ABSTRACT
This chapter explores the literature on examples, problem solving, and interest to offer a simple but effective strategy for improving problem solving. Using examples can help students generalize, but only giving one example can often confuse and distract students. One way to help students form appropriate schemas is to provide visual examples along with text or verbal examples. Diagrams, charts, and pictures can all help students build a better mental representation of a process or concept. These examples are even more effective when they are combined with verbal information explaining and reinforcing what is presented in the picture. Providing students with an interesting example may trigger their situational interest, but giving them an opportunity to interact with the material in some meaningful way is what leads to maintained situational interest. Interesting examples often come with a type of surface detail: seductive details. Multiple examples help students generalize and understand important structural details, instead of irrelevant surface or seductive details.
