System and method for interactive reading and language instruction

A computer-based learning system for providing an interactive lesson between the computer and a student user comprising:

• user input means including at least audio input means for delivering user speech to said system and speech recognition means associated with said audio input means;
• user interface means including at least audio output means and visual output means;
• program controller means for generating said interactive lesson, for continually monitoring student progress based on said student responses, for altering the level of interaction of the student with said lesson based upon said monitoring and for providing a prompt to pace the student through said lesson, wherein said pace is determined by said monitoring;
• a plurality of databases for access by said program controller means including at least one lesson database.

A computer-based learning system for providing an interactive lesson between the computer and a student user comprising:

• user input means including at least audio input means for delivering audible user responses to said system and speech recognition means associated with said audio input means;
• user interface means including at least audio output means;
• program controller means for generating said interactive lesson, for continually monitoring student progress based on said student responses, for altering the level of interaction of the student with said lesson based upon said monitoring, and for providing a prompt to pace the student through said lesson, wherein said pace is determined by said monitoring;
• a plurality of databases for access by said program controller means including at least one lesson database and at least one lesson storage database for storing the interactively generated lesson.

A computer-based learning system for providing an interactive lesson between the computer and a student user comprising:

• user input means including at least audio input means for delivering audible user responses to said system and speech recognition means associated with said audio input means;
• user interface means including at least audio output means;
• program controller means for generating said interactive lesson, for continually monitoring student progress based on said student responses, for generating student progress information based on said monitoring, for altering the level of interaction of the student with said lesson based upon said monitoring, and for providing a prompt to pace the student through said lesson, wherein said pace is determined by said monitoring;
• and
• a plurality of databases for access by said program controller means including at least one lesson database, a plurality of lesson-based speech interpretation databases at least comprising one database of anticipated incorrect student responses and one database comprising the set of all possible combinations of correct student responses;
• and at least one database of acoustic information for use by said speech recognition means in interpreting student responses.

A method for providing an interactive lanauage lesson between a student user and a computer having at least a program controller, speech recognition means, at least one first database for storing said lesson and at least one second database for storing lesson-based speech interpretation information, user input means for providing responses from said student user, output means for providing information relating to said lesson to said user and means for pacing the student through said lesson, comprising program controller steps of:

• retrieving lesson information from said at least one first database and lesson-based speech interpretation information corresponding to said lesson information from said at least one second database;
• providing lesson information to said user at said output means;
• providing lesson-based speech recognition information to said speech recognition means;
• prompting said student user to provide responses at said user input means;
• receiving student responses from said speech recognition means;
• generating an output based upon said student responses;
• continually monitoring student progress based on said student responses;
• and
• altering said pacing based upon said monitoring.

An article of manufacture comprising:

• a computer usable medium having computer readable program code embodied therein for providing an interactive language lesson between a student user and a computer having at least a program controller, speech recognition means, at least one first database for storing said lesson and at least one second database for storing lesson-based speech interpretation information, user input means for providing responses from said student user, output means for providing information relating to said lesson to said user and means for placing the student user through said lesson, the computer readable program code in said article of manufacture comprising:
• computer readable program code for causing a computer to retrieve lesson information from said at least one first database and lesson-based speech interpretation information corresponding to said lesson information from said at least one second database;
• computer readable program code for providing lesson information to said user at said output means;
• computer readable program code for providing lesson-based speech recognition information to said speech recognition means;
• computer readable program code for prompting said student user to provide responses at said user input means;
• computer readable program code for receiving student responses from said speech recognition means and generating an output based upon said student responses;
• computer readable program code for continually monitoring student progress based on said student responses;
• and
• computer readable program code for altering said pacing based upon said monitoring.