THE LEARNI NG S CI ENTI S TS

 
 

 
 
 JUN6

Dual Coding and Learning Styles

L EA R NI N G S C I EN TI S TS POS TS ,  FOR TEAC HER S , FOR PAR EN T S
By Megan Sumeracki

Dual coding and learning styles sound similar, but are not quite the same thing.
While dual coding has scientific evidence backing its use, learning styles has been
repeatedly tested and shown not to improve learning.

As I’ve mentioned in a previous post (see here), I have been working with a team of
learning scientists and teachers throughout the country to apply key evidence-based
learning strategies in the classroom. Along with two high school teachers from
Memphis Tennessee teaching Biology and English, we have been implementing dual
coding.

Dual coding is combining words and visuals such as pictures, diagrams, graphic
organizers, and so on. The idea is to provide two different representations of the
information, both visual and verbal, to help students understand the information
better. Adding visuals to a verbal description can make the presented ideas more
concrete, and provides two ways of understanding the presented ideas. Dual coding is
about more than just adding pictures. Instead, the visuals should be meaningful, and
students should have enough time to integrate the two representations (otherwise,
cognitive overload could occur, see this blog). There is scientific evidence backing
dual coding, showing that when we combine representations it is easier for students to
learn and understand the material.

At this point, the discussion of visual and verbal information likely has at least a few
readers thinking, “huh, this sounds like learning styles.” Surveys show that most
teachers and those outside of education are familiar with learning styles. In a survey
of average Americans, Yana Weinstein and I found that 93% of participants believed
in learning styles (1). Surveys of other groups have shown 93% of UK primary and
secondary school teachers (2), and 86% of college students believe in learning styles
(3). All of this is to say, if you’re thinking about learning styles you’re probably not
alone! Unfortunately, scientific research does not support the use of learning styles,
and that is not for lack of testing the theory (4)!
93% of average Americans (1) and UK primary and secondary school teachers (2) believe in learning styles.

Learning styles is the idea that individual people have a specific way or style of
learning that best suits them. The most popular styles are verbal, visual, auditory, and
kinesthetic, though other styles have been suggested. Importantly, according to
learning styles, learning instruction must be matched to an individual’s style in order
to maximize learning. Yet, time and again, research shows that matching type of
instruction to students’ styles does not improve learning.

What’s wrong with learning styles?

Personally, I can completely understand why the idea of learning styles is so popular.
It embraces the idea that we as individuals are different from one another, and it
allows us to consider our own preferences. Certainly, we all have ways that we prefer
to learn; I really enjoy listening and reading, but that does not mean my peers enjoy
the same things. People are different; but, the problem is that catering to preference
does not help students learn (and can even hurt their mindset about what they can
achieve).
Image from Department of Defense, 99th Air Base Wing Public Affair

Image from Pixabay

Instead, certain topics tend to have “styles” of their own. Even if a student prefers
verbal learning, imagine trying to learn how to ride a bike with a book? Or having a
surgeon who learned how to perform procedures entirely from a book? These types of
things inherently need kinesthetic components during learning. Similarly, it would be
more difficult to learn about human anatomy without any sort of visual diagram, and
only a verbal description. In a literature class, verbal material is necessary. What
seems to be more important for learning is considering what representations, verbal,
visual, kinesthetic etc., best match the topic being learned, instead of forcing content
to match each student’s style or preference.
It is important to acknowledge that while learning styles suggests that we diagnose
individual students and only present material to students in their specific style, this is
not typically how instruction via learning styles plays out in real classrooms. Instead,
teachers tend to present the material in a bunch of different styles to the whole class.
This approach starts to look like dual coding – combining representations – rather
than learning styles. This is a good step, but I would argue that this practice of using
learning styles is still problematic. In this scenario, students are still under the
impression that they have a specific style, and certain representations are “for them”
while other representations are “for others.” When students believe that they can only
learn in a certain way, they may then reject topic areas that do not conform as much to
their own style. The student who believes they are a kinesthetic learner might then say
they “can’t do” math or literature because they “only learn by physically doing”. This
belief is likely to restrict students, and could foster a fixed mindset. (To read more
about this, check out this Psychology Today article.)

