Applying a Multisensory Approach to Teaching

This study was conducted to explore the benefits of taking a learning-style approach to elementary instruction, opposed to the traditional lecture-style approach. For this study, I observed students’ growth and attitude in English Language Arts and mathematics classes with the implementation of grouping, based on learning style. Farkas (2003) found that the retention of new and more complex information significantly increased when students engaged in lessons that incorporate some aspect of learning styles. Through the analysis of field notes, student anecdotal records, student work, and feedback my students gave me on what worked best for them, I revealed the relationship between educators using a learning-style instruction approach and student success. Because students learn in vastly different ways, it is essential that teachers, “examine each individual’s multidimensional characteristics to determine what is most likely to trigger each student’s concentration...and cause long-term memory” (Dunn and Dunn, 1993). Moving forward, educators should be aware that teaching according to students’ needs is necessary, and this study is an example of how an educator can tend to those needs.