A Clinical Method in Classroom Success: Kinesthetic Teaching

Reading theorists often recommend that the kinesthetic approach to word recognition be taught to students who have difficulty learning to read through visual and auditory methods. Unfortunately, its use has been almost exclusively limited to clinics and special education settings. It is seldom used by classroom teachers. While few teachers have time for one-to-one instruction, they can implement the technique by teaching it to aides, tutors, and parent volunteers. The method outlined by Grace Fernald is of particular value to the layman (See Remedial techniques in basic school subjects New York: McGraw-Hill, 1943.). It requires no professional knowledge of phonics, instructional materials, or audiovisual equipment. The necessary materials can be found in any classroom. In its simplest form, the Fernald method involves: (1) eliciting a word from the student; (2) writing the word on a slip of paper; (3) showing the student how to trace the word with a finger while he or she simultaneously pronounces it aloud; and (4) testing the student by having him or her write the word from memory. The use of a variety of ancillary activities provides motivation and increases the probability of both immediate and permanent gains in reading achievement. AA