Pictogram network: Evaluating english composition skills

Pictograms are pictorial drawings or representational signs and instructions that can be used irrespective of age, sex, and nationality. Using pictograms, we develop pictogram networks interconnected by arrows to represent knowledge and concepts. Since each pictogram represents a word or idea, drawing a pictogram network can become a guide to understanding others´ intentions. Based on our research, we propose a novel method called Pict-net Abstraction which could be very useful in foreign language composition education. This collaborative approach makes the participants realize the discrepancies between the writer´s intention and the readers´ understanding by comparing their pictogram networks and detecting the ambiguity as well as the polysemy of an argument. Pict-net Abstraction could be applied in multiple environments and could be useful in the establishment of a future peer review system.