Multisensory Math

Math Intervention Strategy – A Multisensory Approach

          “It’s time for math!”. Who would’ve thought these four small words could bring a child so much anxiety. They did for me. I was never a “mathlete” and since I have become a teacher I vowed to never leave primary land for the math becomes to complex for my literature brain. So, you can only imagine how I felt this year when I was asked to be the Kindergarten representative for our schools Math Committee. Once a month I sit through a K-8 meeting with the representative from each grade and when middle school starts talking, I’m lost. So here I am, with my phobia of math, trying to figure out the best way to teach my kiddos basic number concepts so that they are not as scared as their beloved Miss Carrier once was. With numbers being as scary and confusing as they are to some, I have found one of the best intervention strategies for my young math learners to dive in head first with a multisensory approach.

What is multi-sensory instruction?

           As educators, let’s face it, we never have a class where our learners are cardboard cutouts. Each of them is different and each of them learns differently. Whether a student needs more time to develop or grasp a concept, as effective teachers, we are constantly looking for new ways to help our struggling learners. Due to the wide variety of learners in my classroom I find that a multisensory approach to learning math would help students to learn by using multiple senses at one time. They would be taught mathematical skills through the visual, auditory, tactile and kinesthetic pathways of learning. This method of intervention encourages students to use multiple senses to gather information, link ideas, problem solve, understand relationships and store information (Logsdon, 2012).

         A multisensory approach begins by using concrete manipulatives to teach mathematical concepts.  Students then progress through the representative level of instruction until they are able to deal only with numerals/numbers at the abstract level (Zecher, 2012). Manipulatives are key to this multisensory approach. They are used by all students because research has shown that multisensory input is stronger than unisensory input for creating lasting associations and memories (Zecher, 2012).  This basically goes to prove they fact that students learn best by doing. They are using multiple senses keeping their brains active and involved in the learning, therefore this creates a stronger memory for the learner.
          Students are able to apply their knowledge across applications and are better at problem solving.  Some studies indicate that students who use manipulatives for concept instruction including at the algebraic level, equal and even surpass their peers in summative assessments and retain the material longer (Zecher, 2012).

 How does this technique help teachers differentiate?

          As educators, knowing your students and knowing these multisensory approaches can only help to make your students’ learning experience a successful one. It is thoughout that many students have a certain are where they are strongest and it can be called their learning style. This research suggests that when students are taught using techniques consistent with their learning styles, they learn more easily, faster, and can retain and apply concepts more readily to future learning (Langsdon, 2012). 

          Teachers need to discover which learning styles are best for each of their students. Once they come to this conclusion, they must design their intervention lessons to make them most effective. The following are some examples of activities to use in each of the sensory areas. They can be used for any kind of academic later, however the picture examples are related to examples of a math multisensory activities I have used with my students.

 

Visual

Text, pictures, technology/media, use of color for organization, graphic organizers

In first grade, we used colored squares to learn about fractions.

 

Auditory

communication devices, podcasts, film, music, song, auditory games, speaking

We ended our 5 senses unit with popcorn day. We used our sense of hearing to count how many times we heard the popcorn pop. We also closed our eyes and listened for the kernels to drop into the popper to test our awesome counting skills. It was fun to use our ears to count!

 

Tactile

manipulatives, clay, textured objects, finger paint

We used this activity to help us learn the "tricky teens". They were to make one row of ten bears to show one group of ten in the first column of boxes. In the second column, they added a "few more" than 10 to show the tricky teens were 10 and a "few more".

 

Kinesthetic

movement games, large motor activities, competitive games

We used this kinesthetic activity on our Football Friday. I made the field and we used it to hop the lines and count by tens. We also did simple addition flashcards. If they got the answer right, they were able to toss to football into one of the buckets and if they made it, they moved to that line. They kept tossing down the field until they made a touchdown!

 How Does This Help Students?

