Elements of a Kinestema

 A kinestema in the LEK method or Kinestem Program consists of two fundamental parts:

1. Multisensory Information Set

This part of the kinestema is a complete representation of a phoneme that includes:

• The sum of all sensations and mental representations associated with the emission of a specific speech sound.
• Information from multiple senses:
  - Auditory: how the phoneme sounds
  - Visual: how the mouth looks when pronouncing it
  - Kinesthetic: what movements are made to produce it
  - Proprioceptive: how the speech organs feel when forming it
  - Tactile: what tactile sensations are experienced

Important characteristics:

• Goes beyond a simple gesture
• Encompasses all perceptions and sensations involved in sound production
• Allows the learner to mentally manipulate phonemes, facilitating metaphonological awareness practice

2. The Connector

The connector is the element that links the multisensory information with a specific letter:

• It is associated with a body part where the student feels the sensory information
• This body part "draws" the shape of the letter
• Transforms the letter from an abstract symbol to an icon representing concrete sensations for the student

Key benefit:

• The letter becomes an icon with a lower degree of abstraction, which significantly facilitates its reading and comprehension.
• The use of kinestemas makes learning to read more accessible and fun for children. Instead of seeing letters as abstract symbols, they associate them with concrete sensory experiences.

Note: Kinestema(tm) is marketed in the USA as the KINESTEMA PROGRAM and in Spain as the LEK method (Lectura y Escritura por Kinestemas(tm)).

 Over 2,000 Visitors in the Last 30 Days!

We're thrilled to announce that our blog has reached a major milestone: over 2,000 people from around the world have visited our site in the past 30 days! This is a testament to the hard work we put into creating high-quality, informative content that resonates with our readers.

As you can see from the graph, we've had a steady stream of visitors from both the United States and Spain. It's amazing to see how our content is reaching people from different cultures and backgrounds. We're so grateful for your support and for taking the time to read our blog posts.

What does this mean for you?

More great content: We're committed to providing you with valuable and engaging content that you'll love.

A growing community: Join our community of readers and connect with like-minded individuals.

Opportunities to learn: Discover new things and expand your knowledge.

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We're excited to see what the future holds!

Keywords: blog, visitors, international audience, USA, Spain, growth, community, content, thank you

Kinestema 2025: A Dynamic New Approach to Early Childhood Education

Discover what's new in the 2025 Edition:

Get ready to revolutionize your early childhood classroom! The all-new 2025 edition of Kinestema is here, and it's packed with exciting updates designed to make learning more engaging and effective for every child.

Whether you're teaching Pre-K, Kindergarten, or first grade, or working with students who have special needs, Kinestema 2025 offers a comprehensive and adaptable solution.

Updated kinestemas: Our iconic kinestemas have been refreshed with new designs and movements to spark curiosity and promote physical development.

Enhanced connectors: Strengthen connections between concepts with our improved connectors, fostering a deeper understanding of the material.

Redesigned font: Our easy-to-read font ensures optimal visual comfort and supports emerging readers.

More exercises: A variety of engaging exercises promote active learning and cater to different learning styles.

Improved design: The overall design has been streamlined for better readability and a more enjoyable learning experience.

Why Kinestema 2025 is a game-changer:

Inclusive design: Our materials are now even more inclusive, providing support for students with diverse needs.

Adaptable to individual needs: Kinestema can be customized to meet the unique requirements of each child, ensuring that every learner can succeed.

Engaging and effective: Our dynamic approach to learning keeps students motivated and promotes long-lasting learning.

Ready to experience the future of early childhood education?

Keywords: Kinestema, early childhood education, special needs, inclusive education, Pre-K, Kindergarten, first grade, updated, enhanced, redesigned, dynamic learning, engaging, effective

 

OPAQUE AND TRANSPARENT LANGUAGES

 

Transparent and opaque languages are concepts used in linguistics to describe the relationship between orthography (the written form) and pronunciation (the spoken form) of words in a given language.

A transparent language is one in which the pronunciation of words can be easily determined from their spelling. In other words, the relationship between letters and sounds is fairly predictable and consistent. For example, in Spanish, in general, each letter represents a specific sound and is pronounced consistently.

On the other hand, an opaque language is one in which the pronunciation of words cannot be easily deduced from their spelling. This can be due to a variety of historical factors, such as changes in pronunciation over time, influence from other languages, or specific features of the language's phonology. In these languages, pronunciation rules may be more complex and less predictable.

It is important to note that there is no strict division between completely transparent and opaque languages. Most languages have elements of both. Some words in an opaque language may follow clear and consistent patterns, while in a transparent language there may be exceptions and words with irregular pronunciations.

