Multisensory learning is the assumption that individuals learn better if they are taught using more than one sense (

modality Modality may refer to: Humanities * Modality (theology), the organization and structure of the church, as distinct from sodality or parachurch organizations * Modality (music), in music, the subject concerning certain diatonic scales * Modaliti ...

). The senses usually employed in multisensory learning are

visual The visual system comprises the sensory organ (the eye) and parts of the central nervous system (the retina containing photoreceptor cells, the optic nerve, the optic tract and the visual cortex) which gives organisms the sense of sight (the ...

, auditory,

kinesthetic Proprioception ( ), also referred to as kinaesthesia (or kinesthesia), is the sense of self-movement, force, and body position. It is sometimes described as the "sixth sense". Proprioception is mediated by proprioceptors, mechanosensory neurons ...

, and

tactile Tactile may refer to: * Tactile, related to the sense of touch * Haptics (disambiguation) * Tactile (device), a text-to-braille translation device See also * Tangibility, in law * Somatosensory system, where sensations are processed * CD96 CD ...

– VAKT (i.e. seeing, hearing, doing, and touching). Other senses might include smell,

taste The gustatory system or sense of taste is the sensory system that is partially responsible for the perception of taste (flavor). Taste is the perception produced or stimulated when a substance in the mouth reacts chemically with taste receptor ...

and

balance Balance or balancing may refer to: Common meanings * Balance (ability) in biomechanics * Balance (accounting) * Balance or weighing scale * Balance as in equality or equilibrium Arts and entertainment Film * ''Balance'' (1983 film), a Bulgaria ...

(e.g. making vegetable soup or riding a bicycle). Multisensory learning is different from

learning styles Learning styles refer to a range of theories that aim to account for differences in individuals' learning. Although there is ample evidence that individuals express personal preferences for how they prefer to receive information, few studies have f ...

which is the assumption that people can be classified according to their learning style (audio, visual or kinesthetic). However, critics of learning styles say there is no consistent evidence that identifying an individual student's learning style and teaching for that style will produce better outcomes. Consequently, learning styles has not received widespread support from scientists, nor has it proven to be effective in the classroom. (For more on this see

.) Reports suggest the

human brain The human brain is the central organ of the human nervous system, and with the spinal cord makes up the central nervous system. The brain consists of the cerebrum, the brainstem and the cerebellum. It controls most of the activities of the ...

has evolved to process multisensory signals, making it more natural than unisensory processing. Recent research has made clear that multisensory processing of information is part of daily life, whereby the brain integrates the information from different modalities (senses) into a coherent mental

perception Perception () is the organization, identification, and interpretation of sensory information in order to represent and understand the presented information or environment. All perception involves signals that go through the nervous system ...

. Some studies conclude that the benefits of multisensory learning are greatest if the senses are engaged concurrently (see

Multisensory integration Multisensory integration, also known as multimodal integration, is the study of how information from the different sensory modalities (such as sight, sound, touch, smell, self-motion, and taste) may be integrated by the nervous system. A coherent r ...

) and the instruction is direct (explicit) and systematic (see ). However, some neurologists question whether more is "actually better for learners who are struggling". The rational is that learners with developmental disorders may have impairments in cognitive control, planning and attention, so multisensory integration might place additional demands on systems that are already straining. Consequentially, it is suggested, it may be better to narrow the alternatives to one that works. Other studies suggest that multisensory integration only develops optimally by middle childhood (i.e. eight years of age or older). According to the U.K. Independent review of the teaching of early reading (Rose Report 2006) multisensory learning is also effective because it keeps students more engaged in their learning. In 2010 the U.K.

Department for Education The Department for Education (DfE) is a department of His Majesty's Government responsible for child protection, child services, education (compulsory, further and higher education), apprenticeships and wider skills in England. A Department ...

established the core criteria for programs that teach school children to read by using systematic

Synthetic phonics Synthetic phonics, also known as ''blended phonics'' or ''inductive phonics'', is a method of teaching English reading which first teaches the letter sounds and then builds up to blending these sounds together to achieve full pronunciation of who ...

. It includes a requirement that the material "uses a multi-sensory approach so that children learn variously from simultaneous visual, auditory and kinaesthetic activities which are designed to secure essential phonic knowledge and skills". The following organizations recommend multisensory instruction for learners with a

learning disability Learning disability, learning disorder, or learning difficulty (British English) is a condition in the brain that causes difficulties comprehending or processing information and can be caused by several different factors. Given the "difficult ...

: The

International Dyslexia Association The International Dyslexia Association (IDA) is a non-profit education and advocacy organization devoted to issues surrounding dyslexia. It is based in Baltimore, Maryland, United States. The International Dyslexia Association serves individuals ...

(IDA) and the

National Institute of Child Health and Human Development The ''Eunice Kennedy Shriver'' National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) is one of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in the United States Department of Health and Human Services. It supports and conducts research aime ...

(NICHHD). And one study says there is strong support for using multisensory experiences to increase the focus of students with special needs. One of the oldest proponents of multisensory phonics for remedial reading instruction is Orton-Gillingham, dating back to 1935.

What Works Clearinghouse What Works Clearinghouse (WWC) is a digital library of educational research which focuses on evidence-based education. A 2006 report described that many researchers perceived the WWC to be passive cataloger of available research. In contrast to th ...

, a part of the

Institute of Education Sciences The Institute of Education Sciences (IES) is the independent, non-partisan statistics, research, and evaluation arm of the U.S. Department of Education. IES' stated mission is to provide scientific evidence on which to ground education practice ...

reports there is a lack of studies meeting its strict evidence standards so it is "unable to draw any conclusions about the effectiveness or ineffectiveness of unbranded Orton-Gillingham–based strategies for students with learning disabilities". However, '' Best Evidence Encyclopedia'', a part of

Johns Hopkins School of Education The Johns Hopkins School of Education is one of nine academic divisions of the Johns Hopkins University. Established as a separate school in 2007, its origins can be traced back to the 1909 founding of Johns Hopkins’ College Courses for Teacher ...

found one qualifying study that showed an

effect size In statistics, an effect size is a value measuring the strength of the relationship between two variables in a population, or a sample-based estimate of that quantity. It can refer to the value of a statistic calculated from a sample of data, the ...

of +0.43.

References

{{reflist Learning Senses