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10 Multisensory Techniques For Teaching Math Understood

Leo Migdal
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10 multisensory techniques for teaching math understood

Multisensory instruction isn’t just for reading. It can also help kids who have trouble with math. The use of sight, touch, hearing, and movement can make it easier to understand what numbers and symbols represent. These 10 multisensory techniques can help kids learn math. Using beads, dried beans, or cereal as manipulatives is a great way to have kids represent math operations. For instance, kids might solve an addition sentence by adding two sets of beads together.

Or they might find out how much is left after subtracting some beads. Kids can also group together different amounts of the items for multiplication and division. By moving these items around and seeing how the quantities change, kids have a concrete way of understanding how these math operations work. Manipulatives can also help kids develop number sense and understand amounts. Experience firsthand the daily challenges of kids with ADHD, dyslexia, and dyscalculia. See differently, so you can act differently.

Kids can use cubes or tiles to build shapes. This gives them a concrete idea of the measurement and properties of the figures they create. For many children, mathematics can feel like a foreign language, a collection of abstract symbols and rules that are hard to grasp. While some learners thrive with traditional teaching methods, a significant number struggle, not because of a lack of intelligence, but because their learning styles aren’t being fully addressed. This is where multisensory techniques for teaching mathematics come into play—a powerful approach that engages multiple senses to build deeper understanding and make math accessible for every child. Multisensory learning is about involving sight, sound, touch, and movement in the learning process.

It’s a method that acknowledges that children learn in different ways and that by activating more senses, we create stronger neural pathways in the brain. This approach is particularly beneficial for students who find math challenging, including those with learning differences like dyslexia or dyscalculia, but it genuinely enhances learning for all. This in-depth article will explore the core principles of multisensory math instruction. We’ll delve into various practical techniques educators and parents can use to transform abstract math concepts into concrete, engaging, and memorable experiences. By understanding and applying these strategies, we can help children not just memorize but truly comprehend, enjoy, and excel in the world of numbers. Multisensory learning is an educational approach that combines various sensory modalities—visual (seeing), auditory (hearing), kinesthetic (moving), and tactile (touching)—to help students grasp concepts.

In mathematics, this means moving beyond just textbooks and lectures to create a richer, more engaging learning experience. Mathematics, at its core, is often abstract. Numbers, equations, and geometric shapes are symbols representing concepts. For many learners, especially younger children or those with specific learning needs, this abstraction can be a significant barrier. Multisensory instruction bridges this gap by: This is a list of MSLE strategies applied to the teaching and learning of mathematics.

It is included in the manual for the Multisensory Math Courses. Multisensory Math Strategies that help struggling students! A good website for some multisensory techniques is: https://www.multisensorymath.com/. Just use the search button to find the topic to teach. Visual Aids: Incorporate diagrams, charts, and graphs to help visualize concepts. Manipulatives: Use physical objects (like blocks or counters) to represent numbers and operations.

Interactive Tools: Consider using software or apps that provide interactive math experiences. The CRA approach is a well-established instructional method designed to help students develop a robust understanding of mathematical concepts by moving through three distinct stages: Concrete, Representational, and Abstract. Using two colored chips to show the concrete, drawing the chips for representation, and the abstraction of the fractions 2/3 and ? / 9. Note: The two-color chips might be different colors, such as red/yellow. Image Source

Concrete StageThe concrete stage is the foundation of the CRA approach. At this level, students engage with physical objects to explore mathematical concepts. For instance, when learning about addition, a student might use counters, blocks, or beads to combine groups of objects physically. This hands-on experience is crucial because it allows students to interact directly with the concept they are learning, making the abstract idea of addition more tangible and understandable.Example:Imagine a student learning about fractions for... At the concrete stage, they might use fraction tiles or even pieces of a chocolate bar to represent different fractions. By physically manipulating these objects, the student can see how fractions work, such as how two 1/4 tiles can be combined to make 1/2.

Representational Stage: Once students are comfortable with the concrete stage, they move on to the representational stage. Here, they draw pictures or use diagrams to represent the math concepts. This stage acts as a bridge between the concrete objects and abstract symbols. Instead of using physical counters, a student might draw circles or tallies to represent quantities. This visual representation helps students transition from concrete manipulation to understanding mathematical symbols.Example: Continuing with the fractions example, in the representational stage, the student might now draw pictures of the fraction tiles or chocolate... (This is one reason I avoid using circles as the predominant representation of fractions–they’re very hard to draw and subdivide appropriately!) They could shade in parts of a circle to represent 1/4 or 1/2,...

Abstract Stage:In the abstract stage, students use mathematical symbols and numbers without relying on physical objects or drawings. This is where they begin to solve equations and perform calculations using numbers alone. The abstract stage is critical because it’s where students demonstrate their ability to understand and manipulate mathematical concepts mentally.Example:The student working with fractions could now add fractions like 1/4 + 1/4 = 1/2 using...

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