Programmed classroom instruction

Abstract

A computer-implemented method of overseeing and adjusting the instruction and evaluation of a student with respect to one or more topics of study within a classroom. The subject matter of an academic course is studied and broken down into a plurality of discretely defined behavioral performances designed to be readily and objectively recognized as being mastered or not by a student. One or more of the discretely defined behavioral performances are then selected, with the aid of a first computerized database system, as learning objectives for the week. At the end of the week, a student is subsequently evaluated on these objectives. Results of the evaluation are then transferred to a second computerized database system, which organizes the collected data into an interactive learning management report that can be configured by a reviewer in real time to display a variety of levels of detail.

1 . A computer-implemented method of overseeing and adjusting and strengthening the instruction and evaluation of a student with respect to one or more topics of study within a classroom, comprising the steps of: 
 analyzing a subject matter of an academic course of study in detail and subsequently breaking down the totality of knowledge of the subject matter that the student is expected to learn into a plurality of discretely defined behavioral performances that are designed to be readily and objectively recognized as being mastered or not by the student;    storing the plurality of discretely defined behavioral performances into at least a first computerized database system which organizes the plurality of discretely defined behavioral performances on the basis of structural and functional groupings as well as conventional levels of difficulty or advancement;    for each specified evaluation period of the classroom, designating one or more of the discretely defined behavioral performances stored in the first computerized database as learning objectives that are to be studied by the student;    evaluating an ability of the student to carry out the one or more discretely defined behavioral performances designated as learning objectives over the course of the evaluation period and recording the results of the evaluation in real time into the first computerized database system;    generating a dynamic classroom teaching chart providing a real time visual representation of the student's learning progress for one or more learning objectives for the specified evaluation period;    at the end of each specified evaluation period, automatically transferring the recorded results of the evaluation to a second computerized database system that collects evaluation results for each student, for every evaluation period, for every class, and organizes the plurality of collected evaluation results into an interactive learning management report that can be configured by a reviewer in real time to display a variety of levels of detail ranging from a specific level, such as a specific subject matter for a specific student, to a general level of detail, such as the overall performance of a classroom or school over a specified period of time.    
   
   
       2 . The method according to  claim 1 , further comprising the step of strengthening a learning performance of the student by automatically presenting, directly to the student during an evaluation period, at least one of a non verbal recognition and other reward for learning progress.  
   
   
       3 . The method according to  claim 1 , wherein the dynamic classroom teaching chart provides a real time visual representation of the learning progress for each student and for the entire class.  
   
   
       4 . The method according to  claim 1 , wherein the dynamic classroom teaching chart displays a real time, continuously adjusted, cumulative total mastery score for an entire class of students for one or more selected learning objectives.  
   
   
       5 . The method according to  claim 1 , wherein continual parent or guardian oversight of a student's learning and performance is maintained by the additional steps of: 
 generating a preview report at the beginning of each specified evaluation period and distributing the preview report to at least one parent or guardian of each student, said preview report listing each of the learning objectives for the specified evaluation period; and    generating an evaluation report at the end of each specified evaluation period and distributing the evaluation report to at least one parent or guardian of each student, said evaluation report listing each of the learning objectives for the specified evaluation period along with the associated evaluation results of the student's performance for the specified evaluation period.    
   
   
       6 . The method according to  claim 5 , wherein at least one of the preview report and evaluation report further includes a comments section for remarks made by an instructor and directed to the parent or guardian.  
   
   
       7 . The method according to  claim 1 , wherein a student earns a score of zero, one or two upon being evaluated with respect to any one learning objective.  
   
   
       8 . The method according to  claim 7 , wherein: 
 a score of zero represents that instruction of that specific learning objective has not yet begun;    a score of one represents that instruction of that specific learning objective has begun but that learning is not yet complete; and    a score of two represents that instruction and learning of that specific learning objective is complete.    
   
   
       9 . The method according to  claim 1 , wherein the first computerized database system resides within a computer that is locally managed with respect to the classroom, while the second computerized database system resides within a remote computer associated with a school district office or other school administrative body.  
   
   
       10 . The method according to  claim 9 , wherein the remote computer generally functions as one of a secondary data repository, a data management and analysis tool, and an information distribution network controller for remote management participation.  
   
   
       11 . The method according to  claim 9 , wherein the locally managed computer and the remote computer connect to at least one of a local area network (LAN) and wide area network (WAN), or alternatively, connect to each other by means of a direct connection.  
   
   
       12 . The method according to  claim 1 , wherein an instructor selects one or more of the discretely defined behavioral performances for designation as a learning objective.  
   
   
       13 . The method according to  claim 1 , wherein the first computerized database selects one or more of the discretely defined behavioral performances for designation as a learning objective on the basis of at least one predetermined criteria.  
   
   
       14 . The method according to  claim 1 , further comprising the step of generating a quarterly progress report for each student at appropriate intervals throughout an academic year, the quarterly progress report listing all selected learning objectives for the academic year, as well as the evaluation results for that student for each specific learning objective covered to date.  
   
   
       15 . The method according to  claim 1 , wherein if a student is evaluated on a learning objective two or more times over the course of an academic year, the latter evaluation result is recorded at the appropriate temporal position within a student's ongoing record and does not erase any previous evaluation results.  
   
   
       16 . The method according to  claim 1 , wherein the step of organizing the plurality of collected evaluation results into a learning management report further comprises the step of generating a student log that provides a compendium of instructional objectives introduced to date, along with the associated evaluation results of a student for each learning objective for each specified evaluation period, organized by curriculum groups, for an entire academic year.  
   
   
       17 . The method according to  claim 1 , wherein the step of organizing the plurality of collected evaluation results into a learning management report further comprises the step of generating a student digest that presents, for each student, a cumulative bar graph depicting a student's progressive level of learning for each curricular area of study.  
   
   
       18 . The method according to  claim 1 , wherein the step of organizing the plurality of collected evaluation results into a learning management report further comprises the step of generating a student/class performance ranges table that depicts, for each student within a specified class, the percentage of learning objectives learned to date for each specific curriculum group, as well as the student's learning efficiency for that curriculum group, and a student's overall evaluation results, represented as a percentage, for all curriculum groups.  
   
   
       19 . The method according to  claim 1 , wherein the step of organizing the plurality of collected evaluation results into a learning management report further comprises the step of generating a classroom log that depicts an average total score for the evaluation results of a class as a whole, for each evaluation period, for each learning objective.  
   
   
       20 . The method according to  claim 1 , wherein the step of organizing the plurality of collected evaluation results into a learning management report further comprises the step of generating a classroom digest that presents, for an entire classroom, a cumulative bar graph depicting the classroom's progressive level of learning for each curricular area of study.