A better, evidence-based approach

Staying away from learning styles speak with students and embracing dual coding will
avoid these problems, and is backed by science. With dual coding, teachers can
combine various representations for the students and explain that having these
different modalities helps them learn. Specifically encouraging students to integrate
the representations, and going slow enough to make sure they are able to understand
both representations and how they fit together helps. For the surgeon, there will
definitely be a lot of learning by doing (kinesthetic) and also auditory feedback during
practice, along with visual diagrams and verbal descriptions during study. The
combination of these modalities is important for learning and we should encourage
students to embrace the various modalities as all contributing to learning.
Image from Wikimedia Commons

At the high school in Memphis, I worked with the teachers to help integrate dual
coding in the classroom. As you might imagine, the Biology teacher was already
utilizing visuals and verbal material; Biology tends to be quite visual and those visuals
do not make sense to novices without verbal labels and a verbal explanation to go
with them. For this teacher, learning about dual coding meant having the scientific
evidence to back up what she was already doing. Throughout the last year, she also
talked a lot about utilizing dual coding more intentionally; knowing that the two
representations should go hand in hand, and that the students should integrate these
representations helped her to fine-tune her use of them.
An example outline from Mrs. Mueller’s English class

For the English teacher, Mrs. Lauren Mueller, using dual coding seemed more
complicated at the beginning. We certainly did not want to just add pictures for the
sake of adding them, as that would not help learning and could even hurt it by
producing cognitive overload. The English teacher had previously used graphic
organizers to help the students plan their writing. We were able to talk about the
graphic organizers serving as a visual representation of an essay. This teacher began
using graphic organizers more, and emphasizing the structure of the organizers. She
was able to scaffold the use of the organizers with the students, first providing full
structure and then beginning to take away some of the structure and ask the students
to produce it on their own. The goal was to help the students get to a point where they
could produce the structure themselves and then use it to write their essay. For this
teacher, thinking beyond just pictures and getting creative with visual representations
was key.

The feedback from the teachers has been positive, and the result of the project will be
a video talking more about what dual coding is, and showing how it can be utilized in
live classrooms with insights from the teachers and me! Stay tuned.

To read more about learning styles check out this blog by Carolina Keupper-Tetzel.
You can also check out a piece about Learning Styles from The Learning Agency,
with quotes from the teachers from Memphis and myself. To read about how to study
using dual coding, check out this blog.

References

(1) Smith, M. A., & Weinstein, Y. (2017). Intuition can be the enemy of instruction:
How science can help. Talk presented at ResearchED, Rugby, England.

(2) Dekker, S., Lee, N. C., Howard-Jones, P., & Joles, J. (2012). Neuromyths in
education: Prevalence and predictors of misconceptions among teachers. Frontiers in
Psychology, 3: 429.

(3) Nunes, L. D., Sumeracki, M. A., & Karpicke, J. D. (in prep). Learning strategies
and preferences: What do students do when they study.

(4) Pashler, H., McDaniel, M., Rohrer, D., & Bjork, R. (2008). Learning styles:
Concepts and evidence. Psychological Science in the Public Interest, 9, 105-119.
ME GA N S U MERA C KI
dual coding, learning styles
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At its core, dual coding is simple and rather intuitive. The theory is
based on the idea that our minds process visual cues and verbal
information separately and simultaneously. In the context of learning,
that means that materials that combine words and images are
especially effective. By presenting the same information in two
different formats, learners have more to call on when they try to
remember the information later.
 
For educators, dual coding provides a way to improve student learning
and engagement with material by providing them with more than one
way to understand and remember what they’re learned. 
 
It’s important to note here that dual coding is not about learning styles.
For a while, conventional wisdom said dictated that everyone learns
differently, and some people are visual learners while others are
verbal learners. Educators were encouraged to adapt their lessons to
better teach to multiple learning styles and improve learning
outcomes. The problem is there isn’t any actual evidence to support
the idea of distinct learning styles.  

By contrast, dual coding doesn’t lock learners into any specific

learning modalities by suggesting that some will respond better to
visual materials and other to auditory materials. Rather, dual coding
takes what we already know about how our brain processes different
types of information and applies it to learning. Just as importantly, it’s
backed up by decades of scientific research.   

So, while some students might prefer visual over written material, it
doesn’t mean that teachers need to convert all of their lessons to
images and videos. With dual coding, learning materials use a
combination of the visual and the verbal and students learn better
because of it.
For educators, dual coding provides a way to improve student learning and
engagement with material by providing them with more than one way to
understand and remember what they’re learned.
Why Does Dual Coding Work?
Dual coding relies on the fact that the brain automatically associates visual
representations with verbal and vice versa. For example, if you hear the word apple,
you’ll probably have an image of a shiny red fruit in your mind. Likewise, when you see
a bowl of apples, the word “apples”  will jump into your mind. 

Similarly, while reading books, most people have mental images of the characters and
setting. The dual coding explains why that is. Different types of cues can be used to tap
into things that we remember. Verbal cues can spark visual memories and visual cues
can spark verbal memories, while many cues spark both. 