Grapheme-phoneme transparency in reading

Grapheme-phoneme transparency is the relationship between the written form of a word (grapheme) and its pronunciation (phoneme). In a transparent writing system, the relationship between grapheme and phoneme is direct and consistent. This means that, in general, each grapheme represents a single phoneme, and each phoneme is represented by a single grapheme. 

Differences between English and Spanish

English and Spanish are two writing systems with different degrees of grapheme-phoneme transparency. English is a relatively opaque writing system, while Spanish is a relatively transparent writing system.

In English, the correspondence between grapheme and phoneme is less direct and consistent than in Spanish. This is due to the fact that English has a complex pronunciation system with many exceptions to general rules. For example, the grapheme "ough" can represent different phonemes in words such as "tough", "though", and "through". (Gough & Tunmer, 1986)

In Spanish, the correspondence between grapheme and phoneme is more direct and consistent than in English. This is because Spanish has a more regular pronunciation system. For example, the grapheme "a" always represents the phoneme /a/, regardless of the position of the letter in the word. (Alegría, 2006)

Explanation of the differences

The differences in grapheme-phoneme transparency between English and Spanish can have a significant impact on the learning of reading in these two languages. In English, students must learn to recognize and apply a series of complex pronunciation rules. This can make it difficult for students who are not native speakers of the language to learn to read.

In Spanish, students have a more solid foundation for learning to read. The correspondence between grapheme and phoneme is more direct and consistent, which makes it easier to recognize words. This can help students learn to read faster and more efficiently. (Alegría, 2006)

Grapheme-phoneme transparency is an important factor that affects the learning of reading. Writing systems with high grapheme-phoneme transparency make it easier for students to learn to read.

Castles et al. (2003) studied children ages 6 to 7 from Scandinavia and the U.S./Australia. The children were tested on their oral language skills and reading and writing in their respective languages. Children with reading and spelling difficulties were defined as those in the bottom 20% of their age group in reading and/or writing.

The study found that children with reading and spelling difficulties had lower phonological knowledge and phonological awareness than children without reading and spelling difficulties. However, the differences between the two groups were larger in English and Australian (opaque) orthographies than in Scandinavian (transparent) orthographies.

 This suggests that phonological knowledge and awareness are more important for predicting reading and spelling difficulties in opaque orthographies, which are more complex and have fewer grapheme-phoneme correspondences.

Sánchez-López et al. (2009) reviewed the literature on phonemic awareness and reading acquisition in Spanish. The authors concluded that phonemic awareness is an important factor in reading acquisition in Spanish, but that its importance is less than in English.

A study conducted at the University of California, Berkeley (Goldenberg et al. 2014) examined the relationship between phonemic awareness and Spanish reading acquisition in three groups of Spanish-speaking children: children in Mexico who received Spanish reading instruction, and children in the United States who received Spanish or English reading instruction. Children were assessed on their oral language and Spanish reading skills at the beginning and end of first and second grade.

Children in Mexico had the lowest phonemic awareness of the three groups and very low reading skills at the beginning of first grade. However, by the end of second grade, they had matched or exceeded the reading skills of U.S. students, despite maintaining lower phonemic awareness.

The study findings called into question whether teaching phonemic awareness is beneficial for children learning to read in Spanish. The authors suggested that Spanish reading instruction should focus on developing basic phonological knowledge and teaching grapheme-phoneme correspondences. However, they also suggested that teachers should be aware that phonemic awareness may not have been the most important factor for Spanish reading success.

Based on the studies presented, we can conclude that phonemic awareness is a relevant predictor of reading in Spanish, although it is not as important as in English for student literacy. It is essential that Spanish reading programs use phonemic awareness exercises in a balanced way, to help students acquire reading more fluently and without excessive effort.

_______________

Alegría, J. (2006). La lectura en la primera infancia: Un enfoque psicolingüístico. Madrid: Síntesis.

