Research: The Power of Multimodal Learning
Edutopia: When students engage multiple senses to learn—drawing or acting out a concept, for example—they’re more likely to remember and develop a deeper understanding of the material, a large body of research shows.
“It might seem like a scene from a wildlife documentary, but turning students loose to stride and hop around the classroom pretending to be lions, and then gazelles, is a powerful lesson on the differences between predators and prey,” write authors Youki Terada and Stephen Merrill in a March 2025 article, “The Power of Multimodal Learning (in 5 Charts),” in Edutopia. “A growing number of studies reveal the neural underpinning of what researchers call ‘embodied learning’ or “multimodal learning”—using your body to encode material more deeply by drawing, singing, or dancing, for example—and provide a window into how and why the approach works so well.”
The article goes on to describe several studies that show the power of multimodal learning, including a 2022 meta-analysis that ”concluded that pairing words with actions—bodily recreating the motion of the earth, moon, and sun when learning what an ‘eclipse’ is, for example—is a ‘reliable and effective mnemonic tool’ with an effect size of 1.23, well above the 0.8 threshold for a ‘large” impact.’”
How do we use multimodal learning at Marin Waldorf School?
At Marin Waldorf School, we use movement, art, games, verse, music, and play to reinforce learning across academic disciplines. Read more below.
Main Lesson: A Multisensory Approach to Teaching
Main lesson is an intensive two-hour class that begins the school day for students in grades 1 to 8. It is taught first thing the morning, when children’s minds are most receptive, alert, and able to concentrate on complex topics. On most days, the class time is centered around a single subject in the curriculum, which teachers approach through a range of multi-sensory activities that engage the head, heart, and hands. Learn more about main lesson.
The Waldorf Approach to Math
At Marin Waldorf School, a multidisciplinary, multilayered approach to math encourages students to see the joy and beauty in numbers, approach math work from many perspectives, and eventually build up to the conceptual ideas that fuel advanced-level math in middle school. Here’s how we do it.
Learn more about our innovative programs or schedule a tour to see our dynamic classrooms in action.