Current Efficacy Research for the Visualizing and Verbalizing® Program (V/V)
The Visualizing and Verbalizing® (V/V®) program develops concept imagery – the ability to create mental representations from language – as a basis for comprehension and higher order thinking. V/V is based on the tenets of Dual Coding Theory, which states that cognition requires an interplay between two systems—a verbal system specialized for language, and a nonverbal system specialized for processing nonverbal information in the form of modality-based mental images (Paivio, 2014; Sadoski & Krasny, 2019; Sadoski & Paivio, 2007). The development of concept imagery targets this imagery-language connection, leading to improvements in reading and listening comprehension, memory, oral vocabulary, critical thinking, and writing.
V/V sequentially stimulates concept imagery for oral and written language. Through a series of steps, students learn to create an imaged gestalt (whole), and to integrate imagery with language as a basis for all aspects of cognition, especially comprehension, vocabulary, and higher order thinking. The program’s focus on concept imagery facilitates growth in the skills of 1) metacognition for comprehending oral and written language, 2) learning and retaining new vocabulary, 3) recalling key details in text to aid in comprehension, and 4) higher order thinking, such as getting the main idea, inferencing, predicting, evaluating, and drawing conclusions.
The skill of concept imagery is often assumed for fluent decoders. However, decoding fluency does not guarantee comprehension. Further, concept imagery is a critical foundation for good comprehension strategies. By explicitly developing a metacognitive strategy for vocabulary and comprehension, students can better access rigorous content standards. Instruction is explicit, systematic, and cumulative, and includes sample lessons on a specific scope and sequence for teachers to follow while differentiating instruction. Along with direct instruction, the instructional pedagogy employs a Socratic questioning strategy to develop student independence in their own learning process. The steps and strategies of V/V, though primarily used as an intervention for individuals weak in comprehension, can also integrate with any curriculum or language arts program.