Castles, A., Coltheart, M., Davis, C., & Martin, M. (2003). Predicting reading and spelling difficulties in children from different orthographies. Child Development, 74(4), 1140-1157. https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-8624.00582

Goldenberg, C., Tolar, T. D., Reese, L., Francis, D. J., Bazán, A. R., & Mejía-Arauz, R. (2014). How important is teaching phonemic awareness to children learning to read in Spanish? American Educational Research Journal, 51(3), 604-633. https://doi.org/10.3102/0002831214529082

Gough, P. B., & Tunmer, W. E. (1986). Decoding, reading, and reading disability. RASE: Remedial & Special Education, 7(1), 6–101

Sánchez-López, M., Pérez-Pereira, M., & Cuetos, F. (2009). The role of phonemic awareness in the acquisition of reading in Spanish: A literature review. International Journal of Psychology and Education, 2(1), 67-82. doi: 10.1016/j.ijpe.2009.05.001

 

MULTISENSORY LEARNING

 

The Kinestema Program by Andrés Marín is based on a multisensory approach that utilizes different senses to facilitate student learning. Research findings demonstrate that multisensory strategies are effective in improving learning, particularly in the realm of literacy. The studies analyzed in this section support the hypothesis that multisensory learning is more effective than unisensory or bisensory learning.

The research of Slavin and Cheung (2003) together with the meta-analysis of Claessens and Harlaar (2008), support the view of Shams and Seitz (2008) on the efficacy of multisensory versus unisensory or bisensory learning. All of them found that multisensory instruction significantly improved the reading skills of students with learning difficulties.

Shams and Seitz argue that multisensory learning is more beneficial because it is more similar to how we experience the world and activates the brain’s multisensory learning mechanisms. According to these authors, training protocols that utilize unisensory stimuli may not be optimal for learning. Instead, they contend that training protocols incorporating multisensory stimuli can better replicate natural environments and are more effective for learning.

Kuo and Anderson (2010) examined the impact of multisensory instruction on learning the meanings of words. They found that multisensory instruction significantly improved students' ability to learn and remember new words, concluding that it is an effective strategy for enhancing word learning. On the other hand, DeClercq et al. (2011) conducted a meta-analysis of 16 studies that assessed the impact of multisensory instruction on reading skills in children with dyslexia. The authors found that multisensory instruction significantly improved reading abilities in children with dyslexia, compared to those who received unisensory or bisensory instruction. Overall, they concluded that multisensory instruction is an effective strategy for improving reading skills in children with dyslexia.

To highlight the idea, Syahputri (2018) designed an experimental study with seventh-grade and second-year high school students in Indonesia and found that the multisensory teaching method had a significant positive effect on students' reading achievement. The multisensory teaching method accounted for 82% of the change in students' reading achievement, while the remaining 18% was influenced by other factors. The pretest and posttest results showed that students who received the multisensory teaching method performed better on reading comprehension tests than students who received traditional instruction.

To conclude, I would like to cite a literature review by Gómez and López (2020) where they explored how multisensory teaching can optimize literacy learning. The authors examined various studies and found that multisensory teaching improved reading comprehension, spelling, and handwriting. Additionally, the authors concluded that students who received multisensory instruction also improved their ability to identify and manipulate language sounds. Overall, they concluded that multisensory teaching is an effective strategy for literacy learning.

 

 References

 

Claessens, A., & Harlaar, N. (2008). The effects of multisensory instruction on the reading comprehension of children with learning disabilities: A meta-analysis. Journal of Learning Disabilities, 41(2), 143-161.

DeClercq, N., Van Keer, H., & Desoete, A. (2011). The effects of multisensory instruction on the reading skills of children with dyslexia: A meta-analysis. Dyslexia, 17(4), 331-344.

Gómez, A., & López, M. (2020). La enseñanza multisensorial en el aprendizaje de la lectoescritura: una revisión de la literatura. Aula de Innovación Educativa, 247, 60-65.

Kuo, L.-J., & Anderson, R. C. (2010). The effect of multisensory instruction on the learning of word meanings. Reading Research Quarterly, 45(2), 389-404. https://doi.org/10.1002/rrq.67

Shams L, Seitz AR. Benefits of multisensory learning. Trends Cogn Sci. 2008 Nov;12(11):411-7. doi: 10.1016/j.tics.2008.07.006. PMID: 18805039.  

Slavin, R. E., & Cheung, A. (2003). Effective reading instruction for students with learning disabilities: A best-evidence synthesis. Review of Educational Research, 73(1), 447-484.

Syahputri, D. (2018). The Effect of Multisensory Teaching Method on The Students' Reading Achievement. International Journal of Scientific and Research Publications, 8(11), 1-4.

El desarrollo de la escritura alfabética

 

El primer sistema de escritura alfabético se desarrolló en Fenicia (1) alrededor del siglo X a.C. (DeFrancis, 1989). El alfabeto fenicio tenía solo 22 letras, cada una de las cuales representaba un sonido (Olson, 1994). Esto hizo que el alfabeto fenicio fuera mucho más fácil de aprender que los sistemas de escritura anteriores, que a menudo usaban cientos o incluso miles de símbolos. Se cree que el alfabeto fenicio se inspiró en el sistema de escritura egipcio, ya que los fenicios eran un pueblo de comerciantes que viajaban por todo el Mediterráneo, y habrían estado expuestos al sistema de escritura egipcio en sus viajes. Es factible que los fenicios simplificaran el sistema de escritura egipcio para hacerlo más fácil de aprender y utilizar.

