METHOD OF EDUCATION AND EDUCATIONAL AIDS

• US 20100311021A1
• Filed: 10/03/2007
• Published: 12/09/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 10/03/2007
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Diane Joan Abello
• Original Assignee: Diane Joan Abello
• Inventors: Abello, Diane Joan
• Application Number:
  US12/679,175
• Publication Number:
  US 20100311021A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 434/169
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 17/04 for increasing the rate of reading; Reading rate control
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 5/00 Electrically-operated educational appliances working with questions and answers G09B7/00; simulators G09B9/00; advertising or displaying in general G09F

Abstract

A method of educating a learner, comprising the steps of displaying a first level text (15) to the learner and then displaying a second level text (25) to the learner comprising the same words as the first level text (15) and wherein two or more words of the second level text (25) are concatenated to form at least one word group to prompt the learner to read the concatenated words in quick succession improving the learner'"'"'s reading fluency.

Claims

1. A method of educating a learner, comprising the following steps:

displaying a first level text to the learner, and

displaying a second level text to the learner comprising the same words as the first level text and wherein two or more words are concatenated to form at least one second level word group to prompt the learner to read the concatenated words in quick succession improving the learner'"'"'s reading fluency.

2. A method as defined in claim 1, further comprising the following step:

displaying a third level text to the learner after the step of displaying a second level text to the learner, the third level text comprising the same words as the first level text and wherein two or more words are concatenated to form at least one third level word group, the or at least one of which comprises a greater number of concatenated words than the or each at least one second level word group to prompt the learner to read the concatenated words in quick succession further improving the learner'"'"'s reading fluency.

3. A method as defined in claim 2, further comprising the following step:

displaying a fourth level text to the learner after the step of displaying a third level text to the learner, the fourth level text comprising the same words as the first level text and wherein two or more words are concatenated to form at least one fourth level word group, the or at least one of which comprises a greater number of concatenated words than the or each at least one third level word group to prompt the learner to read the concatenated words in quick succession further improving the learner'"'"'s reading fluency.

4. A method as defined in claim 3, further comprising the following step:

displaying a fifth level text to the learner after the step of displaying a fourth level text to the learner, the fifth level text comprising the same words as the first level text and wherein two or more words are concatenated to form at least one fifth level word group, the or at least one of which comprises a greater number of concatenated words than the or each at least one fourth level word group to

prompt the learner to read the concatenated words in quick succession further improving the learner'"'"'s reading fluency.

5. A method as defined in claim 1, further comprising the following step:

repeating the previous steps wherein the respective texts are mildly more linguistically complex but relate to substantially corresponding subject matter.

6. A method as defined in claim 5, further comprising the following step:

repeating the step of claim 1, wherein the respective texts are moderately more linguistically complex but relate to substantially corresponding subject matter.

7. A method as defined in claim 6, further comprising the following step:

repeating the step of claim 1, wherein the respective texts are significantly more linguistically complex but relate to substantially corresponding subject matter.

8. A method as defined in claim 1, further comprising the following steps:

timing the time taken by the learner to read the first level text before the step of displaying the second level text and recording the time taken as an initial time.

timing the time taken by the learner to read the first level text after the step of displaying the highest level text to the learner and the learner having read the highest level text at least once and recording the time taken as a final time.

9. A method as defined in claim 8, wherein the highest level text is read by the learner twice before the final time is recorded.

10. A method as defined in claim 8, further comprising the following step:

comparing the final time to the initial time to observe whether the learner is reading more fluently.

11. A method as defined in claim 1, further comprising the following steps if a word is not known by the learner:

communicating the pronunciation of the word audibly, then

prompting the learner to repeat the word.

12. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein at least one of the words in the or each word group is displayed in a different color to another word in the or each respective word group.

13. A method as defined in claim 12, wherein colors of adjacent words in the or each respective word group alternate.

14. A method as defined in claim 13, wherein colors of adjacent words in the second level text and in higher level texts, if applicable, alternate.

15. A method as defined in claim 14, further comprising the step of allowing a learner to select the color of the at least one of the words from a color group of at least two colors according to personal preference.

16. A method as defined in claim 15, wherein the color group comprises the colors orange and blue.

17. A method as defined in claim 15, further comprising the step of allowing a learner to select a different color from the color group.

18. A method as defined in claim 12, wherein the at least one of the words displayed in a different color is also displayed in bold and italicized.

19. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein the or each word group is spaced from adjacent words by more than one stroke of a computer space bar.

20. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein only one text is displayed to the learner at a time.

21. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein the texts form a story.

22. A method as defined in claim 21, further comprising the following step:

repeating the preceding steps wherein the texts form a different story.

30. A computer program adapted to execute the steps of claim 1 on a computer;

comprising;

a processor,

a display operatively connected to the processor,

a memory device operatively connected to the processor and containing a computer program for execution by the processor, and wherein the display is adapted to display the respective texts to the learner.

31. The computer program of claim 30 recorded on a data storage means.

32. A data storage means comprising the computer program of claim 30 and being adapted for operative connection to a computer for execution of the computer program.

23. (canceled)

24. An educational aid comprising a book displaying the texts, wherein the book comprises a multiplicity of pages and each text is displayed on a separate page.

25. An educational aid as defined in claim 24, wherein at least one of the pages comprises a recording portion in which the initial time and final time may be recorded.

26. An educational aid as defined in claim 24, further comprising a tracking aid comprising a thin plate having a rectangular window therein such that in use a user can move the tracking aid down a text as they read it and only view between one and three complete lines of the text at a time.

27. An educational aid as defined in claim 26, wherein one side of the thin plate is colored in a first color and the other side of the thin plate is colored in a second color such that a learner may select which color faces towards them in use.

28-29. -29. (canceled)

33-34. -34. (canceled)