How to Successfully Integrate Tactile Learning into Your Classroom
December 18, 2024
What’s the definition of tactile learning, and how can educators implement teaching strategies for tactile learners? Here’s what you need to know about tactile and kinesthetic learning styles and how hands-on experiences can truly benefit elementary students. Math & Movement provides physical learning resources and materials for educators ready to try new classroom teaching methods. An interactive education keeps students engaged, deepens understanding, and boosts retention.
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Tactile learning is a learning style in which students use their sense of touch to gain information. Often, kinesthetic and tactile learning are considered to be closely related. Kinesthetic learning uses physical activity, including touch, to teach new information.
Furthermore, tactile learning strategies are often paired with other types of learning, including visual and auditory learning. For example, in science class, students can listen to their teacher give a lecture, watch their teacher demonstrate a lab activity, and then conduct an experiment themselves by hand. This is multi-sensory learning. The ideal classroom teaching methods engage multiple senses simultaneously.
Tactile learners are people who learn best by physically touching what they’re learning. They like to “feel” concepts to understand them. This usually involves the direct handling and manipulation of objects.
Like kinesthetic learners, students with a tactile learning style prefer hands-on, interactive learning experiences. They want to be active participants rather than observers when learning. Many tactile learners are kinesthetic learners, and vice versa.
Educational researcher Edgar Dale found that people remember only 10% of what they read, 20% of what they hear, and 30% of what they see. However, we retain up to 90% of what we do or simulate (Cambridge, 2024). Tactile or kinesthetic learning activities require more cognitive effort, resulting in deeper and stronger memories.
Furthermore, the Learning Pyramid developed by the National Training Laboratories suggests that most students will retain up to 75% of the information they learn by doing, compared to 5% of what they hear in a lecture.
Traditional teaching methods often fail to engage every student or help them grasp concepts fully. Integrating tactile learning strategies enhances understanding and gets students excited about learning.
Tactile learning strategies can profoundly impact how students engage with information. When students interact physically with learning materials, they connect more deeply with the subject matter.
Unlike traditional passive learning, kinesthetic learning invites students to experience lessons through action and touch. This active engagement stimulates multiple senses, leading to better retention and understanding.
Hands-on activities, such as performing science experiments, building models, or using physical manipulatives, bridge the gap between theory and reality. Abstract concepts become meaningful, tangible experiences.
At first, it might not seem easy to incorporate tactile learning strategies into math lessons. Educators are used to hands-on activities in science class, where there are experiments to conduct, and in art class, where there are sculptures to build. But tactile learning strategies are especially effective in areas with a lot of abstract concepts – like math!
By integrating tactile activities into math lessons, you can help students visualize numbers and concepts in a tangible way. Hands-on learning fosters a deeper understanding and makes math accessible to all learners. But how exactly do educators add tactile learning strategies to math?
Math & Movement is a multi-sensory approach to learning that uses physical learning to teach students math and other subjects. Young students never like to sit still for long periods, so our program harnesses a child’s natural inclination for movement and touch and turns it into excitement for learning. Our movement ideas and interactive educational materials supplement your existing curriculum and allow tactile learners to thrive in the classroom.
Tactile learning materials allow students to manipulate and experience math concepts directly, making them easier to understand. Math & Movement’s educational products allow elementary students to do exactly that. Our activities combine visual, auditory, and kinesthetic elements.
We have over 300 products available, including floor mats, stickers, and books. Each of our products can be used to teach multiple concepts. We’ve organized our products into kits so you can choose a collection of materials that meets your classroom, school, or program needs. We’ll highlight a few of our favorite materials to show how our tactile learning strategies work.
One common tactile learning strategy is manipulatives. Number lines are among the most frequently used manipulatives in math, but they are usually limited to the size of a worksheet. Our Number Line to 10 floor mat gives young students a lifesize number line that they can walk and jump on with their whole bodies.
The Number Line to 10 mat includes numbers zero through ten in order. Each block on the mat includes the numeral, symbols corresponding to the quantity, and the number word spelled out. Use this mat to teach counting, 1 to 1 correspondence, addition, subtraction, odd and even numbers, and more!
Many of our activities on the Number Line to 10 mat use additional manipulatives. For instance, in the activity “Bean Bag Decides,” students toss a bean bag onto the mat and then hop to the number it lands on. In the game “Race-to-Ten,” students roll a die, add the numbers that they roll, and see who can reach ten first.
Number cards are another common manipulative used in math classes. Several of our materials, including our Place Value Hop mats, include large number cards to use on the mat!
Our Place Value Hop mats teach the fundamentals of multi-place number building. Students put the number cards in place value columns labeled on the floor mat. Then, they hop on the mat alongside the digits and say the number aloud using the place value prompts written on the mat.
The more students can touch and move the materials, the more they’re actively involved in the learning process. Here, by allowing students to build their own numbers, you’re empowering them to take charge of their own learning. This can lead to increased confidence and self-efficacy!
Using physical objects for counting in math class helps engage tactile learners. The Hop by Tens floor mat provides students with opportunities to do so on a large scale!
This mat features each multiple of 10 from 0 to 100 as numerals in order. Each multiple has its own block on the mat. Additionally, each block features an illustration of bundles of ten that correspond to the multiple.
For the activity “Groups of 10,” students place bundles of 10 popsicle sticks (or another similar small object) on each number. Then, students jump down the mat, stop at each number, and do jumping jacks for each group of ten. For example, on the 20 block, they will do two jumping jacks for two groups of ten. This activity helps students understand multiples and bundles of 10 while adding tactile and kinesthetic elements!
Keeping students engaged can be challenging, but incorporating tactile learning strategies into your classroom teaching methods can transform how students engage with lessons. It’s not about lecturing or reading from a textbook; it’s about creating an environment where students discover knowledge through experience.
On top of that, physical learning is fun for students! Tactile learning can be a core component of your school improvement plan or your math intervention program. When students are engaged and having fun, they are more likely to stay motivated to learn and less likely to feel overwhelmed or self-conscious about their abilities.
Overall, tactile learning strategies can significantly impact student engagement and achievement. When you use hands-on activities, you turn abstract concepts into interactive experiences.
Transform your classroom teaching methods with Math & Movement’s multi-sensory learning materials. Our research-backed program makes kinesthetic teaching strategies feasible for educators. We offer various resources, including a database of activities and virtual training, to support teachers in adopting active learning in classrooms.
Get started today by entering your email to receive a FREE copy of our Math & Movement Training Manual. This ebook features over 250 active math movements that educators can use throughout the school day. Best of all, they do not require any materials besides your students’ bodies and energy. So you can add a tactile element to your lesson plans right away!
Tactile learners learn best when physically touching or feeling what they’re learning. This usually involves holding or moving objects.
Some examples of tactile learning include:
Some benefits of a tactile learning style include better memory retention, increased engagement, deeper comprehension, and stronger motor skills development.
Tactile learners may struggle to learn in a traditional, sedentary classroom that relies on visual and auditory teaching methods. These students like to take an active role in their learning process rather than just watching or listening.
Tactile learners may benefit from trying the following study techniques:
Tactile learning involves using the sense of touch to gain new knowledge. On the other hand, kinesthetic learning uses physical activity or movement to gain new information. However, the two are very similar, and both involve physically interacting with a subject matter to understand it.
Feature image by Bianca Marie Arreola from corelens via Canva
Movement isn't just for recess
Want to get started with movement-based learning right now? Enter your email to get our training manual with over 250 active math movements. No materials necessary!
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