Multi-Sensory and Whole Brain Learning

[Timothy Gangwer]

Learning Styles

Children are visual, physical and auditory beings.
They learn best when learning involves their senses.
The more senses involved, the better the learning.

Educators and learning theorists have indentified three different learning modalities; visual, kinesthetic and auditory learning. While children use a combination of these learning styles, they tend to favor one over others, resulting in visual, kinesthetic and auditory learners.

Left and Right Brain Thinking

Brain researchers have identified unique traits that coincide with left and right brain learners. Left brain learners are logical, linear thinkers and tend to have strong auditory and language skills. Right brain learners are visual spatial thinkers, who learn holistically and think conceptually. While all thinking requires the left and right brain working together, children and adults tend to favor one style of thinking, resulting in auditory-sequential and visual-spatial thinkers.

Our education systems tend to favor left brain, auditory-sequential thinkers. Memorization, repetitive drills and test taking are all processes that work well with left brain, auditory learners. Yet research shows that 80% of children are primarily visual- spatial and tactile learners. These learners need to see, touch and do in order to learn effectively.

Young Rembrandts and the Visual-Spatial Learner

Art is a subject matter that has special significance to these learners, not because they will grow up to be professional artists, but because it is a visual, tactile medium that meets children in their learning need. Young Rembrandts brings even more value to the visual tactile learner, by being intentional about using art to develop additional learning capabilities that are essential to all young children.

Young Rembrandts' teaches a creative, right brain activity using a left brain sequential methodology. Engaging both sides of the brain in learning activities means all children can participate successfully. Using left and right brain strategies while teaching also helps growing children develop both sides of their brain, at a critical time in their development, resulting in whole brain learning.

Critical Cognitive Skills

Most importantly are the cognitive benefits that Young Rembrandts has on a child's brain. Art education is essential to the development of abstract thinking in children. Art teaches children the value of creativity and diversity of outcome in a way few other disciplines can. Rooted in Montessori education methodologies, Young Rembrandts uses engaging activity to help children develop focus, order, internal discipline and sequencing abilities. The Young Rembrandts Method and unique curriculum are intentionally designed to develop critical cognitive skills. The ability to think abstractly and perform at deeper cognitive levels is essential to a child's future learning in the advanced levels of math and science.

With Young Rembrandts, children gain the following skills:

• Fine motor skills (handwriting)
• Attention to detail and focus
• Process, order and completion
• Visual discrimination
• Time on task
• Visual-spatial organization skills
• Sequencing
• Expanded image vocabulary
• Persistence and follow through
• Patience, discipline and manners
• Increased self esteem and confidence

Whole Brain Learning

Modern brain research shows educators and parents what constitutes the best education for developing children. It is already clear that an education which is rich in variety, visual stimuli, cognitive development, positive reinforcement and creative thinking can help children grow brains better able to face the challenges of future learning. The Young Rembrandts Method and curriculum offer this form of brain-based learning that is crucial to the complete education and full development of modern minds.