Research suggests that dual coding in learning provides both verbal and visual cues to
associate with a memory, making it easier to recall.

In one study, students were taught how to use a bike pump with one of four methods: 1)
animation demonstration of operating the pump  2) verbal narration 3) animation with
narration 4) no instruction. Not surprisingly, the group that received no instruction
performed worse on the retention test than all the other groups. However, on the
problem-solving test, the group that was taught with animation plus verbal instruction
performed the best. 

Another study challenged students to assemble toys using pictures, written instructions,

or a combination. Again, the combination of visual and verbal instruction provides
improved learning outcomes compared to the students learning with a single media
type. 
The evidence here is clear. Dual coding works and, when used correctly, can give
students a learning advantage.

According to learning scientist Dr. Megan Sumeracki, “When used well, combining
those can provide two ways of remembering the information… We tend to learn best
when we combine multiple modalities together.”

Different types of cues can be used to tap into things that we remember.
Verbal cues can spark visual memories and visual cues can spark verbal
memories, while many cues spark both.

Dual Coding Integration

As Lauren Mueller experienced, incorporating dual coding into the
classroom does not need to be a heavy lift. Even when presented with
seperate visualizations and text materials, students have the ability to
integrate the two into a consolidated concept. For example, when a
student reads a passage about photosynthesis then later sees a
separate diagram of the process, they can automatically make the
connection between the verbal and visual representations of the same
concept. Dual coding just combines the two representations so
students are able to focus on the concept itself rather than the
integration process. 

Many materials used in everyday classrooms can be used. Written

materials can be supported with visuals while visuals material can be
described with words. Materials like labeled drawings, infographics,
videos or slideshows with subtitles or audio narrations are all simple
ways to bring dual coding into the classroom. Even the addition of
symbols or icons to text materials can help support this type of
learning. For more interactive exercises, students can complete
diagrams, timelines, practice sketch noting (visual note-taking), or
graphic organizers.

One important thing to keep in mind when incorporating dual coding is

that process multiple cues simultaneously can be overwhelming for
students if not done appropriately. Be careful not to add extra
information where it may be unnecessary or even unhelpful. 
So a diagram that depicts fractions using pie slices might be helpful to
add to a fractions worksheet but confusing or distracting on an times
table worksheet. Visuals should always support verbal material and
vice versa. Simplified depictions and descriptions are the most
effective. Anything overly detailed or irrelevant information
is distracting to students.

One recent study assessed cognitive overload in college students

interacting with multimedia materials. The researchers found that
segmenting and distinguishing relevant and irrelevant information
promotes better learning strategies and helps students better process
material.

Repetition and retrieval are particularly valuable when implementing

dual coding. Using repetition of dual coding activities can help
information stick and retrieval resurfaces learned material to ensure
students have not forgotten it.   
 
LaShaundra Cox, a biology teacher at Douglass High, has also
implemented dual coding in her classroom. Like fellow teacher
Mueller, she found the technique helpful and observed positive effects
in her students. Cox is a big believer in letting her students work
through problems on their own, without “babying” them, finding that
they learn better when they struggle productively.  “[]it’s better when
they have to produce the visual rather than using the visual that’s
already made.”
 
Take care that students are up to that type of independent work,
especially when incorporating new learning strategies like dual coding
into the classroom. As Dr. Sumeracki suggests, in some cases,
providing students with simple diagrams may be necessary. Especially
“if they’re not there yet, if they just stare at a blank piece of paper.”
 
Cox added, “dual coding works, if you use the strategy the right way
and you use it intentionally.”
 Many materials used in everyday classrooms can be used. Written materials
can be supported with visuals while visuals material can be described with
words. Materials like labeled drawings, infographics, videos or slideshows
with subtitles or audio narrations are all simple ways to bring dual coding
into the classroom.

At its core, dual coding is simple and rather intuitive. The theory is
based on the idea that our minds process visual cues and verbal
information separately and simultaneously. In the context of learning,
that means that materials that combine words and images are
especially effective. By presenting the same information in two
different formats, learners have more to call on when they try to
remember the information later.
 
For educators, dual coding provides a way to improve student learning
and engagement with material by providing them with more than one
way to understand and remember what they’re learned. 
 
It’s important to note here that dual coding is not about learning styles.
For a while, conventional wisdom said dictated that everyone learns
differently, and some people are visual learners while others are
verbal learners. Educators were encouraged to adapt their lessons to
better teach to multiple learning styles and improve learning
outcomes. The problem is there isn’t any actual evidence to support
the idea of distinct learning styles.  

