Multisensory teaching involves using two or more senses during the learning process. For reading, this ideally means incorporating sight, sound, touch, and movement. The rationale is straightforward: when students use different senses, they are more likely to retain information. This method is particularly beneficial for struggling readers, including those with dyslexia, as it activates various pathways for processing information, which leads to stronger neural connections and improved literacy skills. According to Birsh and Carreker in Multisensory Teaching of Basic Language Skills (2018), Samuel T. Orton (multisensory learning research expert) emphasized the interconnectedness of the language system and its sensorimotor links (p. 49).
1. Visual-Auditory-Kinesthetic-Tactile (VAKT) Learning: The VAKT method ensures that learning involves seeing, hearing, moving, and touching. This method is highly effective in teaching reading and spelling because it helps to rewires the learning pathways in the brain that are underutilized by individuals with dyslexia.
Visual: Involves seeing letters and words, using coding to highlight parts of words or grammatical structures, and organizing text in a visually clear and structured way.
Auditory: Involves listening to sounds, syllables, and words; using rhymes; and integrating read aloud portion of learning, allowing students to hear correct pronunciation and intonation.
Kinesthetic: Involves movement, such as writing words in the air (air writing), manipulating letter tiles or words, and feeling the mouth shape when sounds are made and manipulated.
Tactile: Involves touch, such as tracing letters and words with fingers on various textures (sandpaper, felt, shaving cream) or using letter tiles to build manipulate word components.
2. Simultaneous Oral Spelling: This technique involves saying each letter aloud while writing it, which engages the visual, auditory, and kinesthetic senses (noting or analyzing how sounds feel in the mouth, in this case). It’s particularly helpful for spelling as it reinforces the connection between the motor action of writing and the auditory feedback of hearing oneself spell the words.
3. Systematic and Explicit Phonics Instruction: This involves directly teaching the relationship between sounds and letters in a structured way that leaves little room for ambiguity, which can be supported by multisensory engagement.
Sample Daily Practice Ideas: To effectively integrate multisensory methods into daily lessons, teachers can structure activities that encompass all four sensory methods. Here are a few ideas:
Kinesthetic Alphabetic Principle Practice: Begin each day with tactile and kinesthetic activities such as sequencing the alphabet each day with 3-dimensional letters or utilizing gross motor skills to practice phonological awareness skills (i.e segementing a word by hopping on dots for each sound in the word).
Phonics Instruction: Utilize the VAKT method during explicitly taught phonics lessons. Introduce graphemes (letters or letter clusters) with a sound and keyword (Visual & Auditory), have students skywrite letters in the air with their fingers (Kinesthetic), and then connect sounds to symbols by saying sounds and then writing letters on textured surfaces (Tactile).
Spelling Drill: Spelling lists should mainly include patterns that have been explicitly taught to students - preferably testing only one pattern at a time for neurodiverse learners. Spelling words need not be practiced and memorized, but rather analyzed in a multisensory way - determine what mouth articulation feels like for each sound in the words (Kinesthetic) and then determine how to spell those sounds based on the situation and write (Tactile).
Multisensory Spiral Review: Daily show flashcards of the graphemes (letters or letter clusters) and sound pictures (or keywords attached to each grapheme) while articulating sounds (Visual & Auditory).
Integrating multisensory teaching strategies can profoundly impact students' learning, especially those with reading difficulties. By engaging multiple senses, lessons become more dynamic and memorable, helping to reinforce and solidify the reading skills necessary for academic success. Educators are encouraged to adapt these methods to fit their teaching style and students' needs, fostering an inclusive and effective learning environment.
Who Am I?
Hello, I'm Sarah Houser, and I've been an educator for a decade. My journey in education has been driven by a passion for understanding and teaching the foundational skills that make reading accessible and joyful for all students. As a Certified Academic Language Therapist (CALT), I specialize in the science of reading and dyslexia intervention. My goal is to equip teachers and parents with the tools they need to transform reading education and ensure that every child can achieve their potential in literacy. Join me this month as we explore practical, research-backed strategies to enhance our teaching and support our students effectively. Together, we can unlock the full potential of every learner.
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