WO1994012964A1

WO1994012964A1 - System and method for computerized problem solution analysis

Info

Publication number: WO1994012964A1
Application number: PCT/US1993/011243
Authority: WO
Inventors: Audrey C. Cohen
Original assignee: Cohen Audrey C
Priority date: 1992-11-20
Filing date: 1993-11-19
Publication date: 1994-06-09
Also published as: AU5671894A

Abstract

System and method for teaching a user to operate a computer as a problem analysis teaching device. The system (200) has a central processor (208), a display (204), a keyboard (202), a printer, and memory (206). The memory (206) has a first portion containing purpose data (10), a second portion containing a plurality of data bases (14, 20, 30, 38) related to the first portion, a third portion (230) for storing user input, a fourth portion (214) containing operating system data for the computer, and a fifth portion (212) containing operating data for the learning method. A purpose control function enables a user to do the following: access a stored purpose from the memory (206); make a plan derived from a list of possible activities relating to the selected purpose; carry out the plan and record a log of actions taken in furtherance of the plan; and analyze the actions taken with respect to the defined goal and recorded results of the action.

Description

SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR COMPUTERIZED PROBLEM SOLUTION ANALYSIS

Related Application:

This application is a continuation-in-part of Application Serial No. 07/703,682 filed on May 21, 1991. Background of the Invention:

The present invention relates to an interactive purpose-oriented education system and, more particularly, to an education system which enables students to understand the interrelatedness of the knowledge and skills they are expected to acquire, to develop the higher thinking skills they need to make effective use of their learning, and to become purposeful in gaining knowledge and using it for the benefit of society.

In a traditional primary or secondary school, learning is organized into discrete subjects in such areas as English, mathematics, social studies, and science. All the knowledge and skills that children are expected to acquire are taught as components of one or another of the standard subjects. Depending on grade level, the curriculum may include such subjects as reading, writing, mathematics, beginning algebra, biology, civics, economics, etc. Student acquisition of the prescribed bodies of knowledge and skill is assessed through a separate test in each subject.

The traditional system suffers from a severe compartmentalization and isolation from the world that even the most talented and dedicated teachers are rarely able to overcome. The subject oriented curriculum tends to conceal the extent to which the various subjects relate to, depend on, and enrich each other. It does not encourage teachers to show how the various subjects and their associated knowledge and skills relate to the real problems and issues faced by society. With the focus on textbook problems and separate tests in each discrete subject, students are not encouraged to develop the higher thinking skills involved in drawing together the knowledge associated with the various subjects, evaluating it, synthesizing it, and making appropriate use of it to solve the kinds of complex and ambiguous problems one finds in the real world.

Traditional subject-oriented education methods have certain deficiencies. For example, they:

- do not teach the children how to solve real problems and work for change and improvement in the world outside the classroom;

- do not teach them to make use of higher thinking skills to combine knowledge from many sources, evaluate its relevance, and apply it wisely to the solution of complex multi-step problems;

- do not teach children the interpersonal skills they need in a real world where most occupations involve working with others;

- do not give children confidence that they can make a contribution and fill useful and satisfying roles in the world outside the classroom;

- present bodies of knowledge and skills in a fragmented way, not helping students to understand how these bodies of knowledge and skill interrelate and how they can be used in combination for problem solving in the real world;

- do not create a need or desire to learn in students so that they become self motivating;

- do not assess students on their ability to use knowledge and skills acquired in school in a purposeful manner for the benefit of society;

- do not consistently incorporate into the curriculum the use of community resources, including business enterprises, health care organizations, cultural institutions, and individual citizens, to help children to learn to be contributing members of society; - do not encourage teachers at the same grade level to plan together and pool their resources for the benefit of students;

- do not encourage teachers specializing in different subjects to plan together and coordinate curriculum for the benefit of students;

- do not encourage teachers to think about how the knowledge and skills they teach relate to new occupational needs and how the curriculum can be organized to prepare children for the rapidly changing world of work; and

- do not encourage principals and teachers to build relationships between the school and groups outside the school, such as parents, business people, and community leaders, to help children learn how they can contribute to sustaining their community and changing it for the better.

The deficiencies of American schools have been amply documented. Educational Testing Service (ETS), which administers the National Assessment of Educational

Progress, discusses the results of recent assessments and their implications:

National assessments consistently reveal a weakness in higher-order thinking skills in all subjects, and there is a growing concern and determination to improve these skills.

Policy makers, business leaders, and educators agree that young Americans will need these skills in the 21st century if they are to lead satisfying lives and if the national economy is to prosper (A World of

Difference, 1988).

In another report, ETS suggests that unsatisfactory scores in higher-order thinking skills indicate the need to relate education more closely to real life:

Teaching decisions were once guided by a hierarchy suggesting that students must first learn the facts and skills and later learn to apply them. Yet many educators now recognize the limitations of this stepping-stone view of education. Educational theory and research suggest a different pattern of generative teaching and learning, where learning content and procedures and how to use this learning for specific purposes occur interactively.

