Aligning learning capabilities with teaching capabilities

• US 6,782,396 B2
• Filed: 05/31/2001
• Issued: 08/24/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 05/31/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Greene, David Perry, Willner, Barry Edward, Stern, Edith Helen, Yu, Philip Shi-lung
• Primary Examiner(s): Breene, John
• Assistant Examiner(s): Lu, Kuen S.
• Application Number:
  US09/871,428
• Publication Number:
  US 20020184215A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,181 Days
• Field of Search: 434/350, 434/323, 434/428, 707/104.1, 707/8, 707/1
• US Class Current: 707/737
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 7/00 Electrically-operated teaching apparatus or devices working with questions and answers mechanically operated G09B3/00; computing arrangements G06F
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99938 Concurrency, e.g. lock management in shared database
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99945 Object-oriented database structure processing

Abstract

A method, program and system aligns students and teachers according to dominant learning and teaching styles. The invention creates a menu of learning styles, and a second menu of teaching styles. Students are then tested using each learning style contained in the first menu, and the test scores are entered into a student database. Teachers are also tested using each teaching style contained in the second menu, and a database is then created for the teacher test scores. Using the student and teacher test scores, the system calculates a best-fit match between students and teachers according to corresponding learning and teaching styles.

Claims

1. A method for aligning students and teachers according to dominant learning and teaching styles, the method comprising:

creating a first menu comprising categories of learning styles;

creating a second menu comprising categories of teaching styles;

testing students using at least one learning style contained in the first menu and creating a first database comprising student scores corresponding to the tests, wherein each student score is associated with a given learning style contained in the first menu;

testing teachers using at least one teaching style contained in the second menu and creating a second database comprising teacher scores corresponding to the tests, wherein each teacher score is associated with a given teaching style contained in the second menu;

calculating a best fit match between teachers and students, wherein the best fit match is based on student scores contained in the first database and teacher scores contained in the second database.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the categories of learning styles comprise at least one of the following:

visual;

verbal;

tactile;

high repetition;

low repetition;

fast paced;

slow paced;

highly structured; and

unstructured.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein at least two or more categories of learning styles may be combined.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the categories of teaching styles comprise at least one of the following:

visual;

verbal;

tactile;

high repetition;

low repetition;

fast paced;

slow paced;

highly structured; and

unstructured.

5. The method according to claim 4, wherein at least two or more categories of teaching styles may be combined.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the step of testing students and creating a database of student scores further comprises:

selecting an academic subject;

selecting a category from the menu of learning styles;

presenting a lesson to a student, wherein the content of the lesson corresponds to the selected subject area and the format of the lesson corresponds to the selected learning style;

testing the student on the content of the lesson; and

entering test scores into a student database.

7. The method according to claim 6, wherein the step of testing the student comprises at least one of the following methods:

multiple choice;

short answer;

essay; and

one-to-one personal evaluation.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein the step of testing teachers and creating a database of teacher scores further comprises:

selecting an academic subject corresponding to a teacher'"'"'s expertise;

providing the teacher with a lesson plan, wherein the contents of the lesson corresponds to the selected subject;

observing the teacher present the lesson;

scoring the teacher'"'"'s presentation, according to specified parameters for categories of teaching styles; and

entering the scores into a teacher database.

9. The method according to claim 8, further comprising specifying a particular teaching style in which the lesson is to be presented.

10. The method according to claim 8, wherein the step of observing the teacher present the lesson plan is by means of in-person observation and evaluation.

11. The method according to claim 1, further comprising grouping students into classes according to learning style.

12. A computer program product in a computer readable medium for use in a data processing system, for aligning students and teachers according to dominant learning and teaching styles, the computer program product comprising:

instructions for creating a first menu comprising categories of learning styles;

instructions for creating a second menu comprising categories of teaching styles;

instructions for testing students using at least one learning style contained in the first menu and creating a first database comprising student scores corresponding to the tests, wherein each student score is associated with a given learning style contained in the first menu;

instructions for testing teachers using at least one teaching style contained in the second menu and creating a second database comprising teacher scores corresponding to the tests, wherein each teacher score is associated with a given teaching style contained in the second menu;

instructions for calculating a best fit match between teachers and students, wherein the best fit match is based on student scores contained in the first database and teacher scores contained in the second database.

