Show Me¶

Strategy · All strategies
Evidence · 3 claims (3 for) · 5 studies (3 causal, 2 review), q2–q3 · 0 of 5 report an effect size · 2 claims rest on one study

Description¶

Show Me means presenting key information, directions, and task structures visually — on slides, the board, or a shared document — at the same time they are delivered verbally. The visual channel provides reinforcement, a permanent reference learners can return to, and a second route into the content for anyone who missed or misprocessed the spoken version.

Design Implications¶

Presenting verbal content in a coordinated visual form exploits the two independent processing channels of Dual Coding Theory: combining words with relevant pictures or text displays improves recall and retention compared with words alone Media combinations affect recall and retention. [+M]. The strategy only works when the visual is congruent with the spoken message — redundant decoration or text that merely duplicates narration word-for-word can add load rather than reduce it [~M].

Context¶

Requirements¶

• Visuals that are legible, high-contrast, and directly tied to the learning goal — not decorative
• Coordination of speech and display: learners need time to read before the narration moves on (Chunking the presentation into segments helps) Chunking reduces working memory load. [+M]
• The visual must persist long enough to serve as a reference — leave directions on the board during work time, not just during explanation
• Emphasis that directs attention to what matters, since learners attend to what is visually salient Relevancy of emphasis directs attention. [+M]

Constraints¶

• Word-for-word on-screen text read aloud verbatim creates redundancy that can hurt learning, especially for slower readers [~M] — show the outline or diagram, don't transcribe the lecture
• Cluttered slides overload working memory just as effectively as fast speech; every added element competes for attention [-M]
• The strategy assumes learners notice when they have missed something spoken; students with weak metacognitive monitoring may not use the visual to backfill gaps [~W]
• Poorly designed or mismatched visuals can mislead — an inaccurate diagram is worse than none [-M]

Implementation Variability¶

• Live board work: teacher builds the visual incrementally while explaining, controlling the pace of appearance
• Slide decks: pre-built visuals with progressive disclosure (builds, animation, or sectioned slides)
• Permanent reference: posted task directions, anchor charts, or a shared document learners revisit during independent work
• Student-facing capture: photographing or exporting the board so learners who process slowly can review at their own pace

Target Learners¶

• Learners with auditory processing challenges or hearing differences, for whom speech alone is an unreliable channel [+W]
• Second-language learners, who benefit from written reinforcement of spoken academic language [+W]
• Learners with limited working memory capacity, for whom a persistent external display offloads the need to hold directions in mind Chunking reduces working memory load. [+M]
• All learners benefit when visuals are well-designed; the differential benefit is largest for those who struggle with speech-only delivery

Target Learning Goals¶

• Comprehension of new concepts presented through lecture or explanation
• Procedural follow-through: learners can re-check multi-step directions without asking
• Retention of key content through dual-channel encoding Media combinations affect recall and retention. [+M]

Instructions¶

1. Identify the information that must survive beyond the moment it is spoken — directions, key definitions, task structures, worked steps.
2. Design the visual to add to the speech (a diagram, a labeled example, a step list), not repeat it verbatim; apply multimedia design principles such as signaling and segmenting Clark & Mayer's multimedia principles. [+S]
3. Present the visual before or with the verbal explanation, giving learners time to process it — an Advance Organizer shown first primes the explanation.
4. Use emphasis deliberately — color, underlining, spatial grouping — to signal structure and priority Relevancy of emphasis directs attention. [+M].
5. Keep the visual visible during the activity that follows, so learners can self-serve when they lose track.
6. Check uptake: ask learners to restate directions from the board, and adjust visual design based on where they still get stuck.

Related Strategies¶

• Chunking — segmenting the visual presentation controls how much load each display moment carries
• Activating Prior Knowledge — the opening visual can serve as the activation prompt before explanation begins
• Invite students to co-facilitate tasks by typing content into the shared whiteboard or chat

Related Elements¶

• Advance Organizers — a Show Me visual shown before instruction functions as an organizer for what follows
• Analogies — visual analogies give the spoken explanation a concrete image to anchor to
• Direct Instruction — Show Me is the visual-presentation component of a directed explanation

Patterns That Use This Strategy¶

• Gagné's 9 Events of Instruction — "present the content" and "provide learning guidance" events
• Direct Instruction — structured explanations depend on clear, coordinated visual presentation

Tools¶

• Slide tools (PowerPoint, Google Slides, Keynote) with progressive builds
• Interactive whiteboards (SMART Board, Jamboard successors) for live board work
• Document cameras for projecting handwritten work in real time

Examples¶

• A middle-school science teacher posts the lab safety steps on the board while explaining them verbally, then leaves them posted throughout the activity so groups can self-check without interrupting.
• A university lecturer uses slides that show a labeled diagram while narrating the process, following multimedia design principles rather than displaying paragraph-length text Mayer's multimedia learning research. [+S]
• An elementary teacher photographs the co-created anchor chart and posts it to the class site so multilingual learners can revisit vocabulary with families at home.

Assessment Evidence¶

• Observe how frequently learners consult the visual during independent work — high consultation of directions suggests the spoken-only version was insufficient.
• Compare task follow-through (steps completed correctly without re-explanation) when directions are spoken-only versus spoken-plus-displayed.
• Ask learners directly which visual formats helped them catch information they missed in speech.

Key Sources¶

• Mayer, R. E. (2009). Multimedia learning (2nd ed.). Cambridge University Press. doi:10.1017/CBO9780511811678
• Clark, R. C., & Mayer, R. E. (2016). E-Learning and the Science of Instruction (4th ed.). Wiley. doi:10.1002/9781119239086
• Clark, J. M., & Paivio, A. (1991). Dual coding theory and education. Educational Psychology Review, 3(3), 149–210. doi:10.1007/bf01320076
• Sweller, J., van Merriënboer, J. J. G., & Paas, F. (1998). Cognitive architecture and instructional design. Educational Psychology Review, 10(3), 251–296. doi:10.1023/A:1022193728205