In this blog post today I’m going to be answering the question ‘What is multi-sensory learning?’ This is a question I get asked about a lot. Especially when more and more educators are trying to incorporate it into their classrooms. In this blog post I’ll be talking about what multi-sensory learning is along with some example activities for you to try and how to identify which type your students are.
What is Multi-Sensory Learning?
Multi-sensory learning is an approach in the classroom where we present activities that engages multiple senses. This type of learning is really beneficial for many of our autistic students who often learn best through hands-on experiences.
Why Incorporate Multi-Sensory Learning?
When we incorporate multi-sensory learning into our classrooms, we are able to improve the engagement of our students. As well as their understanding and retention of information. Research shows us that this helps lead us to better academic outcomes.
What are the Benefits of Multi-Sensory Learning?
There are numerous benefits of using multi-sensory learning in your classroom. When your students engage more than one sense, they are able to better process information. This means that they’ll be able to retain and recall that information better too.
Using a multi-sensory approach helps our students who may struggle with the traditional teaching methods of reading and/or note-taking. This is especially true for our special education students.
How Can I Introduce Multi-Sensory Learning Into My Classroom?
So you’re ready to take the leap and introduce multi-sensory learning into your classroom? That’s great! But I know this may feel quickly overwhelming. That’s why further down in this blog post I’ve shared activity ideas for each of the types of multi-sensory learning to help you with your planning.
How to Identify What Type of Multi-Sensory Learning is Best For Your Students
Now comes the part where you need to try and identify what type of multi-sensory learning is best for your students. Below I’m sharing some tips for how you can identify the most effective multi-sensory learning approach for your students based on their learning style.
1. Observe
Start by observing how your students prefer to learn. Do they prefer to watch videos? Or maybe they prefer to listen instead. Maybe your students prefer to take part in hands-on activities.
2. Age
Age is actually something important to consider. Younger students naturally benefit more from tactile and kinaesthetic activities. Whereas you may find that older students prefer visual or auditory learning.
3. Strengths
Identify and evaluate your student’s strengths. If they excel in visual arts.. They may benefit from having a visual learning approach. If they excel in sports, then a kinaesthetic approach may be most effective for them.
4. Weaknesses
Identify and evaluate your student’s weaknesses. This is really important for identifying how students struggle with learning. For example, if your student really struggles with reading or writing, then a visual or auditory learning approach may be more beneficial for them.
5. Trial and Error
Like most things in our classroom, it does take some trial and error. Try and experiment with some different approaches with your students to see which ones are the most effective for them.
6. Consult
Consult with your colleagues and specialists who may be involved with your students. Get their insights into what learning types they think are best for your student(s). Having a team approach can really help to gather up and assess all of the information.
7. Technology
Technology can be a really effective tool for engaging multiple senses for our students. One example of this is virtual reality – this can provide a visual and a kinaesthetic learning experience for our students.
8. Be Patient
Being able to identify the most effective multi-sensory learning approach for your student(s) may take time. Be patient and open to trying out new and different approaches and assessing which ones work best for your students.
Example Activities for Visual Learners
Below are some example activities that are most effective for visual learners;
- Mind maps or diagrams.
- Educational videos and documentaries.
- Field trips – either in-person or virtually.
- Flashcards with images/illustrations.
- Drawing or sketching to reinforce concepts.
- Infographics to represent data in a visual way.
- Colour-coding. This works great for highlighting important information.
- Visual aids.
- Charts, graphs and diagrams.
Example Activities for Auditory Learners
Below are some example activities that are most effective for auditory learners;
- Lectures – listening to someone discuss a topic is ideal for auditory learners to learn new information.
- Group discussions.
- Podcasts.
- Audiobooks.
- Music.
- Recordings – recordings of lectures, discussions etc.
- Oral presentations.
- Memory aids such as mnemonics.
- Role-playing activities.
- Debates.
Example Activities for Kinaesthetic Learners
Below are some example activities that are most effective for kinaesthetic learners;
- Role-playing to act out different scenarios.
- Building models or physical structures.
- Sports and/or physical activities.
- In-person field-trips.
- Hands-on experiments.
- Art and craft projects.
- Music and dance; movement and physical co-ordination.
- Manipulatives; blocks, puzzles etc.
- Games and simulations.
- Interactive technology; educational apps, virtual reality simulations.
Example Activities for Tactile Learners
Below are some example activities that are most effective for tactile learners;
- Building models / structures.
- Science experiments; mixing, measuring and manipulating materials.
- Art projects; clay, paint, paper.
- Manipulatives; blocks, tiles etc.
- Hands-on activities; dissections, field trips etc.
- Flashcards and tactile learning aids.
- Role-playing or simulation activities.
- Physical activities; sports and/or dance.
- Graphic organizers.
- Taking notes or highlighting important information when reading.
Example Activities for Olfactory Learners
Below are some example activities that are most effective for olfactory learners;
- Scented markers.
- Aromatherapy.
- Scratch and sniff stickers.
- Smelling different foods.
- Scented candles.
- Scented flashcards – you can create your own.
- Incorporating smells into science experiments.
- Scented play dough – you can make your own.
- Scent-based memory games – matching scents to their corresponding objects and/or images.
- Smelling different perfumes or colognes.
The Difference Between Tactile and Kinaesthetic Learners
You may have noticed in this blog post that tactile and kinaesthetic learners sound quite similar. Sometimes, people mix them up and believe they’re both the same, but they are different.
While both kinaesthetic and tactile learners benefit from hands-on experiences, there are some differences between the two of them.
Tactile learners learn best through touching and manipulating objects. These learners will rely on their sense of touch to understand concepts and retain information. A tactile learner would benefit from activities like tracing letters in sand.
Whereas, kinaesthetic learners learn best through physical movement and activity. These types of learners need to be active and engaged in order to understand and retain information. A kinaesthetic learner would benefit from activities like acting out a story or using gestures.
So, while there is some overlap between both these types of learners – there are differences in their learning types.
Summary
So, to summarise, being able to identify and implement multi-sensory learning approaches for our students is proven to help them succeed. Multi-sensory learning is great for engaging multiple senses and this helps to reinforce understanding of concepts and retaining information.
When we incorporate multi-sensory learning, we help our students to learn in a way that makes sense to them.
I hope that you have found this blog post helpful for understanding what multi-sensory learning is, the benefits of it and how you can introduce it into your classroom with your students. Please consider sharing this post with your colleagues and friends on social media to help share the knowledge and understanding of multi-sensory learning.
Nikki
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Nikki
