A computer-based language-learning system for personalizing language learning to a given student,
- the computer-based language-learning system comprising a computer that stores a number of program steps and language-learning databases, said number of language-learning databases comprising:
- a language database, the language database comprising a database set of language-rule items, said database set of language rule-items comprising translatable words and sentence governing rules (each rule-item of the database set of language rule-items being associated with a stored database set of rule-item aspects);
- a practice-sentence database, the practice-sentence database comprising a database set of practice sentences in a particular language, each practice-sentence comprising translatable word rule-items and sentence governing rule-items from said database set of language-rule items;
- wherein at least one translatable word rule-item of a practice sentence has at least one associated word-aspect field;
- wherein an associated word-aspect field for the translatable word rule-item is taken from the list comprising:
- translation,
- root word,
- spelling,
- pronunciation,
- conjugation as to person,
- conjugation as to tense,
- contextual word choice,
- pluralization, and
- capitalization;
- a student learning database, the student learning database comprising a database set of language rule-item learning records, each rule-item learning record storing in memory a need-to-practice value associated with a particular student user and associated with a language rule-item in said database set of language rule-items;
- and, said programs steps comprising:
- setting need-to-practice values for each of the language rule-item learning records in the student learning database;
- performing a database sort of the database set of language rule-items based on the need-to-practice value of each associated rule-item learning record, such that each of said language rule-items is designated:
- known to the student and requiring practice,
- known to the student, but not in need of practice, or,
- unknown to the student;
- presenting a rule-item from the group of unknown rule-items to the student via displaying it on a computer screen, consequentially re-designating said screen-presented rule-item from ‘unknown’ to ‘known to the student and requiring practice;
- selecting an eligible set of practice-sentences such that each practice-sentence of the eligible set comprises:
- at least one language rule-item designated as known to the student and requiring practice,
- no language rule-items designated as unknown to the student, and
- any number of language rule-items designated as known to the student but not in need of practice;
- selecting a practice-sentence from said eligible set based on the need-to-practice values of the language rule-items in the practice-sentence;
- sending the selected practice-sentence for display to the student on said computer screen;
- receiving a student response to the displayed practice-sentence, the student response being sent to the computer of the computer-based language-learning system via a device capable of sending electronic responses to the computer of the computer-based language-learning system, said device being one of:
- a computer keyboard, an optical-character recognition device, an audio recording device or a computer stylus;
- assessing said student response;
- updating the learning records for each language rule-item in the displayed practice-sentence;
- calculating the need-to-practice values for each rule-item learning record;
- and,
- sending a targeted-reinforcement exercise for display to the student on said computer screen.