13. The computer program product according to claim 12, wherein the categories of learning styles comprise at least one of the following:

visual;

verbal;

tactile;

high repetition;

low repetition;

fast paced;

slow paced;

highly structured; and

unstructured.

14. The computer program product according to claim 13, wherein at least two or more categories of learning styles may be combined.

15. The computer program product according to claim 12, wherein the categories of teaching styles comprise at least one of the following:

visual;

verbal;

tactile;

high repetition;

low repetition;

fast paced;

slow paced;

highly structured; and

unstructured.

16. The computer program product according to claim 15, wherein at least two or more categories of teaching styles may be combined.

17. The computer program product according to claim 12, wherein the instructions for testing students and creating a database of student scores further comprise:

instructions for selecting an academic subject;

instructions for selecting a category from the menu of learning styles;

instructions for presenting a lesson to a student, wherein the content of the lesson corresponds to the selected subject area and the format of the lesson corresponds to the selected learning style;

instructions for testing the student on the content of the lesson; and

instructions for entering test scores into a student database.

18. The computer program product according to claim 17, wherein the instructions for testing the student comprise at least one of the following methods:

multiple choice;

short answer; and

essay.

19. The computer program product according to claim 12, wherein the instructions for testing teachers and creating a database of teacher scores further comprise:

instructions for selecting an academic subject corresponding to a teacher'"'"'s expertise;

instructions for providing the teacher with a lesson plan, wherein the contents of the lesson corresponds to the selected subject;

instructions for providing a test administrator with scoring parameters for each category in the menu of teaching styles; and

instructions for receiving and entering test scores into a teacher database.

20. The computer program product according to claim 19, further comprising instructions for specifying a particular teaching style in which the lesson is to be presented.

21. The computer program product according to claim 12, further comprising instructions for grouping students into classes according to learning style.

22. A system for aligning students and teachers according to dominant learning and teaching styles, the system comprising:

a first register which maintains a first menu comprising categories of learning styles;

a second register which maintains a second menu comprising categories of teaching styles;

a first processing component which tests students using at least one learning style contained in the first menu and creates a first database comprising student scores corresponding to the tests, wherein each student score is associated with a given learning style contained in the first menu;

a second processing component which tests teachers using at least one teaching style contained in the second menu and creates a second database comprising teacher scores corresponding to the tests, wherein each teacher score is associated with a given teaching style contained in the second menu;

a third processing component which calculates a best fit match between teachers and students, wherein the best fit match is based on student and scores contained in the first database teacher scores contained in the second database.

23. The system according to claim 22, wherein the processing component which testes students and creates a database of student scores further comprises:

a first selector which selects an academic subject;

a second selector which selects a category from the menu of learning styles;

a display component which presents a lesson to a student, wherein the content of the lesson corresponds to the selected subject area and the format of the lesson corresponds to the selected learning style;

a processor which tests the student on the content of the lesson; and

a register which enters test scores into a student database.

24. The system according to claim 23, wherein the processor which tests the student uses at least one of the following methods:

multiple choice;

short answer; and

essay.

25. The system according to claim 22, wherein the processing component which tests teachers and creates a database of teacher scores further comprises:

a selector which selects an academic subject corresponding to a teacher'"'"'s expertise;

a first display component which provides the teacher with a lesson plan, wherein the contents of the lesson corresponds to the selected subject;

a second display component which provides a test administrator with scoring parameters for each category in the menu of teaching styles; and

a register which receives and enters test scores into a teacher database.

26. The system according to claim 25, further comprising a display component which specifies a particular teaching style in which the lesson is to be presented.

27. The system according to claim 22, further comprising a processing component which groups students into classes according to learning style.