US 5,957,698 AGranted

Method of instruction

AssigneePitsco, Inc.

InventorsHarvey R. Dean, Barry Dean, Kristine McKechnie, Rhonda D. Kyncl, Philip Holsinger

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Abstract

A computer-assisted instruction system used in a method of instructing a group of students broadly includes a suite (12,14,16,18) configured to accommodate the group of students and a computer system (36) for delivery of instruction relating to an instruction curriculum to the suite (12,14,16,18). The suite (12,14,16,18) includes a group assembly area and a plurality of harbors (24). The harbors (24) are each configured to accommodate a pair of the students. The computer system (36) includes a computer (38) positioned at each harbor coupled with a network computer (40). The computers (38) are linked to permit electronic transfer of information between the harbors (24). A method of instruction broadly includes the steps of assigning a pair of the group of students to each of the harbors (24), presenting a portion of an instruction curriculum to the pair of students at each harbor (24), assembling the students within the suite (12,14,16,18) after a selected period of time, presenting a group project to the assembled group of students, and dividing the group project into project segments, the pairs of students leaving the group assembly area to work on the project segments at their respective harbors (24). A presentation of the group project is given after the students reassemble.

Claims29

Dependent claims

A computer-assisted method of instructing a group of students, the method comprising the steps of:

(a) assigning pairs of students to harbors of a suite, said pairs of students being selected from a group, said suite configured to accommodate said group of students, each of said harbors being configured to accommodate one of said pairs of students, said suite including a group assembly area adjacent to said harbors and an instruction delivery means for delivering instruction relating to an instructional curriculum to said harbors, said curriculum being composed of a plurality of different curriculum portions, said delivery means including a computer system having a plurality of computers and a network computer, one of said plurality of computers being positioned at each of said harbors, said computers being coupled with said network computer;
(b) presenting one of said curriculum portions of said instructional curriculum to each of said pairs of students at each harbor via the instruction delivery means, the pairs of students working on said portions for a selected period of time;
(c) assembling said students within said suite at said group assembly area after said selected period of time;
(d) presenting a group project to the assembled group of students, said project being related to said instructional curriculum, said project including a plurality of different project segments, each of said segments being related to one of said curriculum portions;
(e) assigning each of said pairs of students one of said segments of said group project, said pairs of students working on said segments at their respective harbors using said computer system and the knowledge imparted from the respective curriculum portions;
and
(f) combining the work of said pairs of students on said project segments using said computer system for completion of said group project by said group, said segments, when combined, cooperating to present a completed project by said group.

4 more elements

A computer-assisted method of instructing a group of students, the method comprising the steps of:

(a) assigning pairs of students to harbors of a suite, said pairs of students being selected from a group, said suite configured to accommodate said group of students, each of said harbors being configured to accommodate one of said pairs of students, said suite including a group assembly area adjacent to said harbors and an instruction delivery means for delivering instruction relating to an instructional curriculum to said harbors, said instructional curriculum including a plurality of different curriculum portions, said delivery means including a computer system having a plurality of computers and a network computer, one of said computers being positioned at each of said harbors, said computers being coupled with said network computer, said computer system further including means for generating and transmitting electronic signals between said computers;
(b) presenting one of said curriculum portions of said instructional curriculum to each of said pairs of students at each harbor via the instruction delivery means, the pairs of students working on said portions for a selected period of time;
(c) presenting a group project to the students after the selected period of time, the project being related to the instructional curriculum, the project including a plurality of different project segments, each of said project segments being related to one of said curriculum portions;
(d) assigning each of said pairs of students one of said segments of said group project, said pairs of students working on said segments using said computer system and the knowledge imparted from the respective curriculum portions, said pairs of students communicating with each other while working on said project segments by using said computer system for transmitting electronic signals between said computers;
and
(f) using said computer system to combine the work of said pairs of students on said project segments for completion of said group project by said group, said segments, when combined, cooperating to present a completed project by said group.

3 more elements

A computer-assisted method of instructing a pool of students, the method comprising the steps of:

(a) assigning pairs of students to harbors of suites provided in a classroom, said pairs of students being selected from a pool of students, each of said harbors being configured to accommodate one of said pairs of students, each of said suites being configured to accommodate a group of said pairs of students, said suite including a plurality of said harbors and a group assembly area adjacent to said harbors, said classroom including and an instruction delivery means for delivering instruction relating to a course of study to said harbors, said course of study including a plurality of different instructional curriculums, each of said curriculums including a plurality of different curriculum portions, said delivery means including a computer system having a plurality of computers coupled with a network computer, one of said computers being positioned at each of said harbors;
(b) presenting one of said curriculum portions to each of said pairs of students of each of said suites via the instruction delivery means so that each suite is presented with a different one of said instructional curriculums, the pairs of students working on said portions for a selected period of time;
(c) assembling each group of said pairs of students within each of said suites at said group assembly areas after said selected period of time;
(d) presenting a group project to each of the assembled groups of students, each of said projects being related to each of said instructional curriculums of each suite, each group project including a plurality of different project segments, each of said project segments being related to one of said curriculum portions;
(e) assigning each of said pairs of students one of said segments of their respective group projects, said pairs of students working on said segments at their respective harbors using said computer system and the knowledge imparted from the respective curriculum portions;
and
(f) combining the work of each group of students on said project segments using said computer system for completion of said group projects by each of said groups, said segments, when combined within each group, cooperating to present a completed project for each of said groups.

4 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.