Thursday, May 13, 2010

Multisensory Teaching

Studies from the National Institutes of Child Health and Human Development have shown that for children with difficulties learning to read, a multisensory teaching method is the most effective way for these students to learn.

 
Multisensory teaching means the teacher must tap into all learning modalities – see it (visual), feel it (tactile), hear it (auditory) and move with it (kinesthetic).

 
Here are a few suggestions on how to make spelling lessons fun, creative and engaging.
  • Trace words with a pencil or pen while spelling the word. Then trace with an eraser. Get up and do 5 jumping jacks. Now write the word and check for accuracy.
  • Write the words by syllables in different colored markers.
  • Pair up with another student and write words on each other’s back with a finger. Have the partner guess what the word is.
  • While sitting on a carpet, write down each word directly onto the carpet with two fingers.
  • Trace over each word at least three different times in different color crayons so that the words look like rainbows.
  • Pair up with another student and take turns jumping rope while spelling the words out loud.
  • Clap your hands to each letter as you spell the words out loud.
  • Type each of the words in 5 different fonts, colors, and sizes.
  • Bounce a ball to each letter in the word.
  • Practice writing the words with neon gel pens on black paper.
  • Write the words on individual chalkboards using colored chalk.
  • Finger-paint the words using frosting on wax paper or paper plates.
  • Spell the words using alphabet manipulatives such as magnetic letters or letter tiles.

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