexic learner to improve her education and enjoy the session.

Furthermore, I executed a strategy that entailed observation, cover, and write a method to enhance the students spelling abilities. I also engaged the student in a game in which we hid words around the class, look for them, find, and read them aloud. Another game I employed in stimulating the child's learning styles through the application of her areas of strength to learn entailed 'snakes and ladders' embedded with words in each box. The student had to move, see, read, feel, and pronounce the words loudly (Dunkelberger et al., 2018, pp. 25-32). Besides all these techniques, I enhanced my student's knowledge of time by practicing telling the time using a large clock on a blackboard in public areas. In this regard, I employed some of the four vital multisensory techniques that involved visual, auditory, kinesthetic, and tactile methods. I also applied digital platforms of learning, such as the application of computers. Games highly encourage literacy skills to young learners. The disadvantage involves the time involved and the cost of purchasing some of the materials.

Bangor Teaching Approach (Orton-Gillingham)

The Orton-Gillingham (Bangor) Teaching Approach refers to a multisensory phonics method for remedial education formulated in the early 20th century. Most commercial ventures and private educational institutions advocate for the approach in the United States to cater to the education requirements of learners with disabilities (Odisho, 2018, pp. 3-28). The development of the teaching approach originated from a neuropsychiatrist and pathologist named Samuel Torrey Orton and an educator and psychologist named Anna Gillingham. The two scholars researched on children with language learning problems like dyslexia. Their research developed the Orton-Gillingham teaching method that entails an approach that incorporates kinesthetic and tactile studying methods with the teaching of visual and auditory theories (Warnick & Caldarella, 2016, pp.317-335).

The Bangor teaching approach consists of a diverse multisensory technique for teaching children with dyslexia how to read and spell. Besides, the method has the advantage of getting modified to suit individual or group learning at various learning levels. The teaching sessions entail more active learning that utilizes visual, auditory, kinesthetic, and tactile components that strengthens each other (Odisho, 2018, pp. 3-28). I applied both four techniques actively to ensure that my students developed an interest in learning and could associate with the learning process. The outcome of such a participatory multisensory learning approach enhanced the educational development of my student.

The Bangor teaching method aims at enhancing the learning competency of children with language processing difficulties, such as reading, writing, and spelling linked with dyslexia. The approach develops acquired educational skills. The Bangor teaching technique has no known empirical evidence-based efficacy (Dunkelberger et al., 2018, pp. 25-32). However, most studies of derivative nature include attributes of Orton-Gillingham and other approaches in formulating outlines for enhancing phonemic awareness, fluency, phonics, comprehension, and vocabulary. Although the method has no evidence backing, it has research-based support hence usable cautiously in cases of students with dyslexia (Kumar & Nathan, 2016, pp. 629-633).

Toe by Toe Reading Approach

Toe by Toe refers to an extremely organized reading guidebook that educates on primary literacy abilities to learners of all ages by deploying a phonics-based approach. The technique involves a succession of step-by-step procedures, cataloged in a single booklet (Lee, 2016, pp. 1019-1034). The booklet contains instructions for educators in each of the activities a learner needs to undertake. The Toe By Toe learning method remains an evidenced-based method that both experts and non-specialists can use to enhance the learning abilities of children with dyslexic conditions. I applied the approach to my student. However, she showed a negative response to the technique. I decided to stop the program and use Precision teaching.

Precision Teaching...