Use multiple modalities to encode information, not just one

Read about it, draw it, say it aloud, and use it in an example — all in one session.

Why it works

Dual coding theory (Paivio) shows that encoding information in both verbal and visual form creates two independent memory traces and two retrieval routes. This is not learning-styles thinking (do what matches your type) — it is the opposite: use multiple modalities for the same content to multiply encoding pathways. The more different retrieval cues are associated with a memory, the more reliably it is retrieved.

How to do it

1. When learning a concept, read the text version, draw a diagram of the relationships, explain it aloud to yourself, and write a concrete example.
2. Do this in a single session rather than splitting modalities across sessions.
3. The goal is richness of encoding, not adherence to a single preferred style.

Evidence

Paivio’s dual coding theory is well supported: concrete words and pictures, when encoded together, are better recalled than either alone. The principle generalizes to adding any additional processing modality that creates an additional, accurate encoding. Moreno & Mayer (1999) sharpen the condition: pairing words with pictures across separate channels (the modality principle) improves learning, which is why combining modalities on the same content — not matching one to a supposed style — is the effective move. (observational)

Adding more modalities is not always better — redundant or irrelevant modalities can produce cognitive overload rather than richer encoding (Mayer’s redundancy effect).

Sources

• Paivio (1971), Imagery and Verbal Processes
• Mayer (2001), Multimedia Learning (cognitive theory of multimedia learning)
• Clark, J. M., & Paivio, A. (1991). Dual Coding Theory and Education. Educational Psychology Review, 3(3), 149–210.
• Moreno, R., & Mayer, R. E. (1999). Cognitive Principles of Multimedia Learning: The Role of Modality and Contiguity. Journal of Educational Psychology, 91(2), 358–368.

Common mistake

Treating multimodal encoding as "do it in your preferred style" — the benefit is from encoding in additional, different modalities beyond your preference, not in restricting to one.