Textbook: Difference between revisions

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There are several ways to manage objectives (each [[Instructional systems design|ISD]] model or extensions like the [[Kemp design model|Kemp]] will tell you more). Often, advise on writing textbooks suggests to plan book chapters in terms of desired learning level outcomes.
There are several ways to manage objectives (each [[Instructional systems design|ISD]] model or extensions like the [[Kemp design model|Kemp]] will tell you more). Often, advise on writing textbooks suggests to plan book chapters in terms of desired learning level outcomes.


For example, the [http://epitome.ce.gatech.edu/iowa/ IOWA] writing assistant identifies 6 levels of emphasis based on Bloom's [[learning level#Blooms_taxonomy|taxonomy of learning]] that we reproduce here exactly as defined in [http://epitome.ce.gatech.edu/iowa/results.html Applying your results] (retrieved 19:58, 27 July 2007 (MEST)):
For example, the [http://epitome.ce.gatech.edu/iowa/ IOWA] writing assistant identifies 6 levels of emphasis based on Bloom's [[learning level#Blooms_taxonomy|taxonomy of learning]] that we reproduce here exactly as defined in [http://epitome.ce.gatech.edu/iowa/results.html Applying your results] (retrieved 20:02, 27 July 2007 (MEST)):
# Knowledge: rote memorization, recognition, or recall of facts.  
# Knowledge: rote memorization, recognition, or recall of facts.  
# Comprehension: understanding what the facts mean.
# Comprehension: understanding what the facts mean.
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* [http://www.ischool.berkeley.edu/~hal/Papers/writing-economics.html What I've Learned about Writing Economics] by Hal R. Varian, University of California, Berkeley  
* [http://www.ischool.berkeley.edu/~hal/Papers/writing-economics.html What I've Learned about Writing Economics] by Hal R. Varian, University of California, Berkeley  
* [http://www.writing.eng.vt.edu/index.html Writing Guidelines for Engineering and Science Students] by Michael Alley
* [http://www.writing.eng.vt.edu/index.html Writing Guidelines for Engineering and Science Students] by Michael Alley
* [http://www.sa2.info/HOW-TO/rees1.html Getting Started Creating A Textbook] by David Rees (goals and process).
* [http://www.sa2.info/HOW-TO/rees1.html Getting Started Creating A Textbook] by David Rees (goals and process). (also [http://www.mountainplains.org/articles/2000/opinion/writing_a_textbook.html here]).


; Examples of (technical) author guidelines
; Examples of (technical) author guidelines
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* Forbes, David J., (1996), Make History Textbook Writing "A Puzzlement", ''The History Teacher''. Vol. 29, No. 4 (Aug., 1996), pp. 455-461. [http://links.jstor.org/sici?sici=0018-2745%28199608%2929%3A4%3C455%3AMHTW%22P%3E2.0.CO%3B2-O JSTOR Bitmap/POF]
* Forbes, David J., (1996), Make History Textbook Writing "A Puzzlement", ''The History Teacher''. Vol. 29, No. 4 (Aug., 1996), pp. 455-461. [http://links.jstor.org/sici?sici=0018-2745%28199608%2929%3A4%3C455%3AMHTW%22P%3E2.0.CO%3B2-O JSTOR Bitmap/POF]


* Hatch, Mary Jo (2007). Writing From Teaching: A Textbook Writer's Tale, Journal of Management Education, Vol. 31, No. 3, 405-412 (2007)
* Hatch, Mary Jo (2007). Writing From Teaching: A Textbook Writer's Tale, Journal of Management Education, Vol. 31, No. 3, 405-412 (2007). [http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/1052562906298443 DOI 10.1177/1052562906298443]
[http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/1052562906298443 DOI 10.1177/1052562906298443]


* Lepionka, Mary Ellen (2003), Writing and Developing Your College Textbook, ISBN 0-9728164-0-2
* Lepionka, Mary Ellen (2003), Writing and Developing Your College Textbook, ISBN 0-9728164-0-2. (This practical book gets good reviews)


