Page 342 - KSPK ENGLISH LANGUAGE

8. Visual, auditory and kinaesthetic learning

Children naturally look, listen to and touch or move around to make sense of the world around
them so, the three main sensory receivers used by children when encountering anything new
are visual, auditory and kinaesthetic. When learning a language, children begin with words that
represent concepts. To ensure a multisensory experience these concepts should be
represented by visuals, by the spoken word or a sound (e.g. a dog barking) and by a movement
that symbolises the concept. As such, children can use their visual, auditory and kinaesthetic
senses to help them learn English.

A. Visual

Children need to be able to see what it is they are learning, and this can be a visual
representation of the word using a flashcard, or realia (the object itself or a toy representation
of the object). Some topics are easier to represent as visuals, e.g. colours, the weather, jobs,
wild animals. Others are more fun when they are the real things, e.g. fruits, clothes, toys.
Flashcards provide a good visual support but also enable associated games and game-like
activities and so it’s always useful to make a set of flashcards even if you use realia.

B. Auditory

Children need to hear the words and expressions they are learning.These words and
expressions can be heard in natural speech, during classroom instructions and routines, in
songs and rhymes and in stories.

Repetition is very important so activities that play with language are also useful, e.g. imitating
an echo (going from loud to quiet), using different voices (a loud voice, a quiet voice, or a happy
voice). The more children hear words and expressions, the more likely they will be to pick them
up and use them.

C. Kinaesthetic

Children learn best when actively involved and so by simply associating an action to a new word
or expression enables children to be involved, e.g. waving when saying ‘Hello’. You can suggest
an action or ask the children to come up with one.Signing or using a movement can become a
bridge to English, as a child can make the movement before speaking in English. This helps
dissipate frustration or fear and gives children confidence to have a go.

D. Using flashcards

Flashcards are a teacher’s best friend:
 they provide a visual support for the child to see a concept
 they can be used for games and game-like activities
 they become a resource for the English learning area
 they are easy to make.

Making your own?
 Collect a set of images (self-drawn or available online) related to a topic.
 Keep a digital version on your computer.
 Make sure the images are good quality when enlarged to around 15 X 20 cm.
 Print out the images.
 Make them durable and long-lasting:
 cut them out and stick them on card
 laminate, cover in sticky-backed plastic or place them in transparent sleeves.

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