Learning is Multi-Sensory. Teaching Should Be Too.

Children learn in many different ways. That’s why it is so important for teachers to bring concepts through multiple senses.

At Cedarwood Waldorf School, we teach science through stories, as well as outdoors in nature and in the lab. We move, build, and even bake & eat our math. We teach literature through theater. We sing our history and languages.

We do all of this because it helps us reach more children, more deeply, in a way that they love and remember.

Children learn in a myriad of ways. For some, letter sounds and flashcard review can switch on their light bulb moment of literacy. But what about those who have a brain wired a different way?

Recent research has shown that the brain can adapt and make new connections even into old age. Our brains are ever-changing as we take in new information and new experiences. When we discover that a child doesn’t respond to and recall information in the traditional way, it is important to consider how the brain receives information. The brain is exposed to a stimulus (hearing a phone ring or tasting spaghetti), at which point it analyzes and evaluates the information. Our five senses (sight, touch, hearing, smell, and taste) send information to our brain, which is designed to recognize sensations, initiate behaviors, and store memories.

Read more about how multisensory activities enhance reading skills on edutopia.com.

Learn More:

Why Waldorf? Classes form in grade 1 and journey together all the way through middle school with a central class teacher and a team of dedicated subject teachers. Growing together in this way, students get to know each other’s strengths and differences, and teachers support each child in striving to become better students, artists, musicians, performers, teammates, and community members. When one student struggles, the whole class takes up the work of seeing them through.

When everyone in our community is engaged and supported, we all go farther. Learn more about how Waldorf education engages the whole child, through multi-sensory experiences.

Curious about a Waldorf education for your child? Let’s connect!