Skinny White
Common sense tells us that young adults who grew up learning online have different attention and expectations for information delivery than those of the pre-internet age. The internet experience is quick, staccato-like, with lots of visuals - unlike anything that existed before it. As a result, the young adult does not have the patience for linear, page after page of text - specifically, the traditional textbook. They want The Skinny - a succinct synthesis of only what they need to know - no more or less.
It is our position that the format in which information is presented to students needs to be crafted to engage the internet-age reader. Crafted in The Skinny style. Whether delivered in old-fashioned print (books) or digitally (online learning), material should be presented in a style that meshes with the young adult mind - used to receiving content in short and fast bytes with lots of visuals and white space in between.
It is for this reason that we have developed The Skinny book series with several distinctions from traditional nonfiction writings:
1. Less material - a synthesis. Longer is not better. Our books are "skinny".
Length does not equate to impact. A University of California study compared the comprehension levels of students who received a 600-word explanation of how lightning formed with those who received an 80-word summary. The latter group scored significantly higher.
"A common instructional practice is to provide a lengthy verbal explanation, such as a textbook passage or classroom lecture. Indeed, instructors may believe that providing a lengthy verbal explanation fulfills their responsibility to provide information to the learner. Unfortunately, this practice is not very efficient for students... In the present study, there was no instructional treatment more effective in promoting retention and transfer than a summary. By reducing the load on the cognitive system, summaries may enable students to carry out the cognitive processes necessary for meaningful learning."
When Less is More: Meaningful Learning from Visual and Verbal Summaries
- Mayer, Bove, Bryman (Journal of Educational Psychology, 1996)
2. Shorter sentences - on average about 20% fewer words per sentence. Our sentences are "skinny".
Given shortened attention spans, "less is more."
"In an environment with a higher degree of distraction and heavier information demands, we often have the feeling of being distracted and unfocused... (the result is) INFOSTRESS... we must always be aware of the limited scope we have for receiving information."
The Overflowing Brain: Information Overload and Limits of Working Memory
- Torkel Klingberg, Stockholm Brain Institute (2009)
3. Lots of visuals and white space. Our presentation is "skinny".
We know that people learn in different ways but most of us learn visually. Drawings, photos, symbols, charts and graphs assist the learning process.
"Psychologists have recognized the importance of the capacity to use various kinds of symbols... we garner messages through words, pictures, gestures, numbers, patterns and a whole lot of other symbolic forms."
Multiple Intelligences
- Howard Gardner (Perseus, 2006)
In every one of 11 recent studies, students who received information in words and pictures performed better on tests than students who received the same information in words alone.
"Comparison of people's memories for words with their memories for pictures of the same objects shows a superiority effect for pictures."
How People Learn
- National Research Council (National Academies Press, 2000)
4. Story lines and dialogue. Illustrated and easily read in 1 hour, each Skinny book is explored through the lives of Billy and Beth - normal in all respects except one: they just happen to be stick people.
Students spend 90% of their time outside the classroom dealing with real-world situations. To the degree that instruction can match up with real-world experiences, it will engage the reader and have a deeper impact.
"Design and tell stories that enhance understanding of the concepts. Studies show that stories engage all parts of the brain because they touch on a learner's experience, feelings, and actions."
How the Brain Learns
- David Sousa (Corwin Press, 2006)
5. Conversational, with "visible author" in the story. The Skinny author's likeness appears in stick figure form in all of our stories.
Words on a page are squiggles to be deciphered. But, when the reader feels the author is speaking to him, the whole process is altered. No longer is the student pulling words off an inanimate page, now there is engagement.
"Research on discourse processing shows that people work harder to understand material when they feel they are in a conversation with a partner, rather than simply receiving information. Conversational style... when authors are visible, students might see the author as a 'personal guide through an otherwise difficult terrain'."
E-Learning and the Science of Instruction
- Clark and Mayer (Wiley, 2008)
The human brain is physiologically no different than what directed the Cro-Magnons 40,000 years ago. We are just putting increasing demands on it at an ever accelerating pace.
When Alvin Toffler wrote about "future shock," the feeling of disorientation that comes with rapid change in our environment, he was speaking about the sixties! Today, fifty years later we are all overwhelmed at times.
With mass adoption of the internet and related digital devices, young readers are deluged with electronic stimuli and distractions. As a result, communicators and educators must work harder to capture their attention and willingness to engage.
The Skinny book series is one idea of how to convey important information to the young adult. There will be others. The format of nonfiction writing must keep pace with the amazing changes of our lifetime.
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