Introduce the Topic in an Interesting and Challenging Way

In the most obvious sense, this means beginning the presentation of a topic with something that will capture the learner's short-term attention: an example, an application, a problem, or a story. Unless the learner becomes involved at the beginning, it will quickly become more difficult to draw them in. In a less obvious sense, this principle advocates a focus on higher-order learning (next principle) from the very outset. Specifically, the introduction of a topic should be challenging, not merely attention-getting.