Better MultiSensory Learning

The Better MutliSensory Learning Service that is based on the Orton-Gillingham learning style has been successful in teaching individuals with Learning Disorders, Dyslexia and for individuals who find reading, writing and spelling difficult to master. The goal is to help struggling readers become confident, focused and independent by using a teaching method which integrates the brain’s visual, auditory and kinaesthetic neural networks. This is to stimulate and enhance memory uptake and thus improve the learning ability of the individual (IDA, 2002b). This intervention involves the delivery of systematic, explicit and direct literacy instruction of phonology – the study of word structures governing the English language – and is supported by integrating the body’s senses in the acquisition and maintenance of skills involved in reading, writing, spelling and comprehension.

The multisensory teaching process requires a systematic and cumulative process of language instruction that follows the logical order of language. The concepts taught must be systematically reviewed to strengthen long term memory. Feedback is also continuously given to the student in a timely manner to reinforce the content being taught.

The teaching strategies are flexible and individualised. The teaching plan is based on continuous assessment of the individual’s abilities, strengths and weaknesses. The teacher needs to ensure that the content presented is mastered, step by step, before the student progresses to more complex concepts. The program is continuously reviewed to ascertain mastery.

All aspects of the English language are addressed simultaneously, including sounds (phonemes), symbols (graphemes), meaningful word parts (morphemes), word and phrase meanings (semantics), sentences (syntax), longer passages (discourse), and the social use of language (pragmatics). These elements are constantly being reinforced and taught progressively in a systematic and cumulative manner. The process is fluid and driven by the student’s strengths and weaknesses, with instructions and interventions being constantly examined and evaluated.