With this approach your students are learning by doing what works best for them, as long as you as the teacher, have taken the time to learn how your students learn best. I read several articles that talked about the use of manipulatives throughout the education life span. I found it interesting that students who use manipulatives for concept instruction, equal and even surpass their peers in summative assessments and retain the material longer (Zacher, 2012). So often educators view manipulatives as a child’s helper and not as the adolescent and young adult helper. However, as studies show, the use of manipulatives across the age gap does help.

Types of Manipulatives

You can turn pretty much anything into a manipulative. This picture just about sums it up …

There are the standard manipulatives like calculators, money, two-color counters, buttons, paper clips, tooth picks, string, playing cards, rulers, dice, graph paper, spinners, thermometers, pattern blocks, dominoes, cuisenaire rods, geo-boards, tangrams, etc. (Bellonio, 2012). Then there are the manipulatives you find around the house, or out shopping, that you can turn into just about anything. Things such as food, empty egg cartons, bottles, straws, containers, pizza boxes, old games, little trinkets and so on. I’ve recently started collecting those fabulous clementine boxes and turning them into all different kinds of games. Manipulatives can be used to teach mathematical concepts such as counting, numbers, money, sorting, math facts, fractions, place value, and almost every other concept in our math vocabularies (Kawas, 2010).

I mentioned turning old games into manipulatives. Using board games and card games along with cooperative learning are ways that students can become involved in a positive mathematical environment (Bellonio, 2012). The use of games motivates the students to learn and half of the time they don’t even realize that they are playing to learn. One of my kids favorite games in the tumbling number tower. I took a Jenga game and wrote numbers 1-100 on each block. We use this as a number reconitiong game so we start the year out playing 1-10 and adding more blocks as we advance. I can also scale the game down for students that are struggling with that number recognition skill. It’s a simple matter of adding and taking out blocks. Now is that too hard for us to do? Utilize what you have and you will be golden.  

This multisensory strategy also shows students that you are interested in them (Kawas, 2010). By taking the time to figure out your students not only as people, but as learners show them that you believe that they can do it, no matter how much anxiety they may have on a topic. So not only are their skills becoming stronger, but so is their confidence which also forces them to want to work harder.

Multisensory Math Programs:

• TouchMath
• Math-Cabulary
• Stern Math
• Multisensory Math

Am I a Multisensory Teacher?

You bet! Being a primary teacher it is a given that you have to use the multisensory techniques, not only for your struggling students, but for all of your students. I have come to find how my students learn best. I incorporate that information into my lessons in order to challenge the more advanced students and assist my struggling students at the same time. My classroom is flooded with colorful manipulatives, games and more. They are all located where the kids can see them and they know exactly where to find what they need. This allows them to use these manipulatives if they finish early or have some spare time. They’re always open and ready to use (as long as they get put back where they belong, of course :)! ). The multisensory approach makes learning fun. I love when my kids are working and hearing them chit chat about how much fun they are having. Something that may have scared them at the beginning is now fun because we’ve taken the time to find how they learn best. It’s a simple as that.

We had a guest speaker recently who shared this quote with us, so I will leave you with this food for thought …

“Everybody is a genius. But, if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will spend its whole life believing that it is stupid.” – Einstein

 

References:

Bellonio, J.L.(2012). Multi -Sensory Manipulatives in Mathematics: Linking the Abstract to the Concrete .Retrieved March 5, 2012 from Yale-New Haven Teaching Institute:   http://www.cis.yale.edu/ynhti/curriculum/units/2001/6/01.06.12.x.html

Logsdon, A. (2012). Make Multisensory Teaching Materials. Retrieved March 5, 2012 from About.com Learning Disabilities: http://learningdisabilities.about.com/od/instructionalmaterials/p/mulitsensory.htm

Kawas, T. (2010). Intervention Strategies. Retrieved March 6, 2012 from Mathwire.com – Standards-based math activities: http://www.mathwire.com/games/countinggames.html

Zecher, M. (2003). Multisensory Math. Retrieved March 5, 2012 from The Multisensory Training Institute of  The Atlantic Seaboard Dyslexia Education Center : http://multisensorymath.com/