Page 33 - iRead EL in Research Paper
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Multisensory, Multimedia Instruction
Experts in research and theory related to multisensory instruction conclude that methods that combine sight and hearing are e ective in helping young children learn to read. Well-designed multimedia technology that delivers and integrates early literacy activities in various modes (auditory, textual, graphical, kinesthetic) can be e ective in promoting reading success.
Multisensory language instruction refers to “teaching strategies to guide students in linking eye, ear, voice, and hand to bolster learning in the carefully sequenced teaching of language structure” (Birsh, 2011, p. 25). Multimedia is more generally de ned by Richard E. Mayer, one of the leading researchers and theorists in the eld, as “[p]resenting words (such as spoken text or printed text) and pictures (such as illustrations, photos, animation, or video) that are intended to promote learning” (Mayer, 2005, p. 15).
Thus, multimedia early literacy instruction can be seen as using digital media to provide multisensory approaches (i.e., combining text, sounds, images, and touch) to facilitate the acquisition of early literacy skills. In relation to literacy learning, Reinking (2005) notes, “multimedia refers to audio-visual capabilities that were previously unavailable to print-based learning” (p. 359).
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