A Multi-Sensory Classical Education

Classical educational tools have been used for centuries.  Simple, classical tools of education have proven the test of time and many families who educate their children at home are returning to these tried and true methods of teaching them.  However, while focusing on the Trivium (or the classical stages of learning), there is a wide variety of ways to memorize and communicate ideas.  Although the romantic idea of a simple piece of chalk and a white board might seem quaint, not all children will learn best through copying information.

One of my children is a dyslexic, dysgraphic learner, with a bit of ADD thrown in the mix.  He is bright, and always remembers every detail of a story that I have read aloud to him.  He has learned so much from hearing books read aloud to him over the years and now that he can read for himself, I still try to read aloud for at least a short time each day because it is one of his favorite ways to learn.  He has also started watching documentaries on the history and military channels and can tell me detailed stories from history about World War II or the life of President Kennedy.  He loves learning through listening!  

"J.F.K." visited our Essentials class

Now, even at the age of 12, if I forced him to write or copy all of his memory work and other subjects each day, I would be fighting an uphill battle and I don't know how much of it he would truly learn through his frustration.  I am sure there would be tears!  However, when we practice it aloud, several times each day, and review the songs for the timeline, history sentences, and skip counting, he learns them much more quickly. As he has matured, he has also grown in his ability to write more on a daily basis, but it is still not the main avenue that I expect him to learn from.  It is more like a learning "road block" for him that he has worked for several years to navigate around.

An example of work from his 2nd year in Essentials at 11 years old

With his lessons for reading and spelling that are designed for dyslexic learners, multi-sensory techniques abound.  He hears me explain spelling rules, practices them with color-coded, moveable tiles, spells out loud, on the white board, and on a computer, and eventually reads those kinds of words in phrases, sentences, and stories - all in just one lesson.  The Barton Reading and Spelling System recently launched a new Barton app. that we use on our iPad now with the same, moveable tiles on the screen.  He enjoys it!

Using as many senses as is practical is a great way for most children to learn because it gives their brain more "connections" to the information.  We use classical methods to recite memory work, copy well-written sentences, and narrate back stories each day.  Although we use these time-tested tools of education, we also sing songs with a cd or the computer, read books on ipads, and throw a ball back and forth or jump on the mini trampoline while reciting memory work.

Classical education sometimes emphasizes copywork during the grammar stage.  Copywork is one great tool for learning, but writing by hand may not be the best tool  for some learners.  These students need to use as many senses as possible while learning, so if they can say it, hear it, see it, and use their bodies in some way, the learning will "stick"even better.  Think of it as their "velcro"!  Fortunately, there are tons of resources available these days to help you find ways to make teaching more multi-sensory.  Songs, games, activities, and experiments all give rich experiences to the learner. 

Many students with dyslexia have a great capacity to learn and to remember what they have learned, but they may have a slower working memory or processing speed and rote memorization is often not their strength.  Dyslexic students may even have brains that help them to learn more globally and think in bigger pictures than other learners, but learning all the details and the minutia may be harder for them.  Many of them are right-brained learners that use more contextual clues and patterning to learn, so they need to get a larger picture in their mind.  Just learning dates and places is not enough for them even in the grammar stage.  This is why I have come to the realization that maybe these students actually have stronger ways of learning in the dialectic and rhetoric stages of learning.  We have to teach them how to learn the grammar of many subjects, all the details, while their brains want to jump ahead to the reasons behind why and how these subjects work together.    

So, how do we make classical education more multi-sensory?  Here are some suggestions that have worked for our family.

Add music - memorizing with songs helps!  We have memorized the Classical Conversations timeline with 160 historical events all because we listened to the song over and over again.  We also use music for history sentences, skip counting songs, English grammar, Latin grammar, and learning all of the U.S. Presidents.  Children can even make up their own songs and then they will remember them even more easily.

We use this display for our weekly memory work and listen to the audio tracks each day

Move!  Engage as many senses as you can. Say it, hear it, speak it, move those bodies!  We like to use index cards for memorizing English grammar charts and matching games for math or Latin. We do use a mini-trampoline in the basement where we practice our memory work each day and we often toss a small ball back and forth while practicing.  We have used blocks with math lessons for years and movable alphabet letters or phonemes with phonics and spelling lessons.  In his younger years we used craft sticks, teddy bear counters, coins, and Legos for many math lessons.

English grammar practice

Vary your approach - try different ways of learning that may not be your favorite, but may help your student.  You may learn differently than your child, so try all of the visual, auditory, oral, and kinesthetic approaches and see what combinations work best for the child.

A model of the ocean floor

Use pictures, stories, or internet video clips - many students who do not memorize lists of facts "easily" have gifts in remembering details from stories, pictures, and videos.  Right-brained learners remember in moving pictures, like movies they play in their minds, so give them great amounts of context to add to the memory pegs they have been learning.  Lively, colorful experiences, like hands-on science projects or a dynamic and well-written novel will often "stick" like velcro in a child's mind and then these experiences will add depth to their memory work or other more factual information that they are learning. 

A model volcano that "exploded" after the class recited the parts of a volcano for their end of the year presentation

So, don't just assume that because you are using the classical methods of education that you have to stick with only chalk and slate (or pencil and paper) to learn.  Some students will learn well with reading and reciting memory work or copying it down on paper, but others will need more depth, more stories and songs, more reading aloud to them, or more movement and games to solidify their learning.  I am grateful to the many parents and teachers who have created songs, games, and fun ways to practice new concepts so that my children can learn according to their own strengths!  The internet has surely opened up the this multi-sensory world for home educators and there are countless ideas to be found.  Don't be afraid to try something new this week in your home school!  

This post has been linked to Trivium Tuesdays - Classical Link-up #80.  Stop by there and check it out!