September 2007
Intermediate to advanced
496 pages
10h 53m
English
Does it help or hurt to change printed or spoken text from formal style to conversational style? Would the addition of a friendly on-screen coach distract from or promote learning? In this chapter, we explore research and theory that directly address these issues.
Consider the lesson introduction shown in Figure 8.1. As you can see, an on-screen agent uses an informal conversational style to introduce the lesson. This approach resembles human-to-human conversation. Of course, learners know that the character is not really in a conversation with them, but they may be more likely to act as if the character is a conversational partner. Now, compare this with the introduction shown in Figure 8.2
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