Multi-Sensory Approach

By Mary Lou Rosien
February 3, 2010

All children learn differently! End of story. Each child has been programmed, by God, to respond uniquely to varied types of input. There are three main ways most of us learn:

Visually (by what we see.)

Auditorially by what we hear.)

Tactically (by what we feel.)

The most successful teachers understand this and use a multi-sensory approach to the learning process.

An example of this might be in preparing for Easter. Reading the children the story of the death and resurrection of Christ, then having them look at pictures that illustrate the story and finally having them act out the story would cover all three types of learning styles. By doing this, each student would have a better chance of absorbing the information in the manner which best accommodates them.

When lesson plans are made, it can be helpful to ask yourself if you have an illustration of the point you are trying to make using all three learning styles.

It can also be helpful to ask the children if they know in which way they learn most effectively. Don’t underestimate how aware they can be of their own learning processes and the processes of those around them.

Five of my own seven children have learning issues and yet, if one of them shouts a question at me from across the room, another one will inevitably shout back, “You have to show it to her. Mom is NOT an auditory learner.” They are correct in fact, I am a visual learner. What kind of learner are you?
Managing Stress Mary Lou Rosien is a Catholic wife, mother to seven and has been a Catechist off and on for 30 years. She is trained as a social worker and parent/family coach. She is also a literacy volunteer in the public school system. Several of her own children have disabilities including Asperger's (a mild form of autism), Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, Learning Disorders, ADHD and Anxiety Issues. Her 16 year-old daughter had surgery two years ago for a Chiari I malformation of the brain and has recovered beautifully! She is a columnist for Our Sunday Visitor Online and is the author of, "Managing Stress with the Help of Your Catholic Faith" (OSV Publishing).

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