Abstract:

Existing e-books follow the sequential pattern of paper books. Knowledge is presented in sequential order. For procedural knowledge such as writing process and strategies, it is difficult to let students able to read how author think in the writing process and the written composition product in a step. Therefore, a student can learn how to write by reading how an author think and generate product.

In this paper, we describe a new knowledge representation method for e-books. The method can be used to demonstrate and teach procedural knowledge such as knowledge for writing. Based on the approach of Harvard "Make Thinking Visible" project, we design a thinking module that is a set of questions, for each step of a procedural knowledge. A product such as a written composition is produced by the author through a process of thinking steps. Our approach will use two windows: one presents the author's thinking on the thinking module of a step in the procedural knowledge, the other present the part of the product that generated during this thinking step. A student can learn by watching the thinking process of the author on the product. For example, a student can learn how to write a composition by watching how an author generates process the composition through a set of step of thinking of the author. Students can also try to answer the questions of each thinking module and then learn by reflection through comparing answers with the author's thinking.

We implement our approach on the web and use the demonstrated compositions that released by Taiwan's college entrance examination center as examples products of writing procedural knowledge. Through the interview with teachers and formative evaluation of 15 high school students, students use our approach outperform the students using conventional paper book presentation.

Writing includes the process and knowledge of writing and procedural knowledge. If we can simultaneously show that the relation between writer’s thinking of each steps and products when learning, students can learn the procedural knowledge and thinking of writing.

To apply the result of this research for teachers to teach and students to learn, we have to keep improving and planning in the future.

Keywords:

E-book, Writing process, Procedural knowledge, Visible Thinking.