Prof. Dr. med. Katharina von Kriegstein, Vice Dean of the Faculty of Psychology, Chair of Cognitive and Clinical Neuroscience, Dresden University of Technology: No. Students do not learn more effectively when they are assigned to a specific learning type and the content is presented to them accordingly. This is a myth that has developed over the years and persists. However, studies have shown that this assumption is not true.

There are, however, many different techniques for improving learning. One of these is multisensory learning. In this area, we are researching the mechanisms the brain uses to learn effectively by employing multiple senses.

Most of our research has focused on vocabulary learning. Vocabulary can be memorized by listening or reading. We have supplemented this with additional information, such as an image. We have done this even for more abstract terms such as “thought.” And this combination alone, i.e., vocabulary plus image, leads to better learning success. The situation is similar with gestures, especially when it comes to memorizing vocabulary and recalling it after a longer period of time.

Depending on the presentation, the information is first processed in the sensory areas of the brain. We assume that the brain develops a kind of world model during learning. This means that knowledge is encoded in different areas. When we hear a word and make a Gesture to go with it, this initially activates the Auditory cortex Visual and motor areas are then quickly activated, which simulate the context in which something was learned. Brain regions that did not previously work together then begin to cooperate.

There is evidence that multisensory learning is particularly helpful in remembering vocabulary for longer. In our studies, we had one group learn using a single sense and a second group learn using multiple senses. At the beginning, there were no significant differences in vocabulary recall. However, as time went on, it became apparent that those who had memorized the vocabulary using multisensory techniques retained the content longer.

At the same time, however, it is not the case that it is important to address as many senses as possible. There is evidence in the literature that the brain reaches its capacity limits when it has to learn in a highly multisensory way. It is also important that the information in the different modalities fits together, for example, a gesture that indicates “drinking” with the corresponding vocabulary.

For our research, we used the entire neuroscientific methodology portfolio to test our hypotheses one by one, identify correlations, and prove causalities. We used functional imaging (fMRI), for example. This enabled us to prove that the simultaneous presentation of vocabulary and gestures leads to higher activation in the motor Cortex on the left side, as well as in the area responsible for visual motion Perception. This proves the effect of gestures in vocabulary learning. We also used the TMS method – transcranial magnetic stimulation. This allowed us to check whether the motor cortex and the Visual cortex contribute to better learning success. This is indeed the case. We conducted these studies with adults.

We then wanted to know whether the better learning results achieved through multisensory learning could also be achieved in foreign language lessons with children and young people of different age groups. We tested students in grades 3, 6, and 8, as well as university students. The results showed that from the age of about 14, the combination of listening and gestures works significantly better than the combination of listening and images. No clear difference was found among children in grades 3 and 6.

Recorded by Anke Lorenz