By contrast, dual coding doesn’t lock learners into any specific

learning modalities by suggesting that some will respond better to
visual materials and other to auditory materials. Rather, dual coding
takes what we already know about how our brain processes different
types of information and applies it to learning. Just as importantly, it’s
backed up by decades of scientific research.   

So, while some students might prefer visual over written material, it
doesn’t mean that teachers need to convert all of their lessons to
images and videos. With dual coding, learning materials use a
combination of the visual and the verbal and students learn better
because of it.

For educators, dual coding provides a way to improve student learning and
engagement with material by providing them with more than one way to
understand and remember what they’re learned.
Why Does Dual Coding Work?
Dual coding relies on the fact that the brain automatically associates visual
representations with verbal and vice versa. For example, if you hear the word apple,
you’ll probably have an image of a shiny red fruit in your mind. Likewise, when you see
a bowl of apples, the word “apples”  will jump into your mind. 

Similarly, while reading books, most people have mental images of the characters and
setting. The dual coding explains why that is. Different types of cues can be used to tap
into things that we remember. Verbal cues can spark visual memories and visual cues
can spark verbal memories, while many cues spark both. 

Research suggests that dual coding in learning provides both verbal and visual cues to
associate with a memory, making it easier to recall.

In one study, students were taught how to use a bike pump with one of four methods: 1)
animation demonstration of operating the pump  2) verbal narration 3) animation with
narration 4) no instruction. Not surprisingly, the group that received no instruction
performed worse on the retention test than all the other groups. However, on the
problem-solving test, the group that was taught with animation plus verbal instruction
performed the best. 

Another study challenged students to assemble toys using pictures, written instructions,

or a combination. Again, the combination of visual and verbal instruction provides
improved learning outcomes compared to the students learning with a single media
type. 
The evidence here is clear. Dual coding works and, when used correctly, can give
students a learning advantage.

According to learning scientist Dr. Megan Sumeracki, “When used well, combining
those can provide two ways of remembering the information… We tend to learn best
when we combine multiple modalities together.”

Different types of cues can be used to tap into things that we remember.
Verbal cues can spark visual memories and visual cues can spark verbal
memories, while many cues spark both.

Dual Coding Integration

As Lauren Mueller experienced, incorporating dual coding into the
classroom does not need to be a heavy lift. Even when presented with
seperate visualizations and text materials, students have the ability to
integrate the two into a consolidated concept. For example, when a
student reads a passage about photosynthesis then later sees a
separate diagram of the process, they can automatically make the
connection between the verbal and visual representations of the same
concept. Dual coding just combines the two representations so
students are able to focus on the concept itself rather than the
integration process. 

Many materials used in everyday classrooms can be used. Written

materials can be supported with visuals while visuals material can be
described with words. Materials like labeled drawings, infographics,
videos or slideshows with subtitles or audio narrations are all simple
ways to bring dual coding into the classroom. Even the addition of
symbols or icons to text materials can help support this type of
learning. For more interactive exercises, students can complete
diagrams, timelines, practice sketch noting (visual note-taking), or
graphic organizers.

One important thing to keep in mind when incorporating dual coding is

that process multiple cues simultaneously can be overwhelming for
students if not done appropriately. Be careful not to add extra
information where it may be unnecessary or even unhelpful. 
So a diagram that depicts fractions using pie slices might be helpful to
add to a fractions worksheet but confusing or distracting on an times
table worksheet. Visuals should always support verbal material and
vice versa. Simplified depictions and descriptions are the most
effective. Anything overly detailed or irrelevant information
is distracting to students.

One recent study assessed cognitive overload in college students

interacting with multimedia materials. The researchers found that
segmenting and distinguishing relevant and irrelevant information
promotes better learning strategies and helps students better process
material.

Repetition and retrieval are particularly valuable when implementing

dual coding. Using repetition of dual coding activities can help
information stick and retrieval resurfaces learned material to ensure
students have not forgotten it.   
 
LaShaundra Cox, a biology teacher at Douglass High, has also
implemented dual coding in her classroom. Like fellow teacher
Mueller, she found the technique helpful and observed positive effects
in her students. Cox is a big believer in letting her students work
through problems on their own, without “babying” them, finding that
they learn better when they struggle productively.  “[]it’s better when
they have to produce the visual rather than using the visual that’s
already made.”
 
Take care that students are up to that type of independent work,
especially when incorporating new learning strategies like dual coding
into the classroom. As Dr. Sumeracki suggests, in some cases,
providing students with simple diagrams may be necessary. Especially
“if they’re not there yet, if they just stare at a blank piece of paper.”
 
