The Benefits of Multisensory Teaching and Sensory Words

The Benefits of Multisensory Teaching and Sensory Words

As a teacher, you know that students learn differently. Some prefer to learn by doing. Others like to watch a demonstration of what they need to do. Some want to listen to what is expected. Most students appreciate a combination of methods: a little bit of doing it, a little bit of seeing it, and a little bit of hearing it. When you teach using a combination of methods that appeal to different learning styles (kinesthetic, tactual, auditory, and visual), you are using multisensory teaching.

Below is an overview of the four major learning styles and their representation in the general population. As you read, you will probably think of past or present students who demonstrate characteristics of each style.

Kinesthetic Style: Learning through doing The kinesthetic learner must “do” something to learn it. This person is actively involved in learning and loves to flex those large motor muscles. There is a lot of body movement going on when these learners are in the throes of learning. Research in the learning styles area shows that 25 to 35 percent of the general population are kinesthetic learners.

Tactual Style: Learning through sensations and feelings The tactual learner learns through the sense of touch and small motor experiences. Tactual learners are also often very aware of the emotional signals, subtle and blatant, that others send. They may be sensitive to odors in their environment. They often are adept at using their hands, and they benefit from touching things to get to know them better. These are the true “hands-on” learners. Research indicates that 15 to 25 percent of the general population prefers the tactual modality.

Auditory Style: Learning through hearing and speaking The auditory learner is very focused on speaking and listening. This person enjoys discussions and often needs to “say it to learn it.” This individual is tuned in to all the sounds in her environment and often benefits when trying to concentrate from soft music or white noise in the background. This person frequently needs to “say it to herself” or move her lips as though talking to herself to process the material in the most efficient way. Auditory learners compose about 10 to 15 percent of the general population.

Visual Style: Learning through seeing Visual learners process information best when they see it. They enjoy videos, movies, CD-ROMs, and watching demonstrations. Colors attract the attention of this person. This person must see it to believe it and see it to learn it. Visualization often comes easily to this individual, and he might also have a good visual-spatial sense. Maps, graphic organizers, and pictures of all kinds are this learner’s best friends. In the general population, about 35 to 40 percent of people share this learning preference.

Chances are high that you have students representing each of these four learning styles in varying degrees in your classroom. Ideally, teachers create multisensory activities that appeal to kinesthetic, tactual, auditory, and visual learners. Many examples, as well as how to discover how your students learn best, are provided in MARCH 2007, JANUARY 2006, and NOVEMBER 2006 issues of Performance Learning Plus.

Activities can also become multisensory—appealing to more than one learning style—by adding Sensory Words to them.

Read on for tips to use Sensory Words in your classroom.

Using Sensory Words to Reach All Students

Sensory Words are words that appeal to the senses associated with the four main learning styles: kinesthetic, tactual, auditory, and visual.

• Kinesthetic: jump, kick, run
• Tactual: pat, write, hold
• Auditory: whisper, cheer, growl
• Visual: glance, peek, notice

There are four occasions when you can use sensory words to enhance your teaching.

• When lack of time limits an opportunity for sensory experiences. When there is no time to create a multisensory experience, and you want students to understand something through their senses, using sensory words can provide a comparable experience for students.
• When a real sensory experience is not possible. For example, you want to study the ocean but you are living 400 miles away.
• For example, when you are teaching an interpersonal skill such as “participate,” tell what it looks like, sounds like, and feels like when you are “participating.”
• To build rapport, mirror verbs. Use action-oriented words to describe non-physical things—if a person is kinesthetic, say, “Let’s slam our ideas together!” when suggesting action for a cerebral activity.

Vary sensory words when you communicate with students.

For example, the rule “Walk in the halls” is kinesthetic. If students continue to run or horse around in the halls, you might change how you present the rule by varying sensory words. For instance:

• When I see you running in the hall, it looks like a herd of elephants. Please slow down. (Visual)
• It sounds like thunder when you run in the hall! Please tread quietly! (Auditory)
• It feels like the building is shaking when you run in the hall. Please walk gently! (Tactual)
• Running in the hall distracts people from learning. Please walk. (Neutral/Kinesthetic)

Encourage students to vary sensory words when they communicate with one another and work on projects.
Learning to communicate with others, including those whose learning styles are different from their own, is a life skill that will benefit students during their education as well as when they enter the work force. As a teacher, varying sensory words is an essential part of our jobs. You can take this skill a step further by encouraging your students to practice it as well.

Put students in groups of 3 or 4 and ask them to help create or modify classroom rules. If your students are not versed in learning styles, simply hand out a list of sensory words from which they can choose. Groups must choose at least one word from each KTAV (kinesthetic, tactual, auditory, and visual) category.

When students respond to one another or to questions you ask in class, ask them to stretch their responses to include a variety of KTAV responses. For example, rather than “I hear what you are saying” (auditory), a student could respond, “That feels right to me” (tactual).

For younger students:
Use a kinesthetic activity where students toss a ball to one another. Each time the ball is caught, the student has to make a kinesthetic, tactual, auditory, or visual statement such as: “I saw that ball coming!” then toss it to someone else, who might make a tactual comment such as: “That catch felt great!” Students can choose from a list of words you write on the board, or can even use vocabulary words when appropriate.

For older students:

1. Put students in groups to practice rotating sensory words.

• Person 1 makes a statement beginning with “fortunately, . . .” using a K word.
• Person 2 makes a statement beginning with “unfortunately, . . .” using a T word.
• Person 3 makes a statement beginning with “fortunately, . . .” using an A word.
• Back to Person 1, this time for a statement beginning with “unfortunately, . . .” and using a V word Person 2 makes a statement beginning with “fortunately, . . .” using a neutral word.

2. Each person uses the previous statement as a springboard, so that each statement connects with the previous one and the group’s statements make a continuing conversation.

3. Have students do four rounds of this activity. An added challenge is to make the responses content-specific.

Here is an example for health class:

• Fortunately, I am up and moving around after my bout with chicken pox. (K)
• Unfortunately, I sense that my older brother is getting it, as he has a fever and a rash. (T)
• Fortunately, I heard him say that he thinks it won’t be so bad for him. (A)
• Unfortunately, I picture him being in pretty bad shape, like a human polka dot. (V)
• Fortunately, I will be back at school by then. (Neutral)

Doolan, L. S., & Honigsfeld, A. (2000). Illuminating the new standards with learning style: Striking a perfect match. Clearing House, 73(5), 274-278.

Haggart, W. (2003). Discipline and learning styles: An educator’s guide. Nevada City, CA: Performance Learning Systems.

Sadler-Smith, E., & Smith, J. P. (2004). Strategies for accommodating individuals’ styles and preferences in flexible learning programmes. British Journal of Educational Technology, 35(4), 395-412.

Silver, H. F., Strong, R. W., & Perini, M. J. (2000). So each may learn: Integrating learning styles and multiple intelligences. Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.

Thomas, H., Cox, R., & Kojima, T. (2000). Relating preferred learning style to student achievement. Paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages, Vancouver, BC [Canada]. (ERIC Document Reproduction Service No. 445 513).

Source: The above tips are based on PLS's graduate course Teaching Through Learning Channels®. For more information see "Related Graduate Course" to the right.

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