Teaching method and system

• US 5,344,326 A
• Filed: 06/15/1992
• Issued: 09/06/1994
• Est. Priority Date: 06/18/1991
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Audio-Visual Publishers Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Audio-Visual Publishers Incorporated
• Inventors: Ferris, Maxime
• Primary Examiner(s): Apley, Richard J.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Cheng, Joe H.
• Application Number:
  US07/898,276
• Time in Patent Office: 813 Days
• Field of Search: 434/118, 434/156, 434/157, 434/16 P, 434/185, 434/201, 434/307, 434/308, 434/322, 434/323, 434/327, 434/336, 434/350, 434/362, 434/365, 273/429-431, 273/433, 273/434, 364/410, 364/419, 364/419.1, 364/419.2, 395/927, 358/85, 348/14
• US Class Current: 434/336
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 5/06 with both visual and audible presentation of the material to be studied
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 5/10 all student stations being capable of presenting the same information simultaneously G09B5/14 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 7/02 of the type wherein the student is expected to construct an answer to the question which is presented or wherein the machine gives an answer to the question presented by a student

Abstract

There is disclosed an affordable method and system of fully automating the instruction of a plurality of students which incorporates the use of a single CPU in conjunction with student questioning, responding and information feedback devices and which no longer relies upon the ability, mindset or even presence of a classroom teacher. The method further includes a fully-automated directly-integrated marks, records, reports and lesson management system.

Claims

1. A teaching system for improving the ability of a plurality of students to learn and for automatically managing marks and records of the plurality of students to evaluate the performances thereof, said apparatus comprising

a plurality of student remote response units, each of said student response units comprising a single button for generating a positive response and a negative response,

a computer in communication with said plurality of student response units, said computer having a plurality of subfiles comprising at least one corresponding subfile for each of said plurality of students, and capable of compiling responses from said plurality of student response units, generating an affirmative signal corresponding to the number of positive responses received and a negative signal corresponding to the number of negative responses received and storing a mark for each of said plurality of students in said corresponding subfiles,

an instructor input unit in communication with the computer, said instructor input unit comprising an affirmative key for initiating an affirmative response period, a negative key for initiating a negative response period, an opinion key for initiating a first opinion period, for selecting a mark value and for initiating a second opinion period,

a classroom viewing device in communication with the computer and remotely operated by said instructor input unit, said viewing device comprising an affirmative section responsive to said affirmative signal for displaying a visual signal corresponding thereto and responsive to said affirmative key for indicating affirmative as being correct, and a negative section responsive to said negative signal for displaying a visual signal corresponding thereto and responsive to said negative key for indicating negative as being correct, and

an audio system in communication with the computer, said audio system adapted to generate a first audio signal at the beginning of the response periods and responsive to said computer for generating a second audio signal indicating a majority of responses received as being correct or incorrect and for generating a third audio signal for indicating whether affirmative or negative is a correct responses,

whereby an instructor successively poses objective type questions to said plurality of students while selectively pressing said affirmative key, negative key and opinion key establishing said affirmative response period and said negative response period, said first opinion period, said second opinion period and mark value.

2. A teaching system as claimed in claim 1 wherein said computer updates said affirmative and negative signals as said responses are received.

3. A teaching system as claimed in claim 1 wherein said instructor input unit further comprises a cancel key for cancelling the storing of a mark.

4. A teaching system as claimed in claim 1 wherein said audio signals comprise a series of high frequency and low frequency tones.

5. A method for improving the ability of a plurality of students to learn and for automatically managing marks and records of the plurality of students to evaluate the performances thereof, said method comprising the steps of:

successively posing objective type questions to said plurality of students, each of whom is provided with a student remote response unit comprising a single button for generating a positive and a negative response, said plurality of student response units in communication with a computer, said computer having a plurality of subfiles comprising at least one corresponding subfile for each of said plurality of students, said computer capable of compiling responses from said plurality of student response units, generating an affirmative signal corresponding to the number of positive responses received and a negative signal corresponding to the number of negative responses received and storing a mark for each of said plurality of students in said corresponding subfiles,

selectively initiating a series of affirmative response periods, or negative response periods or a series of first opinion periods, mark value selections and second opinion periods by using an instructor input unit in communication with said computer, said instructor input unit comprising an affirmative key for initiating the affirmative, response periods, a negative key for initiating the negative response periods, an opinion key for initiating the first opinion periods, for selecting the mark value and for initiating the second opinion periods,

automatically tabulating the positive and negative responses made by the plurality of students and displaying a signal corresponding to the number of positive and negative responses received by the computer,

selectively displaying on a classroom viewing device either an affirmative signal for indicating affirmative as being correct or a negative signal for indicating negative as being correct, said classroom viewing device in communication with the computer and remotely operated by said instructor input unit, said viewing device comprising an affirmative section responsive to said affirmative signal for displaying a visual signal corresponding thereto and responsive to said affirmative key for indicating affirmative as being correct, and a negative section responsive to said negative signal for displaying a visual signal corresponding thereto and responsive to said negative key for indicating negative as being correct,

generating a first audio signal at the beginning of the response periods, a second audio signal for indicating a majority of responses as being correct or incorrect and a third audio signal for indicating whether affirmative or negative is a correct response, and

automatically tabulating and storing within said computer mark values for each of said plurality of students.

6. A method as claimed in claim 5 wherein said computer updates said affirmative and negative signals as said responses are received.

7. A method as claimed in claim 5 wherein said instructor input unit further comprises a cancel key for cancelling storing of a mark.

8. A method of claim 5 wherein said audio signals comprise a series of high frequency and low frequency tones.