GB2270789A

GB2270789A - Educational aid.

Info

Publication number: GB2270789A
Application number: GB9310287A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Anthony Donald Birkby
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1992-09-18
Filing date: 1993-05-19
Publication date: 1994-03-23
Anticipated expiration: 2013-05-19
Also published as: GB9310287D0; GB2270789B

Abstract

The invention relates to an educational aid particularly for helping a user to learn multiplication tables and understand their meaning. A rectangular frame (12) has twelve lateral horizontally extending, rods (17) mounted one above the other and each carrying twelve beads (18) slidably threaded thereon. The beads occupy no more than two thirds of the width of the frame between the side frame members when all the beads are pushed to one side of the frame. The frame is provided with support means (20, 21) for supporting a selected one of a plurality of cards in the frame so that they extend in front of the beads when so pushed to one side of the frame. The cards contain lines of printing, which lines align with the rods when supported in the frame, relating to the multiplication tables. <IMAGE>

Description

EDUCATIONAL AID This invention relates to an educational aid, particularly intended for helping children to learn multiplication tables and more thoroughly and coherently understand what they are learning.

The invention provides an educational aid comprising a frame supporting a plurality of lateral rods and threaded on each rod a plurality of beads, in combination with a plurality of cards, the frame having support means for supporting a selected one of the cards in a position in front of one side of all the rods but so as to leave the other side of the rods open to view, preferably each of the cards having a plurality of lines of printing therein relating to numbers associated with a multiplication table, the lines of printing being arranged such that when the card is supported on the frame by the support means the lines of printing will relate with associated ones of the rods and beads thereon.

In a preferred form there are twelve rods, each carrying twelve beads, and eleven printed tables on the cards, one respectively associated with each of the multiplication tables from 2 to 12. With advantage, each card has twelve lines of printing or twelve pairs of lines of printing each associated with multiplication of one number with the numbers 1 to 12 in turn, and the lines of printing or pairs of lines of printing substantially align with the rods.

Preferably the frame is rectangular and the top frame member is slotted to receive and locate the top of a card when the base of that card is supported on the bottom frame member. With advantage the bottom frame member is grooved to receive and locate the bottom of a card.

Preferably each card is associated with one of the multiplication tables, for example one for each number X where X is between 2 and 12, and each card is printed with 12 lines, or 12 pairs of lines, of printing, each line relating to the product of X with one Y of the numbers 1 to 12 in turn. Each line or pair of lines of printing may then include numbers corresponding to each of the numbers X times (Y - 1) - 1 to X times Y together with printing stating "Y groups of X or Y times X equals a number (equal to the product of X and Y)".

One embodiment of educationalal aid, in accordance with the invention, will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings of which: Figure 1 shows diagrammatically a frame and one card adapted to be supported by the frame, Figure 2 shows part of another example of card, and, Figure 3 shows part of a further example of card.

As seen in Figure 1 a rectangular frame 12 has a bottom frame member 13, upright side frame members 14 and 15 and a top frame member 16. Twelve lateral, horizontally extending rods 17 are mounted between the side frame members equally spaced one above the other. Each rod 17 carries twelve beads 18 slidably threaded thereon. The beads occupy no more than two thirds of the width of the frame between the side members 14, 15 when all the beads are pushed to one side of the frame, and may occupy no more than half such width. The beads are shown spherical but could be of other shapes. The bottom frame member may be provided with detachable stabilising feet to prevent the frame being pushed over.

The front part of the top frame member 16 is formed with a slot 20 extending for a length at least equal to the extent of the beads on the rods when they are all pushed to one side of the frame, as seen in Figure 1. The bottom frame member 13 is formed with a groove 21 beneath the slot 20 and the slot and groove together form support means, on the frame, for a card 22 which can be slid through the slot until its base rests in the groove. In this position it extends in front of the beads for more than the full height of the frame and obscures the beads from view. The other side of each of the rods is visible to view and the beads can be slid along the rods to be visible.

Cards 22 are provided printed with each of the multiplication tables for the numbers 2 to 12. As seen in Figure 1, the card 22 relates to the two times table while the cards shown in Figures 2 and 3 relate respectively to the seven times and eight times table. Each card is printed with a number of lines of print, or pairs of lines of print corresponding to the number of rods, in this case 12. Each line or pair of lines is arranged to substantially align with one of the rods when the card is supported by the support means in the frame. As seen, for example in relation to the card relating to the two times table the first line of the card is printed with the numbers "1, 2" followed by "1 group of 2 or 1 x 2 equals 2", the second line of the card is printed with the numbers "3, 4" followed by "2 groups of 2 or 2 x 2 equals 4".This sequence is carried through to line 12 where the numbers "23, 24" are followed by "12 groups of 2 or 12 x 2 equals 24".

The educational aid will be accompanied by instructions instructing a user, or the helper of a learner, to insert the card relating to the required table, for example the two times card, into the support means in the frame with all the beads initially pushed as far to the right of the frame as possible. The user will then bring two (or whatever number table he is using) beads on each rod to the immediate left of the card. The user will then count the beads as he slides them to the extreme left of each bar.

On the first bar the user counts one, two; on the second bar he counts three, four; on the third bar he counts five, six; and so on until he reaches twentythree, twentyfour. He thus has a physical representation at the left of the frame of what is printed on the card aligned with each set of beads on a rod. This method is then repeated with the three times, four times, five times etc., table.

The cards for the higher numbered tables need to be narrower than the cards for the lower numbered tables so that sufficient beads can be seen to the left of the card.

However, by the time the learner has reached the higher numbered tables he will have understood the system and will not necessarily need all the beads to be initially covered up or any very substantial movement of beads to the left as they are counted.

The apparatus may include eleven cards or there may be six cards with five of the cards being double sided.

The device could be modified to teach a smaller number of tables, for example only ten tables in which case there would be only nine cards or four double sided cards and one with a single side printed with table data. There may be only ten rods and ten beads on each rod, for example.

Claims

1. An educational aid comprising a frame supporting a plurality of lateral rods and threaded on each rod a plurality of beads, in combination with a plurality of cards, the frame having support means for supporting a selected one of the cards in a position in front of one side of all the rods but so as to leave the other side of the rods open to view.

2. An aid according to Claim 1 in which each of the cards includes a plurality of lines of printing thereon relating to numbers associated with a multiplication table, the lines of printing being arranged such that when the card is supported on the frame by the support means, the lines of printing will relate with associated ones of the rods and beads.

3. An aid according to Claim 1 or Claim 2 in which there are twelve rods each having twelve beads thereon and the cards include eleven printed tables, one respectively associated with each of the multiplication tables from 2 to 12.

4. An aid according to Claim 2 or Claim 3 in which each card has a number of lines of printing or a number of pairs of lines of printing equal to the number of rods and each line of printing or pair of such lines substantially align with the associated rod when the card is supported by the support means.

5. An aid according to Claim 2 or any Claim dependent thereon in which for the card associated with the multiplication table for Number X multiplied by a Number Y, there are Y lines of print or Y pairs of lines of print and on each line is printed each of the numbers X times (Y - 1) 1 to X times Y together with printing equivalent to "Y groups of X or Y times X equals XY, where X and Y are the appropriate numbers.

6. An aid according to any of Claims 1 to 5 in which the support means includes a slot in the upper frame member.

7. An aid according to Claim 6 in which the support means includes a groove in the lower frame member, the groove being located below the slot, and both the groove and slot being in a plane in front of the beads.

8. An educational aid substantially as described herein with reference to or as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.