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Multisensory learning is the assumption that individuals learn better if they are taught using more than one sense. The senses usually employed in multisensory learning are visual, auditory, kinesthetic, and tactile – VAKT. Other senses might include smell, taste and balance.
Multisensory learning is different from learning styles which is the assumption that people can be classified according to their learning style. However, critics of learning styles say there is no consistent evidence that identifying an individual student's learning style and teaching for that style will produce better outcomes. Consequently, learning styles has not received widespread support from scientists, nor has it proven to be effective in the classroom.
Reports suggest the human brain has evolved to process multisensory signals, making it more natural than unisensory processing. Recent research has made clear that multisensory processing of information is part of daily life, whereby the brain integrates the information from different modalities into a coherent mental perception.
Some studies conclude that the benefits of multisensory learning are greatest if the senses are engaged concurrently and the instruction is direct and systematic. However, some neurologists question whether more is "actually better for learners who are struggling". The rational is that learners with developmental disorders may have impairments in cognitive control, planning and attention, so multisensory integration might place additional demands on systems that are already straining. Consequentially, it is suggested, it may be better to narrow the alternatives to one that works. Other studies suggest that multisensory integration only develops optimally by middle childhood.