William Martínez, Jr. California Polytechnic State University

1. “Multi-sensory language acquisition techniques: Technology and the teaching of writing, literature and culture.” William Martínez, Jr. California Polytechnic State University

2. What is Multi-Sensorial Teaching? • Based on the Bimodal Learning Model • Neurological Bimodality Definition:“The notion that both hemispheres of the brain are involved in a complementary fashion in global language processing.” • Marcel Danesi “Neurological Bimodality,” 18

3. What is Multi-Sensorial Teaching? (continued) • It attempts to stimulate both sides of the brain at the same time • Left hemisphere: • Phonological, Morphological, etc. (grammar) • Link syntactic and semantic elements (style, tone, etc.) • Implication of sentence (What does it mean?) • Controls motor functions of speech

4. What is Multi-Sensorial Teaching? (continued) • Right Hemisphere: • Determines the sense of the sentence (question, statement, command, etc.) • Handles figurative meaning (metaphor, simile, etc) • Understands humor and double meaning • Processes most of the everyday occurrances

5. How does it work? • It gives students more than one stimuli at any one time • It uses technology (in all its forms) as a way to lower affective filters • It provides both text and context at the same time • It increases the motivation of the students • It helps giving students more context

6. Danesi’s ideas • Use a “Vichian” Model • Go from concrete to abstract • Use metaphor • Apply mental imagery • Help students visualize language • Use TPR and Gestures • Make use of music

7. Danesi and Writing • It is mostly a first year-type methodology • It emphasizes oral communication • By using metaphor it could be used for writing, but Danesi does not indicate how.

8. My adaptations • Stimulate students by using props • Give them specific target writing assignments • Motivate through technology • High and low technology items • Incorporate cultural components in writing • Integrate several technologies in a particular assignment.

9. Multi-Sensory Writing • Focus on the domains of writing • Sensory/descriptive • Imaginative/narrative • Practical informative • Analytic/expository

10. Sensory/ Descriptive writing • Gather information through 5 senses • Focus on details • Use of observation in all forms • Choose descriptive words

11. Imaginary/ narrative • Literature in the real world • Sequence of events • Plot, characterization, • Action as a sensory activity • Connect to real lives

12. Practical/ Informative • Writing that focuses on culture • Deal with facts • Reporting and providing clear information

13. Analytic/ expository • The power to persuade • Focus on relationships of things • Attaches symbolic significance • How specific parts work to combine into an understandable whole • Go beyond what is present to what is possible

14. Advantages • Students are more involved in writing • Students feel that writing makes sense • Students see marked improvement in all critical thinking skills • Students use L2 in real life situations • Students realize that L2 is a living, evolving language

15. Disadvantages • It takes a great deal of energy • Must be willing to drop everything at a moment’s notice--Not for the faint of heart! • Need a lot of imagination • It is difficult to get use to • Testing can be difficult at times