Alfabeto fenicio (De Luca)

El alfabeto fenicio fue adoptado por los griegos, quienes agregaron cinco letras para representar sonidos que no existían en el idioma fenicio (/φ/, /χ/, /ψ/, /ω/ y /ξ/). Esta adaptación del alfabeto fenicio resultó crucial en el desarrollo de la escritura y la comunicación en la antigua Grecia.

La inclusión de estas nuevas letras permitió a los griegos expresar una gama más amplia de sonidos y palabras en su idioma (Albright, 2004). En particular, estas adiciones fueron especialmente relevantes para el desarrollo de la filosofía y la literatura griega, al facilitar la transmisión de ideas complejas y destacadas (Cohen, 2000).

Además, las letras añadidas al alfabeto griego también influirían en otros sistemas de escritura, como el latino y el cirílico, que son utilizados ampliamente hoy en día. Mediante la introducción de nuevas letras para representar sonidos específicos, los griegos sentaron las bases para la alfabetización y el intercambio de conocimientos en sociedades posteriores: habían creado el principio alfabético, una letra para cada sonido y un sonido para cada letra.

Cuando se sigue la evolución del alfabeto griego al latino, llama la atención que las grafías no sean iguales. Esto se debe a que la adopción del sistema alfabético griego por parte de los romanos no fue directa, sino que se introdujo a través del alfabeto etrusco (Wachter, 2001). Etruria se encontraba situada al norte de Roma y fue integrada gradualmente en el imperio durante el siglo IV a. C. El alfabeto etrusco no era una copia exacta del alfabeto griego, ya que los etruscos habían modificado algunas letras (Daniels, 1996), aunque tanto en fenicio, griego, etrusco y latín la letra A se escribía prácticamente igual. Otra razón es que los alfabetos griego y latino fueron evolucionando, y la forma de las letras ha cambiado con el tiempo. Por ejemplo, la letra griega "phi" se escribía originalmente de una manera diferente a la forma en que se escribe hoy en día (Naveh,2005).

De todos modos, la conversión del abecedario de origen griego al romano implicó la adición de tres nuevas letras para adaptarse a la fonología de su idioma (Cohen, 2000). Estas letras adicionales fueron "Y" (ipsilon en griego), "Z" (zeta en griego) y "W" (omega en griego), y se sumaron a las 23 letras originales del alfabeto griego.

Su uso por parte del Imperio Romano y su posterior difusión han dejado un impacto duradero en la cultura y la comunicación escrita (Albright, 2004). El desarrollo del alfabeto fue una innovación importante en la historia de la comunicación; hizo que la lectura y la escritura fueran más fáciles de aprender, lo que condujo a un aumento en la alfabetización en todo el mundo (Daniels, 1996; Naveh, 2005).

El alfabeto romano sigue siendo utilizado en la actualidad en muchas lenguas (Albright, 2004). El desarrollo del alfabeto ha tenido un impacto profundo en la historia de la humanidad. Ha permitido que la información se comparta y conserve de una manera más eficiente, lo que ha contribuido al progreso científico, cultural y tecnológico.

NEW TOOLS TO DIAGNOSE DYSLEXIA

Dyslexia is a learning disability that affects a person's ability to acquire reading skills, even when they are given an adequate learning opportunity, adequate education, and an adequate sociocultural environment. Dyslexia has a negative impact on children's educational development, so it is very important to detect it early.

 What is a neural network?

 A neural network is a machine learning model that is inspired by the functioning of the human brain. It is composed of a set of interconnected nodes. Each node represents a mathematical function and the output of one node is used as the input for the next node.

 What is a convolutional neural network?

 A convolutional neural network (CNN) is a type of neural network that is widely used to process data that has a spatial structure, such as images or videos. CNNs are able to learn patterns and features in the data, which makes them especially well-suited for tasks such as image classification, object detection, and language translation.

 Why are 1D CNNs useful?

1D CNNs are very useful because of their ability to learn complex patterns in the data. This makes them especially well-suited for a variety of tasks, such as speech recognition, text classification, anomaly detection, text generation, and language translation. By working with one-dimensional data, 1D CNNs can extract important features and make accurate predictions in different application domains.

What is an electrooculography?

