Grace Maxwell Fernald was an early psychologist who was
involved in educational psychology at UCLA. She is best known for
developing the Fernald Technique for reading.
Fernald's research focused on developments in learning
techniques. Building on the earlier work of Seguin and Montessori,
Fernald developed a kinaesthetic approach to teaching reading. This
method, sometimes called the "Fernald Technique," involves teaching
students to read whole words rather than sounding out the
individual syllables.
Fernald was a special educator who worked with struggling
learners. She pioneered a new, multisensory approach to teaching
spelling called the VAKT technique, which stands for
visual-auditory-kinesthetic-tactile. It presents new words to
students through all their senses, making it easier for them to
understand and remember. Fernald's approach requires individual
attention, but it is effective in improving spelling and reading,
and it helps struggling learners to keep up with their
classmates.
The Embossed Fernald Technique was developed by Grace Fernald
to develop a sight vocabulary and improve spelling through the use
of seeing, hearing, and feeling words simultaneously. This
technique is recommended for second grade through secondary school
students with average or above average intelligence who are either
non-readers or poor readers. It seems especially effective with
those who have previously experienced much failure, because of its
positive approach.