Multisensory teaching quiz

The Delphi Study panel recommends multisensory teaching—combining more than one sense when actively learning as a key intervention for literacy acquisition in dyslexia. This approach is highlighted as an essential component of effective instruction

Which 2 Statements about multisensory teaching do you think are true?

• • It only benefits very young children and is not effective beyond early years.

• • Multisensory teaching strengthens memory by engaging senses such as sight, vision and touch pathways together.

• • Multisensory teaching is only effective if delivered 1:1 by a specialist teacher.

• • It supports dyslexic learners by giving alternative routes to process and store information.

Answer explanation

• ✅ Multisensory teaching strengthens memory by engaging senses such as sight, vision and touch pathways together.
  Reason: Using more than one sense builds stronger connections in the brain (Rose, 2009; Reid, 2016).

• ✅ It supports dyslexic learners by giving alternative routes to process and store information.
  Reason: If one pathway (e.g., phonological) is weaker, others (visual/tactile) can support learning (Snowling, 2013).

• ❌ It only benefits very young children and is not effective beyond early years.
  Reason: Multisensory methods help learners of all ages, including secondary and adults (Reid, 2016).

• ❌ Multisensory teaching is only effective if delivered 1:1 by a specialist teacher.
  Reason: While specialists are vital, classroom teachers and TAs can also use multisensory strategies effectively (Rose, 2009).

Rose ( 2009) identified that Multisensory Teaching is effective for dyslexic learners.

Children should see, hear, say, and do when learning sounds and words (e.g., using actions, visual cues, and tactile activities).

Which of these are great examples of multisensory activities ? You can click 1-4 answers here.

• • Sand or shaving foam writing – Trace letters in tactile materials while hearing and repeating the sound.

• • Magnetic letters and blending – Move letters physically to build and read words aloud.

• • Sky writing sounds – Learners trace letters or digraphs in the air while saying the sound aloud.

• • Sound and movement games – Jump, clap, or step for each phoneme when segmenting a word.

Answer explanation

All of these activities are effective because they are multisensory (engage multiple senses at once), cumulative (build on past learning), and sequential (follow a logical order) — the principles recommended for dyslexia teaching (Rose, 2009; Reid, 2016).

Multisensory activities could look like ​ writing ​words (a)   or ​ playing (b)   or copying

​ (c)   ​ ​ ​

• in shallow sand trays
• and making playdough letters to say the sound
• interactive IT game for rapid naming
• at listening to the teacher talk
• words from the board

Match the multisensory activities to the objective ?

• catch a ball and say a word that rhymes

• Identify a non rhyming word

• look/say 3 pictures - point to odd 1 out

• Hear syllables in words

• stamping out the syllables in response

• Make a chain of rhyming words.

Why is multisensory teaching good for all learners, not just those with SpLD (e.g., dyslexia)?

• Because it activates multiple learning pathways, supporting memory, comprehension, and engagement for everyone.

• Because it makes lessons shorter and requires less practice for most learners.

• Because it removes the need for teachers to adapt lessons to different learning needs.

• Because it ensures all learners will learn at the same pace, regardless of ability.

Draw a face to show how confident you now are that you are / can be a multisensory teacher