Guest Blog
Many conditions can affect a learner’s ability to properly understand and retain lessons taught.
To help students of all age range and conditions learn better, teachers have to understand the place of memory and retention in the learning process. If you are interested in researches and facts about this, you can read this article.
The proper understanding of the relationship between memory, retention, and the learning process is the first step to helping learners make the most of the classroom. The next step is to embrace practical and result-yielding techniques that can help the students.
In this article, we will be discussing a proven and effective teaching technique – The multisensory learning approach. The features of this technique and how students benefit will also be discussed.
What Is the Multisensory Approach?
This is a method of teaching that revolves around the use of multiple sense patterns when teaching. The reason is to compel the brain to retain and move items learned from the short memory to the long memory.
Principally, this approach is used for people with learning struggles such as dyslexia, ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder), and several other conditions. However, it is very helpful in dealing with just any kind of student.
Some Features of Multisensory Learning
We should start by stating how the technique is always evolving. There are ongoing researches on things that can better help students exposed to this learning approach.
As a result, there is much more to the features shared in this article. Having established that, below are some of the features of this teaching method:
The Use of Movement
This method extensively makes use of movement in the learning process. This is based on the observation that the human brain is more active when the body is not relaxed in a spot. It also helps the learner deal with passiveness and anxiety issues.
For this reason, the tutor uses fun activities and other means to get the students to move around the classroom.
This can be by identifying and answering questions written on the board, among other things. Games that require this level of physical activity are also engaged.
Commendation Is Critical
Positive words are not just seen as a way to encourage the student but as a tool. It gives a sense of accomplishment and makes them willing and committed to achieving greater feats.
As a result, it should be used as much as possible by the tutors making use of this technique. Other than teachers, key players such as parents are also required to understand the importance of using commendations to help such students fare better in their studies.
Excitement and Fun Environment Is Essential
Children especially are known to learn better when the process is fun. There are many ways children learn with fun and this includes the extensive use of games, thrilling interaction and feedbacks, music, artistic drawing, and other possibilities.
Every reasonable avenue to make the process exciting for the learners are explored and utilized. It is not unusual to see kids bouncing on a safe trampoline and reciting the multiplication table.
It will interest you to know that rather than acting as a distraction, such activities create moments that help their retention.
Interaction and Feedback Mechanism
The technique is clearly against a one-sided approach to teaching. Rather, it stresses the need for tutors to engage their students as much as possible.
So, there should be avenues to get feedback from the students as much as possible. This can be via question and answer segments, intentionally getting every student to participate by answering questions, instigating physical activities, among others.
The bottom line remains that the students are the focus of the entire learning process and this should be reflected in how much they are carried along.
Mistakes Are Accommodated
This method is not magic. While it is tested, trusted, and proven to be effective, these things happen with time. So, patience and adherence to the core values of the technique is key to seeing the expected positive outcome.
However, there is the need to tolerate mistakes at every point in time. The students should even be encouraged to reveal their thought process and mistakes if there is any. This is important in the bid to help them correct their flaws.
Furthermore, because of the interaction centered teacher-student approach, the students should be made to correct their mistakes if possible. This is important in building the value of independence as the technique stresses.
Reward System
Rewards are given when minor and major feats are achieved. This is an integral part of the system and something teachers and parents are expected to take seriously.
You should also know that the intent is greater than the kind of reward awarded. As a result, you do not have to burden yourself with getting a special kind of reward. You can just use incentives such as increased screen time, an extra piece of candy, and other options.
The idea is that the learner understands that he is making progress, and that progress comes with rewards.
Using Corroborative Materials
There are specially designed products designed to help the effective implementation of this technique. As a result, teachers, parents, and other key stakeholders are expected to invest in getting and using these products.
You can visit Goodsensorylearning.com for information on these kinds of products and corroborative resources in general.
Music Aids the Learning Process
Retention is increased when the right kind of music is used at the right time. So, this method stresses the need for everyone concerned to maximize the place of music in the classroom and everywhere else learning occurs.
On a Final Note
One of the problems with people understanding the effectiveness of this technique is false information from sources that are not credible. For instance, there is a wrong belief that this method is only for people with learning complications.
This is wrong and should be taken as such. This technique is even effective when teaching a wide range of students with various learning abilities.
Also, you should know the technique is not static and that there are constant additions to the features.
Having gone through the article, we expect that people in the education sector and parents engage this technique while teaching their students and wards, respectively.
