Not all kids learn in the same way, and the ability to cater to their primary learning modalities is a key way to ensure that you are hitting as many little brains as is possible. A learning modality is how students employ sensory information to learn new information. Some people have one predominant modality. Others have a combination between two or three of them.
Basic Learning Modalities
* Auditory learners learn from hearing
* Visual students learn from seeing
* Kinesthetic students learn from touching, doing & moving
Characteristics of Different Learning Modalities
Visual Learners
- Spell well
- Nice handwriting
- Difficulty in understanding or follow verbal instructions
Auditory Learners
- Talkative
- Being aloud and repetitive to themselves while studying
- Enjoy music
- Easily Distracted
- Hum or sing often
Kinesthetic Learners
- Enjoy physical rewards
- Express emotions physically
- Poor spellers
- Don’t like to read much
Children are too often expected to rely on their visual skills and sight to look and read information. Hearing is sometimes integrated when teachers speak. However, multisensory learning is a step ahead than that. Multisensory teaching actives all of the senses of students. It is not possible that every single lesson will use all of a child’s senses but engaging in at least more than one way is the goal. In multisensory teaching, the instructor shares information through as many senses as possible.
It is essential to note, however, that teachers shouldn’t build in a sensory activity for the sake of adding it but to rotate through the modalities as they make sense in the context of the subject matter. You want to keep the instruction varied and exciting but don’t throw in a movement activity (for example) for no good reason. It is also essential not to instil any concrete ideas into kids’ heads about what type of learner they are. This can limit their growth and development.
Suggested Aids for Multisensory Learning Modalities
For Auditory Learners
- Discussion
- Rhymes and poems
- Theatre
- Mnemonics
- Rhythmic Sounds
For Visual Learners
- Mind Maps
- Acrostics
- Flashcards
- Colour Codes
- Note-taking
For Kinesthetic Learners
- Dancing
- Role play
- Walking while
- Stretch Breaks
When done right, multisensory instruction helps kids tap into their learning strengths because it allows them to make connections and form memories in their own way. It also allows them to utilize a variety of ways to demonstrate mastery over what they’ve learned. Multisensory teaching takes into account that all students learn in different ways, and it helps meet the varying needs of all kids. Multisensory lessons allow every student to learn and succeed in your classroom.