System for instruction thinking skills

• US 6,361,326 B1
• Filed: 02/19/1999
• Issued: 03/26/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 02/20/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: George Mason University
• Original Assignee: George Mason University
• Inventors: Fontana, Lynn A., Cates, Ward M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Cheng, Joe H.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Harris, Chanda
• Application Number:
  US09/252,999
• Time in Patent Office: 1,131 Days
• Field of Search: 434/236, 434/322, 434/323
• US Class Current: 434/322
• 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

The present invention relates to methods and systems for teaching thinking skills. A user can be provided with information and then presented with questions and examples which enable the user to investigate the usefulness of the information and analyze its content, meaning, and point of view. The questions and examples are designed to develop thinking skills in the user, permitting the user to simultaneously learn the information while acquiring skills in thinking.

Claims

1. In a computer system for providing instruction in thinking skills, the method comprising:

retrieving and displaying at least one study unit, said study unit

comprising one or more sources, each source having a source identifier and source content;

receiving study unit input comprising the selection by the user of a study unit;

retrieving and displaying a plurality of source identifiers in response to received study unit input;

receiving source identifiers input comprising the selection by the user of a source identifier;

retrieving and displaying one or more evaluation thinking skills identifiers in response to received source identifier input;

receiving evaluation thinking skill input comprising the selection by a user of an evaluation thinking skill identifier

retrieving and displaying at least one guiding prompt associated with the selected evaluation thinking skill, wherein the prompt is effective in investigating the usefulness of said source content in addressing an object of an assignment.

2. A method of claim 1, wherein the evaluation thinking skill is for investigating relevance, credibility, internal consistency, accuracy, factualness, bias, or ambiguity of the source content.

3. A method of claim 1, further comprising:

retrieving and displaying one or more analysis thinking skill identifiers in response to receive source identifier input;

receiving analysis thinking skill input comprising the selection by a user of an analysis thinking skill identifier

retrieving and displaying at least one guiding prompt associated with the selected analysis thinking skill, wherein the prompt is effective to the investigate the usefulness of said source content in addressing an objective of an assignment.

4. A method of claim 3, wherein the analysis thinking is for investigating content, meaning or point of view of said source content.

5. A method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving guiding prompt input comprising the selection by a user of a guiding prompt;

retrieving and displaying a clarification in response to received guiding prompt input.

6. A method of claim 1, further comprising:

after receiving said source identifier input, retrieving said source content, or a part thereof, from a storage medium and displaying it.

7. A method of claim 6, wherein said source content is retrieved as a text, image, audio, or a combination thereof.

8. A method of claim 1, wherein the source content comprises a plurality of files, each file which is independently retrievable.

9. A method of claim 1, wherein said source identifier is displayed on a monitor as a graphic image, a written text, or both.

10. A method of claim 1, where in there are a plurality of sources, each having a different source identifier and a different source content.

11. A method of claim 10, further comprising sorting said sources by a source attribute.

12. A method of claim 11, wherein said source attribute is a calendar date, the source identifier of said source, the medium type in which said source content is expressed, the point of origin of said source, or the ownership of said source.

13. A method of claim 1, wherein a source is associated with at least one keyword and said method further comprises searching for the presence of a keyword in a plurality of sources.

14. A method of claim 1, further comprising:

said user responding to said guiding prompt by entering data into a storage medium.

15. A method for providing instruction in thinking skills comprising:

retrieving and displaying a plurality of source identifiers;

receiving source identifier input comprising the selection by a user of a source identifier;

retrieving and displaying one or more high order thinking skill identifiers in response to received source identifier input;

receiving thinking skill input comprising the selection by a user of a higher order thinking skill identifier;

retrieving and displaying at least one guiding prompt associated with the selected higher order thinking skill, wherein the prompt is effective to investigate the usefulness of said source content in addressing an objective or an assignment.

16. A computer-based multi-media instructional database management system for teaching thinking skills, comprising:

means for retrieving and means for displaying a source identifier and a source content; and

means for retrieving and means for displaying a guiding prompt;

wherein said means for retrieving and means for displaying is effective to retrieve and display said guiding prompts after said source content is retrieved and displayed, said guiding prompt associated with the selected evaluation thinking skill, the prompt being effective in investigating the usefulness of said source content in addressing an object of an assignment.

17. A system of claim 16, further comprising:

an information data storage medium upon which study unit data is stored, wherein the study unit comprises one or more sources, each source having a source identifier and a source content.

18. A system of claim 16, wherein the guiding prompt is a text or audio file comprising data for investigating the usefulness of said source content.

19. A system of claim 16, wherein the usefulness of the meaning or point of view of said source content is investigated.