Direct Multisensory Instruction

Direct multisensory instruction refers to teaching strategies that simultaneously engage the auditory, visual, and kinesthetic-motor learning channels (senses) during lessons. The word direct in this case refers to the practice of teacher-directed, explicit instruction. Direct multisensory instruction is a widely-used strategy for teaching literacy and math skills to children with learning disabilities. It is also frequently effective with English language learners.

The first research on multisensory instructional methods was carried out by Dr. Samuel Orton, mostly during the 1920s and 1930s. Dr. Orton engaged Ms. Anna Gillingham and Ms. Bessie Stillman to come up with multisensory methods for one-on-one tutorials based on his research. Later, Ms. Beth Slingerland studied with Gillingham and Stillman, adapting their one-on-one techniques for classroom instruction. Ms. Slingerland also developed the most widely-used tests for dyslexia screening. Over the last ten years, much of the pioneering work of Orton, Gillingham, Stillman, and Slingerland became the basis of the LANGUAGE! curriculum developed by the team of Dr. Jane Fell Greene.

At the Sunset Learning Center, we use a modified Slingerland approach for our literacy remediation. While our methods are firmly-rooted in the Slingerland tradition, they are influenced significantly by the Jane Fell Greene curriculum and methods.