Stikky

Description

One of the things that sets Stikky books apart from traditional How To books is the use of an image on every page. What is the rationale? We use images in a way that psychologists would describe as Stimulus-Response. If I tell you that the Big Dipper points to Polaris which is to the north, then I have imparted some knowledge to you. But there are several hurdles to jump before you have gained anything of value: you have to remember the facts; you have to be able to decode them (what part of the Big Dipper points to Polaris?); you have to recognize a situation in which you can use them (looking at the night sky); and you have to apply them successfully in that situation. Our research and anecdotal experience suggests that very few people will successfully clear all of these hurdles, with the result that a large proportion of what people 'learn' from books is lost. Suppose instead that I simulate the environment where you will have a chance to use the knowledge, in this case a realistic image of the sky, and have you find the Big Dipper, find Polaris and find north. The next time you look at the night sky you may be reminded of the image I showed you. Whether you can apply your skill in the real sky will depend on how similar what I showed you was to the real thing. (Though there is some evidence that the simulation does not need to be perfect: software designers often use 'paper prototypes' to gauge use reactions without actually building the software, see ). Microworlds The images in this example are filling at least three roles. First they form a 'microworld'--a simplified learning environment where you can concentrate on getting one this right at a time. Modern methods to teach people to ski create a microworld where everything is the same as real skiing except the skis, which are a lot shorter and so far easier to handle. Beginner skiers get to practice correct technique without falling over all the time

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