The idea of the Sensorial Learning Toolkit is to provide elementary students with tools designed to be used and incorporated into online school classes. Guided by teacher instruction, the students interact with unique and purposefully designed objects during class in order to show participation, attentiveness, and engagement. The objects are designed with sensorial qualities such as colors coordination, shapes, lights, movement, shapes, and built-in lights in order to stimulate the child’s senses other than just sight and sound. It’s a playful and simple way for students and teachers to interact more naturally while socially distanced and provide a more clear structure to online learning.
A major difference between online and in-person learning is that virtual education lacks the same stimulating atmosphere that aids in memory retention. Experiential learning encompasses sight, smell, touch, hearing, and taste, as well as talking and feeling, which embed learning in the long-term memory portion of the brain. Not only does the child stay constantly stimulated by using this toolkit, the teacher feels assured that the students are following along and paying attention.
Some potential scenarios for teachers to utilize this toolkit during classes include having the children blink a light for every syllable in a provided word, show a particular shape if they understand the homework, hold up a red ball if they have a question, shake a noise-maker to applaud another student, etc. The kit will come with suggestions on helpful uses as well as let the teacher freely choose to use them however they see fit.
As far as early development goes, this is an affordable solution for any and all students who have trouble focusing in a home learning space. It can be easily distributed to all students to allow them all to feel like they are on the same page, regardless of access to technology. Toolkits would be picked up at a central location (or mailed to the students’ homes) and then later utilized during live lessons. With further design consideration about the physical qualities about the objects themselves, secondary research has shown the value of such a concept.
