Reflective analysis system

• US 20020081561A1
• Filed: 11/08/2001
• Published: 06/27/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 11/08/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Betty D. Capel, Deborah Magoulick, Karen S. Kutiper, Leah Ellen Harrison, Mary Ann Norton, Sharon E. Skeans
• Original Assignee: Betty D. Capel, Deborah Magoulick, Karen S. Kutiper, Leah Ellen Harrison, Mary Ann Norton, Sharon E. Skeans
• Inventors: Norton, Mary Ann, Harrison, Leah Ellen, Kutiper, Karen S., Capel, Betty D., Magoulick, Deborah, Skeans, Sharon E.
• Granted Patent: US 6,626,679 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 434/322
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 7/00 Electrically-operated teaching apparatus or devices working with questions and answers mechanically operated G09B3/00; computing arrangements G06F

Abstract

A reflective analysis methodology based upon an interactive, dynamic questioning procedure that implements reflective practices of individual learners. Comprehensive educational activities are designed to model cognitive behaviors of successful students. During interactive diagnostic testing, the learner is asked to reflect on the degree of certainty for each of his answers. After completing the diagnostic test, reflective questions are posed specifically responsive to the learner'"'"'s answers to selected items. This series of reflective questions is designed to cause the student to search for patterns, clues, and problem-solving strategies related to the specific content being studied. In so doing, thinking behaviors that the student has used or should have used are analyzed, and concomitantly constructs strategic modeling from a database of comprehensive instructional activities for addressing a given concept or skill in the future. System diagnosis provides the teacher with instant feedback on the learner'"'"'s performance. Thus, the scaffolding of new leaning and follow-up tutorials may be totally customized on a learner-by-learner basis. This customization and individualization is enabled by the branching logic underlying the reflective analysis methodology.

Claims

1. A reflective analysis methodology for interactively diagnosing a learner'"'"'s cognitive behavior for learning a concept or skill, said methodology comprising the steps of:

subjecting said learner to diagnostic testing consisting of a plurality of diagnostic questions pertaining to said concept or skill;

evaluating the accuracy of said learner'"'"'s plurality of answers to said plurality of diagnostic questions;

retrieving a first set of a plurality of reflective questions from a reflective questions database, said first set of a plurality of reflective questions selected to be responsive to said learner'"'"'s diagnostic test accuracy;

having said learner interactively answer each of said first set of a plurality of reflective questions to enable said learner to apply patterns, clues, and problem solving to obtain immediate and thorough feedback regarding said learner'"'"'s thinking behavior;

prescribing a first set of a plurality of reflective instructional tutorials retrieved from an instructional activity database, for providing said learner with a customized and individualized learning remediation or enrichment experience;

tutoring said learner by said learner interactively answering each of said reflective instructional tutorials of said first set of a plurality of reflective instructional tutorials;

shifting said first set of a plurality of reflective instructional tutorials to a second set of a plurality of reflective instructional tutorials if said learner incorrectly responds to a plurality of tutorial questions of said first set of a plurality of reflective instructional tutorials; and

interactively adapting said first set of a plurality of reflective instructional tutorials or said second set of a plurality of reflective instructional tutorials to another alternative set of a plurality of reflective instructional tutorials responsive to said learner'"'"'s diagnostic test accuracy and said learner'"'"'s cumulative answers to said reflective instructional tutorials, for continuously and automatically improving said learner'"'"'s understanding of said cognitive learning behavior.

2. The reflective analysis methodology recited in claim 1, wherein said reflective questions database is based upon the patterns, clues, and problem solving behaviors of known successful and effective individual learners.

3. The reflective analysis methodology recited in claim 1, wherein said learner'"'"'s answers to each of said plurality of reflective instructional tutorials may be processed asynchronously.

4. The reflective analysis methodology recited in claim 1, wherein said learner'"'"'s cumulative answers to said reflective instructional tutorials provide feedback to teachers or trainers regarding said learner'"'"'s quality of understanding of said cognitive learning behavior.

5. The reflective analysis methodology recited in claim 1, wherein said step that subjects said learner to diagnostic testing further comprises selecting from a computerized diagnostic test question database a suitable set of diagnostic test questions according to said concept or skill.

6. The reflective analysis methodology recited in claim 1, wherein said step that evaluates the accuracy of said learner'"'"'s plurality of answers to said plurality of diagnostic questions reconciles said learner'"'"'s plurality of answers with correct answers stored in a computerized correct answer database related to said diagnostic test question database.

7. The reflective analysis methodology recited in claim 6, wherein said sequence of steps that retrieves a first set of a plurality of reflective questions from a reflective questions database, that has said learner interactively answer each of said first set of a plurality of reflective questions, that prescribes a first set of a plurality of reflective instructional tutorials retrieved from an instructional activity database, that tutors said learner by said learner interactively answering each of said reflective instructional tutorials, that shifts said first set of a plurality of reflective instructional tutorials to a second set of a plurality of reflective instructional tutorials, and that interactively adapts said first set of a plurality of reflective instructional tutorials or said second set of a plurality of reflective instructional tutorials to another alternative set of a plurality of reflective instructional tutorials is driven by computerized branching logic designed to generate reflective questioning that focuses upon the particular requirements of said individual learner and that forces said learner to understand underlying cognitive processes incident to learning said concept or skill.

8. The reflective analysis methodology recited in claim 7, wherein said learner may remotely access said plurality of diagnostic test questions and said adapted sets of a plurality of reflective instructional tutorials through the Internet or private network.