The Benefits of Multisensory Learning Helen Nelson

The Benefits of Multisensory Learning

Helen Nelson

In traditional classrooms, approximately 80 percent of children have no trouble learning to read, while the other 20 percent struggle and require help from outside resources. The incorporation of multisensory learning practices into reading curricula allows teachers to reach that 20 percent of students and help them master literacy skills in their primary learning environment. Learning using senses such as touch, hearing, and sight has the power to develop and strengthen different neural pathways in the brain. When teaching methods activate visual, auditory, and kinesthetic pathways simultaneously, they increase the brain’s ability to retain and retrieve information. Although the effectiveness of multisensory learning is widely acknowledged, multisensory techniques are not widely practiced in classrooms today and an opportunity exists to decrease that gap and better serve students.