* Silverman, Franklin H. (2004), Self-Publishing Textbooks and Instructional Materials, ISBN 0-9728164-3-7
* Silverman, Franklin H. (2004), Self-Publishing Textbooks and Instructional Materials, ISBN 0-9728164-3-7

Revision as of 19:02, 27 July 2007

Draft

This article or section is currently under construction

In principle, someone is working on it and there should be a better version in a not so distant future.
If you want to modify this page, please discuss it with the person working on it (see the "history")

Textbook writing

Firstly, textbook writing is related to instructional design and therefore you should think in terms of some instructional design models and methods. Probably most authors should use at least some kind of backwards design, i.e. define what students are supposed to be able to do (e.g. solve problems) and then write the books that enables them to do so.

However, textbook writing is a specific activity and we will try to figure out a few fundamental principles here.

Objectives

There are several ways to manage objectives (each ISD model or extensions like the Kemp will tell you more). Often, advise on writing textbooks suggests to plan book chapters in terms of desired learning level outcomes.

For example, the IOWA writing assistant identifies 6 levels of emphasis based on Bloom's taxonomy of learning that we reproduce here exactly as defined in Applying your results (retrieved 20:02, 27 July 2007 (MEST)):

  1. Knowledge: rote memorization, recognition, or recall of facts.
  2. Comprehension: understanding what the facts mean.
  3. Application: correct use of the facts, rules, or ideas.
  4. Analysis: breaking down information into component parts.
  5. Synthesis: combination parts to make a new whole.
  6. Evaluation: judging the value or worth of information or ideas.

Depending on your objectives you may put different emphasis on each level. You then can then define objectives, activities, assessment for the book as a whole but also for each chapter.

Here is an example for Synthesis. Target students are students in educational technology. They have to prepare an e-Text about e-learning standards as an activity.

  • Objective: "By the end of this section, you (as a student) will be able to design a learning object that introduces key components of e-learning standards, and in particular modeling languages.
  • Activities: Make your own summary of the most important concepts you can find in articles on and then design of a course module with eXe
  • Assessment: The course module
  • Key Words: Design, formulate, build, invent, create, compose, generate, derive, modify, develop.

Objectives then can written out at the start of chapters and/or sections and activities inserted where appropriate. Hints for self-assessment can added too.

Language and organization of contents

According to Jones (2005), textbook writers have three choices: simplification, easyfication, or the scaffolding of concept knowledge. We shall summarize some prescriptions can be derived from this article.

Simplification strategies - enhanced cohesion/coherence
  • simplification of content: explain new technical terms as they arise
  • simplification of form: make sure that the text has cohesive links and restores implicit relationships, e.g. when using general-specific of problem-solution progressions.
  • simplification by including explanations and exemplifications
  • using similar structures, i.e. syntactic repetition acts as a form of syntactic scaffolding.

Note that simplification may turn against learning. For example NcNamara et al. (1996) found that “text coherence improved readers' comprehension, but also that giving readers with sufficient background knowledge an incoherent text that forced them to infer unstated relations engaged them in compensatory processing, allowing deeper text understanding than might occur with a coherent text.”

Easification strategies - enhancing structure

The purpose easification is to “give learners an additional instructional apparatus by developing a kind of "access structure" around the text without his [sic] having gone through the intervening stages of simplified materials” Bhatia cited by Jones (2005:9). Examples of such devices are:

  • Provide introductory paragraph(s) to a text (or text segment)
  • Provide a structural analysis ('tagging' sections) to a text (or text segment), e.g. as in Advance Organizers.
  • Provide a schematic representation of a text (or text segment)
  • Add annotations/explanations to the text, e.g. marginalia
  • Add metadiscursive commentaries (before, in the middle, or after)
  • Add questions to encourage interactions with the text
Scaffolding - providing domain knowledge

“Scaffolding in the sense intended here means the provision of a series of carefully designed pre-task exercises (or activities) which allow students to familiarize themselves with concepts of increasing complexity and to explore these concepts in terms of their reactances and interrelations.” Jones (2005:10)

Typical activities can be:

  • filling in gapped texts
  • complete sentences
  • propositional clusters
  • produce or complete tables and flow charts
  • write summaries of various sorts, e.g. include critique, most things relevant, organize information, etc.

