Objective and Presentation
Session objective: The efficacy of muli-sensory teaching and learning related to the successful progress and education of young children has been established. Among the varied prominent researchers in this area of study are Robert Sternberg (theory of multiple intelligences) and Stanley Greenspan, whose work on Pervasive Multi-system Disorders has resulted in effective multi sensory floor time" training models. The objective of this session is to present the three "big ideas" implicit in these areas of intervention and education research: (a) the ability of the infant brain to spontaneous recover and compensate, (b) the ability of children to simultaneously integrate and use sensory information, and the benefits of multi-sensory play-based assessment in the classroom and at home.
Content and presentation: The activity-based presentation will give participants the opportunity to implement aspects of a teaching and learning curriculum, exploring methods of teaching several sensory activities simultaneously. Simultaneous mutli-sensory learning techniques seem to successfully remediate mild to moderate developmental delays, as well as motivate typical early childhood learners to accelerate their learning.
According to recent research by Tharp and Gallimore, multi sensory, activity-based teaching in a school setting also promotes greater observational and conversational competence among professionals. The presenter will solicit other “big ideas” from a collaborative perspective, relying on participants to share their mutual expertise.
A unique training exercise called "Let Me Introduce My Self" will be used to demonstrate different age children's' awareness of their own thoughts, which is thought by researchers to be an essential component of the Multi-sensory Curriculum. The presenter role-plays the personality of "a real child," through age-matched words and actions, a part of the child's family story.
Usefulness to Participants: The audience of both parents and professionals will be able to find practical information in the form of handouts and technique training, which allows them to return to their work and incorporate the information into their daily interactions with children and their families. Participants will find this session to be an excellent resource for refreshing their knowledge of child development and observation/assessment skills. The prime benefit to professionals, however, is the realization that how children think at different ages and how each child uniquely learns through the integration of sensory information, should determine how and what to teach.