Cox added, “dual coding works, if you use the strategy the right way
and you use it intentionally.”
 Many materials used in everyday classrooms can be used. Written materials
can be supported with visuals while visuals material can be described with
words. Materials like labeled drawings, infographics, videos or slideshows
with subtitles or audio narrations are all simple ways to bring dual coding
into the classroom.

School: Douglass High School, Memphis TN 

n the 1970s, Allan Paivio theorised that people process verbal and visual information
separately and at the same time. This theory became known as ‘dual coding’.

In the classroom, this could mean displaying a visual image whilst explaining a concept
to your class. Your students see and hear the same information presented in two
different ways. This helps them to remember it.

If you share verbal explanations (or written text) and visual images simultaneously, your
students will process the information more easily. They are more likely to retain
knowledge.

What Isn’t Dual Coding?

Dual coding is not the same as ‘learning styles’ although they can seem similar.

The idea of teaching to a student’s particular learning style (visual, auditory,

kinaesthetic) was very popular in schools. Children were encouraged to find out what
‘type’ of learner they were. Teachers tailored lessons to suit their preferred learning
style.

Teaching to particular learning styles has been repeatedly tested and there is no
evidence to suggest it helps improve learning.

Dual coding is different. It is based on scientific evidence. It looks at how the brain
processes information rather than students deciding how they think they learn best.

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 Why Use Dual Coding?
It is common to teach by talking to your class or asking them to read pieces of text. By
adding visuals, you can present the information more clearly.

For example, imagine I said the word ‘house’ to you. When you hear the word, you will
also have a mental image of what a house looks like. Both your visual image and the
word can be used to recall the information stored in your brain.

When you talk to your class, your students try to remember everything you have said.
But our brains can only hold a small amount of information at one time. Much of what is
said is immediately forgotten. Dual coding helps increase the amount of information
remembered.

Types of visuals you can use include:

 Diagrams

 Graphic organisers

 Timelines

 Cartoon strips

 Graphs and tables of information

 Infographics

 Pictures

 Posters

 Sketch noting

 Icons and symbols

How to Use Dual Coding in Your Classroom

Dual coding works with all ages and across the curriculum. The trick is to allow time for
your students to process the visual image before you start talking.

Explain the idea slowly so they understand and make sure they can see how your visual
fits together with your verbal explanation.

The visuals you use must be carefully planned and useful to your learners. They are not
just decorations. They should help students understand, not confuse them.
The Problem with Text
Are you in the habit of displaying text on a whiteboard whilst you speak to your class?
You’re not alone. It is common to see teachers sharing chunks of written information
whilst they speak.

The problem comes when the students try to listen and read information at the same
time. They can’t do both and so they become overloaded.

Treat written words and spoken words as the same thing. Your brain treats them both
as verbal communication. Only use one at a time with your students. Don’t try to use
written text as a visual representation.

Creating the Perfect Visual Representation

It’s tempting to stick any image onto a PowerPoint slide and call it dual coding. Sadly,
it’s not that easy.

Dual coding only works when the visual representation is meaningful. It must directly
relate to the verbal information.
 Videos and photographs do not work well for dual coding because they present too
much background information. This will leave your students feeling overwhelmed. If you
use a photo, make sure it is extremely clear with little background detail.

The perfect visual:

 Is simple to understand

 Directly links to the verbal information

 Has white space around it

 Uses simple colours and patterns

 Is more than just decoration

Don’t worry about your artistic abilities. Dual coding is about presenting information
clearly, not beautifully.

Encourage your students to draw their own visual representations. Let them compare
examples with each other.

If you have written text, keep the visual as close as possible to the writing. Any distance
between them will add mental workload to your students.

Avoid:

 Putting text and visuals on separate pages

 Using a separate key with graphs

 Sharing lots of different visuals – stick to one at a time

Getting Started with Dual Coding

You are probably already using dual coding in your classroom. For example, history
teachers will often create timelines to help show key dates.

Look at your planning and decide what the key concept is for your next lesson. Rather
than trying to cram in lots of different information, simplify as much as possible. Ask
yourself what your children must have learned by the time they finish the lesson.

Choose a visual representation that will support this concept. Keep it as simple as
possible. Allow your students time to look at it before you start speaking. Reduce any
unnecessary background distractions.
Final Thoughts about Dual Coding
Dual coding is not new, but it can have a significant impact on the way you teach.
Thinking about the visual representations you present to your students will help you
maximise learning.

Used well, dual coding improves students’ retention of information and reduces the
cognitive load when learning new concepts.

Creating or finding the perfect visual takes time, but it is well worth your efforts.
Embrace dual coding and enjoy the benefits in your classroom.