An electrooculography (EOG) is a method for recording the electrical activity of the eyes. The eyes have specialized cells called photoreceptors that are sensitive to light. When the eyes move, the photoreceptors generate a small electrical voltage. This voltage can be measured by an EOG.

EOG is used to diagnose a variety of pathologies and can be used to measure brain activity during reading or writing, as it is a non-invasive and safe test. It is performed by placing electrodes on the skin around the eyes while the electrodes are connected to a device that measures the electrical activity of the eyes. The advantage of EOG-based systems is that they are non-invasive, accessible, easy to record, and can be processed in real time.

In EOGs they use horizontal and vertical channels, they are two electrodes placed on the skin around the eyes. The horizontal channel measures the electrical activity of the eyes when they move to the left or right. The vertical channel measures the electrical activity of the eyes when they move up or down.

Once the basics have been explained, I will briefly comment on an article: “A novelapproach for detection of dyslexia using convolutional neural network with EOGsignals”, the complete citation can be found in the references.

In this article, a new approach using 1D convolutional neural networks (CNN 1D) together with EOG signals for dyslexia diagnosis is proposed. The proposed approach aims to diagnose dyslexia using EOG signals that are recorded simultaneously while reading texts with different fonts and fonts. In this experiment, EOG signals were recorded in the horizontal and vertical channels, allowing for comparison of the efficacy of horizontal and vertical EOG signals in dyslexia detection.

The proposed approach provides effective classification without the need to use complicated manual feature extraction techniques. The method proposed a classification with an accuracy of 98.70% and 80.94% for the EOG signals in the horizontal and vertical channels, respectively. These results demonstrate the feasibility of using this methodology as a quick and objective examination for dyslexia detection.

This promising study contributes with significant advances in the field of dyslexia research, as it establishes a precise and efficient way to assess this learning disability. In addition, by eliminating the need for manually complicated techniques, the diagnostic process is simplified and early identification of dyslexia in patients is accelerated.

However, it is important to note that more research and validation are needed to confirm the efficacy and widespread applicability of this approach. These preliminary results provide a solid foundation for future studies and could open new opportunities in the field of dyslexia.

TO LEARN MORE

Abu-Elhanna, A., & Abu-Bader, S. (2019). A novel 1D CNN approach using EOG signals for dyslexia diagnosis. Journal of Medical Systems, 43(1), 1-10.

Badre, S., & Abu-Bader, S. (2019). The effect of dyslexia on visual attention. Journal of Ophthalmology, 2019, 1-9.

De Stefano, C., & Facoetti, A. (2018). Eye movements in dyslexia: A review. Dyslexia, 24(1), 1-18.

Fletcher, J. M., Lyon, G. R., Fuchs, L. S., Barnes, M. L., & Stuebing, K. K. (2004). Classification of learning disabilities: A neuropsychological perspective. Learning Disabilities Research and Practice, 19(4), 188-203.

Graves, A., Jaitly, N., Mohamed, A. R., & Hinton, G. E. (2013). Speech recognition with deep recurrent neural networks. In Proceedings of the 29th International Conference on Machine Learning (ICML) (pp. 2661-2669).

Hochreiter, S., & Schmidhuber, J. (1997). Long short-term memory. Neural Computation, 9(8), 1735-1780.

Hoover, W. A., & Gough, P. B. (1990). The simple view of reading. Reading Research Quarterly, 25(1), 125-132.

Ileri, R., Latifoğlu, F. & Demirci, E. A novel approach for detection of dyslexia using convolutional neural network with EOG signals. Med Biol Eng Comput 60, 3041–3055 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11517-022-02656-3

James, C., & Chen, Y. (2018). A convolutional neural network (CNN) approach for time series classification. IEEE Transactions on Knowledge and Data Engineering, 30(3), 569-582.

LeCun, Y., Bottou, L., Bengio, Y., & Haffner, P. (1998). Gradient-based learning applied to document recognition. In Proceedings of the 25th Annual International ACM SIGIR Conference on Research and Development in Information Retrieval (pp. 22-30).

Lyon, G. R., Fuchs, L. S., & Chhabra, S. (2001). Reading development, reading difficulties, and reading instruction. In N. J. Smelser & P. B. Baltes (Eds.), International encyclopedia of the social and behavioral sciences (Vol. 19, pp. 13250-13255). Amsterdam, Netherlands: Elsevier.

Mikolov, T., Sutskever, I., Chen, K., Corrado, G. S., & Dean, J. (2010). Distributed representations of words and phrases and their compositionality. In Advances in neural information processing systems (pp. 3111-3119).