Aspects of a Theory of Simplification, Debugging, and Coaching.

TLDR: This paper analyzed the new methods of teaching skiing in terms of a computational paradigm for learning called increasingly complex microworlds (ICM) to achieve insight into the complex issues of skill acquisition and design of learning environments -- especially computer-based ones.

Abstract: : Today, millions of people are learning to ski in just a few days instead of the months it took to learn twenty years ago. In this paper, we analyze the new methods of teaching skiing in terms of a computational paradigm for learning called increasingly complex microworlds (ICM). Examining the factors that underly the dramatic enhancement of the learning of skiing led us to focus on the processes of simplification, debugging, and coaching. We study these three processes in detail, showing how the structure of each is affected by the basic skills required to perform a task, the equipment involved in its execution, and the environment in which the skill is executed. Throughout, we draw parallels between the process of learning to ski and learning computer programming and problem-solving. Our goal is to achieve insight into the complex issues of skill acquisition and design of learning environments -- especially computer-based ones -- through the analysis of the intuitively understandable domain of ski instruction. (Author)