Multisensory Learning and Preferences

ü People learn through their senses and perceptions. Perceptions provide much of what we remember; anchor in memory

ü Gender and culture influence sensory stimuli, learning style, cognitive style, and preferences

ü Research shows varying teaching strategies to address all sensory preferences increases learning regardless of the students’ primary preference

Kinesthetic and Tactual Preference

ü 30% or more of our students may have a kinesthetic preference for learning

ü Learn best by trying things out, manipulating objects, touching, feeling

ü Express themselves physically

ü Seem distracted and find it difficult to pay attention to auditory or visual presentations

ü They attack problems physically and seek the solution that involves the greatest activity

ü Of all hyperactive students, 95% are male

ü They learn from lecture, listening, discussion, and have a hard time visualizing

ü Use phonetics for spelling and learn to read better with a phonetic approach

ü Girls are more auditory than boys

ü These students remember faces not names

ü They learn the best by anything they can see

ü Bilingual students have strong visual perception

ü Girls and boys see things differently in darkness and light

ü Research show that smells have a powerful ability to anchor events in our memory

ü Students learn in different ways so teachers need to present content in dual sensory modalities

ü Verbs that people use are significant indicators of their learning preferences

ü Observing the verbs used by students can be a useful tool for understanding learning styles

ü Use concept maps (Inspiration would be a great tool)

ü Graphic organizers—flow charts, timelines, etc. These help with higher order thinking, problem-solving, and reflect students’ understanding