Joanna Grace explains how sensory stories can boost learning and communication skills for all students, not just those with special educational needs.
 | |
| Using sensory stimuli – such as touch – can enhance students' learning experiences. Photograph: Alamy |
I first encountered sensory stories when I was a teacher at a school for
students with profound and multiple learning disabilities (PMLD). They
are stories told through a combination of text and sensory stimuli. For
example, a drop of water can be trickled down a student's face to give
meaning to a piece of text that talks about someone crying.
Sensory stories give individuals with PMLD, who do not necessarily communicate with language, the opportunity to share in the journey of a story by appealing to senses beyond language alone. As professionals, we can also observe their reactions to build a picture of their sensory preferences, which can be used to personalise their care. For example, through telling sensory stories I can learn that a friend with PMLD prefers the smell of lemons to roses. Then when I am shopping for their shower gel, I can choose a citrus scented one instead of a floral one. This might seem like a small thing in my life, but if you are someone who experiences the world in a purely sensory way, having a shower is a big experience and being able to wash in the fragrances you most enjoy enriches your life in a meaningful way.
Individuals with PMLD can also feel vulnerable in unfamiliar circumstances as the new sensory experiences are alarming for them. But through using sensory stories, you can share a range of sensory experiences with an individual with PMLD in a place where they feel safe. As you build up the range of experiences that they are able to engage with, their confidence increases.
So here is a whistle-stop tour of what sensory stories can offer to a range of learners:
Sensory stories give individuals with PMLD, who do not necessarily communicate with language, the opportunity to share in the journey of a story by appealing to senses beyond language alone. As professionals, we can also observe their reactions to build a picture of their sensory preferences, which can be used to personalise their care. For example, through telling sensory stories I can learn that a friend with PMLD prefers the smell of lemons to roses. Then when I am shopping for their shower gel, I can choose a citrus scented one instead of a floral one. This might seem like a small thing in my life, but if you are someone who experiences the world in a purely sensory way, having a shower is a big experience and being able to wash in the fragrances you most enjoy enriches your life in a meaningful way.
Individuals with PMLD can also feel vulnerable in unfamiliar circumstances as the new sensory experiences are alarming for them. But through using sensory stories, you can share a range of sensory experiences with an individual with PMLD in a place where they feel safe. As you build up the range of experiences that they are able to engage with, their confidence increases.
So here is a whistle-stop tour of what sensory stories can offer to a range of learners:
Individuals with sensory processing disorder (SPD)
If you have SPD you will experience sensory stimuli either too strongly, too weakly, or in a confused manner. SPD occurs alongside many conditions, for example, Autism and Tourettes. It's beginning to be recognised as a condition in itself; you've probably met the child who needs to fiddle with everything and the one who needs teaching to be all whiz-pop, flashes and bangs before they even register it's happening.
Sensory stories offer the opportunity to practise interacting with stimuli in the safety of a story. Research has shown that stories hold a special power over us; within a story we are braver and can face topics that in real life we find overwhelming. A child who needs practice at interacting with sensory stimuli may feel more able to do so within the context of a story, and by repeating the story you build security. You can grade stimuli and increase the challenge when you revisit the tale. For example, if a child finds a sticky-touch experience challenging, you can begin with touching water, then gradually make the substance stickier each time you tell the story.
Individuals with special educational needs (Sen)
Sensory stimulation is a vital part of our cognitive development, not just a useful aspect. The more of our senses we use when we learn, quite literally the more of our brain gets involved in our learning, giving us better odds of understanding and remembering. In sensory stories, meaning is conveyed through language and sensory stimuli so if you are someone who struggles with spoken communication the stimuli will offer extra support to your understanding.
Nursery schools
Sensory stories give the opportunity to build turn-taking skills, facilitate re-telling of popular stories, practise using language in an imaginative context, verbalise and more. The verbalising one is interesting: if you struggle to speak clearly, for whatever reason – for example, a stutter – you need lots of practice enunciating. Someone who struggles to speak can become embarrassed about it and then stop practising. For example, if when I say "bright light" it comes out as "ite, ite" I'll worry that I won't be understood. But if as I say "Ite, ite" I'm turning on a bright light, that will reassure me that people will understand me. And it's fun, so I'll want to have a try.
Primary schools
Sensory stories can be used to add an extra dimension to creative writing and to stimulate the use of exciting vocabulary. Ask your class to describe the experiences they have with a sensory story: who can come up with the best word to describe that sticky touch or creaking sound? Ask them to think of their own story, and then draw a map of it, showing all the things that could be tasted, touched, smelt, heard and seen within the story. Then ask them to write that story, you'll get a piece of creative writing rich in sensory description.
Secondary schools
Challenge students to condense a story they know into 10 sentences. This is a great piece of work, especially if you start with the experience of a sensory story, because students think they don't have much to do – it's only 10 sentences – but the comprehension skills involved are massive.
Asking students to undertake this task will force them into making decisions about the story – for example, key events and characters – and teach them revision skills. If they can condense a large chunk of knowledge into just 10 sentences – and better yet pair those sentences with rich sensory stimuli to aid their memory – then when they walk into the exam they can write down those 10 sentences and expand the rest of their knowledge from there.
This is the briefest of tours. If you're curious to find out more click here.
