If you were to walk into any UK secondary school today, I doubt you would have to look very far to find evidence of dual coding theory being used.
In all likelihood, you will see a “learning journey” display as you enter a department, complete with the tell-tale iconography.
There could well be a PowerPoint presentation incorporating dual coding and numerous resources utilising the dual coding approach.
Dual coding is now seemingly so established in our schools that you could be forgiven for not wanting to ask about it for fear of appearing behind the times. So, what exactly is dual coding? What could you do to incorporate it in your lessons? And what should you make sure you avoid doing?
Its takeover of British classrooms may be relatively recent, but dual coding theory dates back to 1971 when Canadian psychologist and former body builder Allan Paivio published his hypothesis (Paivio 1971, 1986).
Put simply, Paivio believed that there are two, separate yet connected, channels that feed our working memory – one visual and one verbal. By catering for both channels simultaneously, the theory goes, information and concepts are more likely to be understood and retained. So far, so straightforward. But what’s the best way for you to put it into practice? It might not be as big an undertaking as you imagine.
Practical steps for using dual coding
Many people get hung up on the icons and infographics – but they are not essential for effective dual coding practice to take place. By displaying an appropriate image, which could be a photograph, a painting, or a diagram, at the same time as you are explaining something to a class, you are feeding both channels.
According to the theory, the more permanent nature of the image anchors the ephemeral words of the teacher– improving the chances of the knowledge being retained.
Dual coding is not the sole preserve of the teacher. You might have some go-to classic classroom tasks such as creating a timeline for a novel, historical incident, or scientific process. These can very quickly and easily be adapted to incorporate dual coding theory by requiring the pupils to create a visual representation of the words they have written. The act of doing this will bring their visual channel into play and make the knowledge more “sticky”.
If you draw images or diagrams on the board as you explain something, it is not the “talk and chalk” approach of yesteryear that was so frowned upon. It might seem simple but by limiting your work with the pen purely to visuals, you are feeding both channels, which is the key to good dual coding practice.
Finally, there is no need to throw out much loved resources in the name of dual coding – especially when they have proven to be effective over many years of teaching. Instead, you can enhance these resources by adding icons to descriptions and definitions. It is strangely addictive though and hours can be lost looking for just the right image!
Common mistakes to avoid.
Teachers of a certain vintage may remember the VAK learning of the naughties and think it has been rebranded as dual coding, so it is important to understand that there are some fundamental differences.
For a start, there is clear and growing evidence for the effectiveness of dual coding. That evidence simply doesn’t exist for the learning styles approach.
The key word in dual coding is dual – as in two things. Don’t fall into the trap of thinking you are catering for “visual learners” by incorporating images. The visuals must be tethered to verbal stimulus, either written or spoken, for dual coding to take place.
It is easy to get carried away in your search for the images to accompany your words and create a PowerPoint slide that is jam-packed with arresting visuals. This can have the effect of distracting and confusing the learners by overloading the visual channel. A single, large, well-chosen image is far more effective than numerous smaller ones.
Certain pupils, you know the ones, take enormous pride in their work. Asking them to add visuals to something like a timeline could potentially mean a five-minute task will stretch into half an hour of shading and calligraphy. It is important that the reason for the imagery is clearly explained, and strict time limits are applied. For most of us, this will not be an art lesson and stick-people are not only fine, they are positively encouraged!
Although drawing diagrams and cartoons while you are talking is great practice, try to avoid writing words on the board as you talk. The information from both written and heard words will overload the verbal channel. For the same reason, teachers should not speak over what pupils are reading.
Final thought
Unlike some teaching and learning approaches and initiatives of the recent past, dual coding is not going away anytime soon. This is because there is evidence of the effectiveness of dual coding.
Incorporating it into your schemes and lessons need not mean radical changes to either your approach or your resources. Rather, some well-judged tweaks and amendments could lead to far more of what you are teaching being retained by your pupils.
- James Ball is an experienced history teacher and head of department who has also authored a number of key stage 3 and 4 textbooks. He now works as a freelance education writer, content creator and copywriter. Visit www.ballpointcopy.co.uk
Further information & resources
- Paivio: Imagery and Verbal Processes, Holt, Rinehart & Winston, 1971.
- Paivio: Mental Representations, Oxford University Press, 1986.
- SecEd: Dual coding: 16 ideas for the classroom, 2022: http://bit.ly/3s5qX9u