Understanding Multimodal Instruction in PreK-5 Literacy
By Dr. Jan Hasbrouck
An Alternative to the Myth of Learning Styles
As reading teachers search for instructional strategies that accommodate the complexities and nuances of individual student literacy needs, many are encountering the unfortunate truth that the concept of “learning styles” — a common and popular idea used to differentiate instruction based on the assumption that every student has a single preferred learning modality — is, in fact, a myth.
Early literacy teachers and intervention specialists attempting to differentiate students’ instruction based on the myth of learning styles are clearly responding to the differences they see in the types of instruction that students respond to when it comes to learning to read — to their interests, their strengths, and their habits. These educators are also wisely searching for literacy strategies that are based on learning science, and to leverage what we know about how the brain works.
But information on learning science is always evolving, difficult to navigate, and not always as “research-based” as it seems — as is the case with learning styles.
So, if there isn’t any real evidence that students have “learning styles”, what can educators do to accommodate varying needs, to leverage what we know about how the brain works, and make the most of the precious moments spent teaching students how to read?
While there are many concepts across disciplines that are increasingly supported by learning science — such as metacognition, worked examples, and spaced practice, to name a few — here, we want to focus on multimodal instruction, because it addresses some of the obstacles in reading instruction that teachers were attempting to address with the learning styles approach.
What is multimodal instruction?
Multimodal instruction involves having the learner engage simultaneously or in close sequence with the material using two or more of their sensory “modalities”. For example, a student using manipulatives during phonics instruction may be engaging their visual, auditory, and tactile modalities. The term multimodality is currently being used to replace the older term “multisensory” because multisensory instruction sometimes promoted instructional practices (such as having students trace sandpaper letters, or form letters or shapes in rice trays in shaving cream) have not been confirmed as helpful in more current research.
The learning styles approach can actually be harmful in early literacy because the focus on one single modality deprives students the opportunity to learn in other modalities outside of their perceived “style” and there is reason to provide instruction in multiple modalities — just not isolated to one modality per student.
Why does multimodal instruction work?
We’re always learning more about how the brain works, and there’s so much that we still have to discover. In the case of multimodal instruction, researchers are still working to understand exactly why the brain seems to respond so positively to this kind of teaching.
Some researchers attribute the value of multimodal instruction to enhancing a learner’s memory: engaging multiple senses may cause the brain to store information in long term memory. Others believe multimodal instruction has more to do with attention. For example, using both auditory and tactile modalities during phonics instruction may simply prolong the time and focus students spend thinking about letters and sounds. Both of these explanations have to do with what we know about neural processing, and pathways created in the brain (Shanahan, 2020).
Regardless of the exact brain activity, multimodal application in the classroom seems to have the potential to boost engagement and retention. Digital Promise lists multimodal instruction as a strategy in their Learner Variability Navigator tool, explaining that “instruction in multiple formats allows students to activate different cognitive skills to understand and remember the steps they are to take in their literacy work. Instruction can be given using text, visuals, gestures, or audio to facilitate retention in Short- and Long-term Memory.”
Who does multimodal instruction help?
If you were to search for information about multimodal instruction today, you would find a great deal of information regarding the benefits for students with dyslexia. While all students can benefit from multimodal instruction, there are some students, including those with dyslexia, for whom multimodal instruction is especially valuable.
Students with dyslexia face obstacles with word recognition and decoding. According to the International Dyslexia Association (IDA), “multimodal structured language teaching” can help students with dyslexia overcome those obstacles by strengthening the pathways in the brain that involve phonological (speech) and orthographic (print) processing — building speed and accuracy in reading ability. The IDA lists multimodal phonics strategies to use with students with dyslexia, including having students look in the mirror when speaking, tracing letters while saying the sound, and associating hand gestures with words (IDA).
For more on supporting students with dyslexia, see:
How can teachers implement multimodal instruction in PreK-5 reading?
The context in which multimodal instruction is employed is critical to its success. Multimodal strategies should be integrated into explicit, systematic instruction. They should be implemented within a larger framework that aligns to what we know about the science of reading, supporting the development of foundational skills such as phonemic awareness, phonics, and word recognition, as well as to strengthen vocabulary, grammar, spelling, and listening comprehension. For example: multimodal instruction may be particularly helpful in decoding, by giving students the opportunity to hear, see, say, and write words.
Many educators are familiar with some common multimodal practices, such as tracing letters and tapping sounds. Other helpful tools include visual vocabulary cards, manipulatives for foundational skills, hand motion routines for phonological and phonemic awareness, games, and videos that promote singing and/or movement. The value comes in having students engage in actual reading and writing tasks in multiple ways.
Additional research should be done on the effectiveness of multimodal instruction — as with many instructional practices, we could learn a great deal from comprehensive, peer-reviewed studies that address large populations over time, and additional learning science research about what’s going on in students’ brains when they receive multimodal instruction. In the meantime, educators should feel confident, empowered, and proud of their continued pursuit of what’s best for their students.
Read more on the Science of Reading.
For more literacy research, see:
