Use Visual Aids¶

Strategy · All strategies
Evidence · 5 claims (5 for) · 12 studies (4 causal, 4 quant-synthesis, 3 review, 1 theoretical), q2–q4 · 4 of 12 report an effect size · 2 claims rest on one study

Description¶

Supplementing verbal instructions with visual aids means pairing spoken or written explanation with images, diagrams, charts, or demonstrations that represent the same content. The visual and verbal channels carry complementary information, so learners can integrate meaning across both rather than parsing everything through language alone.

Design Implications¶

Visual aids exploit the separation of visual and auditory processing channels in working memory: presenting words and corresponding pictures simultaneously expands effective working memory capacity beyond what words alone allow Dual coding of verbal and visual information improves recall and comprehension. [+S]. The benefit is largest for learners with limited language proficiency or low prior knowledge, for whom visuals provide an alternative entry point into meaning [~M]. However, visuals must be relevant and integrated with the words — decorative or tangential graphics impose extraneous load and depress learning Irrelevant graphics and text reduce learning by imposing extraneous cognitive load. [+S].

Context¶

Requirements¶

• Visuals that correspond directly to the verbal content (same referents, same sequence), not generic decoration
• Spatial or temporal contiguity: the image appears next to, or simultaneously with, the relevant words Separating related words and pictures in time or space impairs learning. [+M]
• Legible, uncluttered design — one idea per visual, labeled parts, minimal text embedded in the image
• A way for learners to connect visual to verbal: narration, labels, or an Advance Organizer that frames the structure

Constraints¶

• Irrelevant or decorative visuals reduce learning by adding extraneous load Irrelevant graphics and text reduce learning by imposing extraneous cognitive load. [-S]
• Overloading a single diagram with too much information exceeds working memory; breaking content into chunks is necessary Chunking information into meaningful units reduces working memory overload. [+S]
• On-screen text read aloud verbatim (redundancy) can hurt learning for fluent readers, who must reconcile two identical verbal streams [~M]
• Visuals help little when the task itself is purely verbal (e.g., pronunciation, argumentation quality) or when learners already have fluent mental models — for experts, well-designed visuals may be redundant [~M]

Implementation Variability¶

• Static diagrams vs. animations: animations help for dynamic processes but can be transient and hard to re-inspect; static frames with learner control often perform as well or better [~M]
• Graphic organizers, timelines, and concept maps as structural aids vs. realistic images as content aids
• Learner-generated visuals (drawing, sketchnoting) as a deeper-processing variant Drawing or sketching content improves recall by forcing generative processing. [+M]

Target Learners¶

• Novices and low-prior-knowledge learners, who lack mental models to organize verbal input alone [~M]
• English language learners and learners with limited academic language proficiency, for whom visuals anchor meaning [~W]
• Young learners whose verbal comprehension outstrips their reading fluency
• Less useful for experts, for whom well-designed visuals may add redundancy without benefit [~M]

Target Learning Goals¶

• Comprehension of processes, structures, and spatial relationships (life cycles, circuit diagrams, historical timelines)
• Vocabulary and concept acquisition anchored to referents
• Procedural understanding when paired with Demonstration

Instructions¶

1. Identify the core structure of the content (sequence, hierarchy, cause-effect, part-whole) and choose a visual form that matches it — a flowchart for a process, a map for spatial content, a table for comparisons.
2. Draft the visual first, then write the verbal explanation to align with it; keep both free of extraneous detail Irrelevant graphics and text reduce learning by imposing extraneous cognitive load. [+S].
3. Present words and picture contiguously — same screen, same moment — and narrate rather than duplicating on-screen text Separating related words and pictures in time or space impairs learning. [+M].
4. Support integration with labels, arrows, or a brief Advance Organizer telling learners what to look for.
5. Follow with an activity that requires learners to use or reproduce the visual — labeling a blank diagram, drawing their own version, or explaining the visual to a peer.

Related Strategies¶

• Use Worked Examples — worked examples are visual aids applied to problem solving; the solution steps function as a procedural diagram
• Activate Background Knowledge — visuals can serve as the activation stimulus, surfacing prior knowledge before new content
• Chunking Information — visual grouping is a primary chunking mechanism

Examples¶

• Khan Academy (https://www.khanacademy.org) — narrated problem solving with synchronized on-screen writing; the visual trace and the narration carry complementary information.
• PhET Interactive Simulations (https://phet.colorado.edu) — science simulations where learners manipulate visual models (circuits, gas particles) alongside verbal prompts, making invisible mechanisms visible.
• A science teacher explaining photosynthesis with a labeled diagram built incrementally during the explanation, rather than showing the finished diagram first — each visual element appears as it is discussed.

Key Sources¶

• Mayer, R. E. (2009). Multimedia learning (2nd ed.). Cambridge University Press. doi:10.1017/CBO9780511811678
• Paivio, A. (1990). Mental representations: A dual coding approach. Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195066661.001.0001
• Clark, R. C., & Mayer, R. E. (2016). E-Learning and the Science of Instruction (4th ed.). Wiley. doi:10.1002/9781119239086
• Mayer, R. E., & Fiorella, L. (2014). Principles for reducing extraneous processing in multimedia learning: Coherence, signaling, redundancy, spatial contiguity, and temporal contiguity principles. In R. E. Mayer (Ed.), The Cambridge Handbook of Multimedia Learning (2nd ed., pp. 279–315). Cambridge University Press. doi:10.1017/cbo9781139547369.015