Using MULTI-SENSORY teaching methods
Using a multisensory teaching approach means helping a child to learn through more than one of the senses. Most teaching in schools is done using either sight or hearing which is visual or auditory sensations. The child’s sight is used in reading information, looking at diagrams or pictures, or reading what is on the teacher’s board. The sense of hearing is used in listening to what the teacher says. A child with dyslexia may experience difficulties with either or both of these senses. The child’s vision may be affected by difficulties with visual tracking, visual processing or seeing the words become fuzzy or move around. The child’s hearing may be satisfactory on a hearing test, but auditory memory or auditory processing may be weak.
The best teaching method is to involve the use of more of the child’s senses, especially the use of touch and movement (kinesthetic). This will give the child’s brain tactile and kinesthetic memories to hang on to, as well as the visual and auditory ones.
The best teaching method is to involve the use of more of the child’s senses, especially the use of touch and movement (kinesthetic). This will give the child’s brain tactile and kinesthetic memories to hang on to, as well as the visual and auditory ones.
Effective Sensory teaching activities
As stated above, students with dyslexia need to do hands on activities to make learning easier and more tolerable. Here are some examples of hands on projects/activities:
- Play dough or modelling clay is great for little children to form letters, words and to correct reversals in numbers and in letters. Words made of play dough should always have a model of the word beside them.
- Writing in sand and finger painting letters and words is also helpful. Cutting out big letters and making words with them helps children to learn more quickly and efficiently than writing them out ten times.
- Using scrabble tiles, or magnetic tiles to make words can be helpful. Mind mapping is a great way to connect or associate words of similar word patterns or sounds. Always use color as these kids learn better using shapes and color, than by words alone.
- Make a book with words the child knows and put into a story with the child’s help. You can add illustrations and put it in a colorful cover. This will give the child pleasure and added confidence to be able to read a whole book without help.
- Computers are a good home tool for children to learn to spell and read. Regulate the background and ensure the screen has no reflected glare on it. Encourage the child to write a story in large font.
- Stories on audio tape are great for these children who can the words in a book. The Royal Institute for the Blind has books on tape and lots of aids for all ages. Orders need to be taken through the school system, so you may find a sympathetic special needs teacher.
HELP with reading
- A reading program that uses much repetition and introduces new words slowly is extremely important. This allows the child to develop confidence and self esteem when reading.
- Don't ask students to read a book at a level beyond their current skills, this will instantly demotivate them. Motivation is far better when demands are not too high, and the child can actually enjoy the book. If he has to labour over every word he will forget the meaning of what he is reading.
- DO NOT LET THEM READ ALOUD IN CLASS. The embarrassment possibilities could lower confidence heavily. Wait for a one-on-one moment for reading aloud.
- Story tapes can be of great benefit for the enjoyment and enhancement of vocabulary. No child should be denied a text book even if they cannot read it fully.
- Remember reading should be fun.
Help with spelling
- Many of the normal classroom techniques used to teach spellings do not help the dyslexic child. Exposure to spelling rules can potentially help.
- Spelling rules can be given to the whole class. Words for class spelling tests are often topic based rather than grouped for structure. If there are one or two dyslexics in the class, a short list of structure-based words for their weekly spelling test, will be far more helpful than random words. Three or four irregular words can be included each week, eventually this should be seen to improve their free-writing skills.
- All children should be encouraged to proof read, which can be useful for initial correction of spellings. Dyslexics seem to be unable to correct their spellings spontaneously as they write, but they can be trained to look out for errors that are particular to them.
- Remember, poor spelling is not an indication of low intelligence.
help with writing
- Student with dyslexia actually do best with cursive writing because it is smooth and not choppy which messes up the way they read anyways.
- Discuss the advantages of good handwriting and the goals to be achieved with the class. Analyze common faults in writing, by writing a few well chosen words on the board for class comment.
- Make sure a small reference chart is available to serve as a constant reminder for the cursive script in upper and lower case.
- If handwriting practice is needed it is essential to use words that present no problem to the dyslexic child in terms of meaning or spelling.
- Improvement in handwriting skills can improve self confidence, which in turn reflects favorably throughout a pupil's work.
Extra tips for teachers
*Of value to all children in the class is an outline of what is going to be taught in the lesson, ending the lesson with a resume of what has been taught. In this way information is more likely to go from short term memory to long term memory.
*When homework is set, it is important to check that the child correctly writes down exactly what is required. Try to ensure that the appropriate worksheets and books are with the child to take home.
*In the front of the pupils' homework book get them to write down the telephone numbers of a couple of friends. Then, if there is any doubt over homework, they can ring up and check, rather than worry or spend time doing the wrong work.
*Make sure that messages and day to day classroom activities are written down.
*Make a daily check list for the pupil to refer to each evening. Encourage a daily routine to help develop the child's own self-reliance and responsibilities.
*Encourage good organizational skills by the use of folders and dividers to keep work easily accessible and in an orderly fashion.
*Break tasks down into small easily remembered pieces of information.
*If visual memory is poor, copying must be kept to a minimum. Notes or handouts are far more useful.
*Seat the child fairly near the class teacher so that the teacher is available to help if necessary, or he can be supported by a well-motivated and sympathetic classmate.
*When homework is set, it is important to check that the child correctly writes down exactly what is required. Try to ensure that the appropriate worksheets and books are with the child to take home.
*In the front of the pupils' homework book get them to write down the telephone numbers of a couple of friends. Then, if there is any doubt over homework, they can ring up and check, rather than worry or spend time doing the wrong work.
*Make sure that messages and day to day classroom activities are written down.
*Make a daily check list for the pupil to refer to each evening. Encourage a daily routine to help develop the child's own self-reliance and responsibilities.
*Encourage good organizational skills by the use of folders and dividers to keep work easily accessible and in an orderly fashion.
*Break tasks down into small easily remembered pieces of information.
*If visual memory is poor, copying must be kept to a minimum. Notes or handouts are far more useful.
*Seat the child fairly near the class teacher so that the teacher is available to help if necessary, or he can be supported by a well-motivated and sympathetic classmate.
in conclusion
In order to be able to teach, as far as possible, according to each child's educational needs, it is essential to see him or her as a whole person, complete with individual strengths and weaknesses. An understanding of each students specific difficulties, and how they may affect the student's classroom performance, can help the teacher to use teaching methods and strategies to help the dyslexic child fit into the classroom environment. Class teachers dealing with dyslexic children need to be flexible in their approach, so that they can, as far as possible, find a method that suits the pupil, rather than expecting that all students will learn in the same way.