Note that these activities can be assigned by teacher, i.e. must not necessarily be part of the text itself.

Typographic Design

(to be written)

Links

General
Advice on writing textbooks
Examples of (technical) author guidelines
Electronic textbooks

Software

See various writing tools for a longer list of tools and a discussion of various writing tool categories.

References

Textbook understanding

  • Conderman, Greg; Elf, Nanci (2007), What's in This Book? Engaging Students through a Textbook Exploration Activity, Reading & Writing Quarterly, v23 n1 p111-116 Jan-Mar 2007.

Practical Textbook and book writing

  • Alley, M. 1996 The Craft of Scientific Writing (3rd Ed.). Springer-Verlag New York, Inc. ISBN 0-387-94766-3
  • Ben-Ari, M., Walker, H. M., Redvers-Mutton, G., and Mansfield, K. 2002. Writing a textbook. In Proceedings of the 7th Annual Conference on innovation and Technology in Computer Science Education (Aarhus, Denmark, June 24 - 28, 2002). ITiCSE '02. ACM Press, New York, NY, 94-95. DOI 10.1145/544414.544444 (Summary of a panel discussion).
  • Dale, N., Mercer, R., Koffman, E., and Savitch, W. 2001. Writing a textbook: walking the gauntlet. SIGCSE Bull. 33, 1 (Mar. 2001), 408-409. Abstract (summary of a panel discussion)
  • Forbes, David J., (1996), Make History Textbook Writing "A Puzzlement", The History Teacher. Vol. 29, No. 4 (Aug., 1996), pp. 455-461. JSTOR Bitmap/POF
  • Hatch, Mary Jo (2007). Writing From Teaching: A Textbook Writer's Tale, Journal of Management Education, Vol. 31, No. 3, 405-412 (2007). DOI 10.1177/1052562906298443
  • Lepionka, Mary Ellen (2003), Writing and Developing Your College Textbook, ISBN 0-9728164-0-2. (This practical book gets good reviews)
  • Silverman, Franklin H. (2004), Self-Publishing Textbooks and Instructional Materials, ISBN 0-9728164-3-7
  • Thirlway, M. 1994 Writing Software Manuals: a Practical Guide. Prentice-Hall, Inc. ISBN 0-13-138801-0
  • Lepionka, Mary Ellen (2005), Writing and Developing College Textbook Supplements ISBN 0-9728164-1-0
  • Ranking, Elizabeth, The Work of Writing: Insights and Strategies for Academics and Professionals, Wiley, ISBN: 978-0-7879-5679-0

Research on textbook writing

  • Bhatia, V. K. Simplification v. Easification: The Case of Legal Texts. Applied Linguistics 4(1), pp. 39-78.
  • Jones, Alan (2005) Conceptual Development in Technical and Textbook Writing: A Challenge for L1 and L2 Student Readers, Proceedings of the International Professional Communication Conference, Limerick, Ireland, 12-15 July, 2005. PDF - Abstract
  • McNamara, D.S., Kintsch, E., Songer, N.B. and Kintsch, W. (1996). "Are good texts always better? Interactions of text coherence, background knowledge, and levels of understanding in learning from text", Cognition and Instruction, v14 n1 p1-43.

Instructional objectives

See also: instructional design and instructional design method in particular.

  • Felder, Richard M. and Rebecca Brent (1997). Objectively Speaking, Chemical Engineering Education, 31(3), 178-179 (1997). HTML reprint
  • Gronlund, N.E. (1991)- How to write and use instructional objectives (4th ed.) New York, Macmillan.