Students learn information, rules, and routines while learning to think about how these operate in the context of particular goals and challenges in their own lives. (Crossroads in American Education, 1989, p. 40).

ETS makes it clear that this recognition of the need for change does not mean that change has been forthcoming. The report continues:

[It] is apparent that fundamental changes may be needed to help American schoolchildren develop both content knowledge and the ability to reason effectively about what they know - skills that are essential if they are to take an intelligent part of the world of life and work. Such changes will involve reshaping current notions of the goals of instruction, the roles of teachers and students, the language of .instruction, the nature of instructional activities and materials, the signposts teachers use to know that they have been successful in their profession, and the evidence policy makers, administrators, parents, and the general public use to know that schools are doing their job and that students are learning (p. 41).

A book by Tracy Kidder, Among Schoolchildren (Avon Books, 1989) makes vivid the isolation of the classroom and compartmentalization of the curriculum. Kidder talks about the isolation of the teacher and her students in the "lonely but safe and sealed-off domain of her own classroom" (p. 49). On page 115, the author speaks of the difficulty of a single teacher confronting a classroom:

One sociologist of teaching describes the situation as "dual captivity" : the children have to be there, and the teacher has to take the children sent to her.

The problem is fundamental. Put twenty or more children of roughly the same age in a little room, confine them to desks, make them await in lines, make them behave. It is as if a secret committee, now lost to history, had made a study of children, and having figured out what the greatest number were least disposed to do, declared that all of them should do it.

On page 52, Kidder speaks of how the insulated classroom affects the teacher:

Almost two and a half million people in public schools. Many of them work in curiously insular circumstances. Most teachers have little control over school policy or curriculum or choice of texts or special placement of students, but most have a great deal of autonomy inside their classrooms. To a degree shared by only a few other occupations, such as police work, public education rests precariously on the skill and virtue of the people at the bottom of the institutional pyramid. Chris had nearly absolute autonomy inside her room. In that narrow, complicated place, she was the only arbiter of her own conduct. Sometimes she felt very lonely. "The worst thing about it," she once said," is you don't even know if you're doing something wrong."

Kidder also comments on the compartmentalized teaching of subject matter, frequently made all the more rigid through the use of workbooks (p. 30):

But almost every child hated the twenty-five minutes spent in the basal's workbooks. Judith, a most proficient reader, who went to another room for that period, said, "I love to read, but I hate reading-reading." Chris had many disaffected readers, and the workbooks were not improving their attitudes. They slumped over those workbooks, and some looked around for other things to do. She could make them behave, but from many she couldn't get more than halfhearted efforts. Her two lower groups weren't making up the ground between them and grade level. She couldn't quit the basal altogether, but she knew she ought to make the children see that there is more to reading than workbooks.

Thus our schools are failing to provide children with the education they need to succeed in today's world. There is a need to place education in the context of the larger world outside the classroom, and to overcome the fragmentation and compartmentalization of learning.

Although the deficiencies of the schools are widely recognized, there has been a dearth of proposals for attacking these deficiencies at their root by replacing the failing subject-oriented system with a new and more effective system.

Summary of the Invention:

Accordingly, it is a primary object of the present invention to provide a new and improved purpose-oriented education system designed to meet the needs of the contemporary world. This new system is designed to link education, work and life so that students learn how to make use of their education to live more useful and rewarding lives. The system recognizes that the agrarian and industrial society of the past has been replaced by a highly competitive, technological, globally organized service society. The typical occupations in this new society make unprecedented demands, calling for a new breadth and depth of knowledge, advanced thinking skills, the ability to work with people, and the capacity for self direction.

The College for Human Services in New York City has used a purpose-based system for educating professionals at the baccalaureate and masters level, where the education is directed toward certain career areas and more independent student action is expected. However, it was not readily apparent that a revised system would ever be applicable to primary or secondary school, where students must acquire a broad foundation of general education, a major aim is to develop citizenship skills, subjects are often mandated, and education is almost exclusively teacher-directed. Only with the present invention is a new purpose-oriented system now reduced to practice at the elementary and secondary level.

A more particular object of the present invention is to provide an educational system in which knowledge from all disciplines and subject areas is organized to enable the child to achieve a socially useful purpose during each level of education.

Another object of the present invention is to provide students with an educational tool which defines a purpose or general goal for obtaining and synthesizing learning in order to plan a socially useful action that will achieve the purpose, provides means for managing and monitoring the action, and provides means for assessing the results of the action.

Yet another object of the invention is to enable the system to be used for grades kindergarten through twelve by enabling the purpose, planning, implementing and assessment information to be updated or changed to correspond to any desired grade level, subject matter or curriculum requirements.

These and other objects and advantages of the present invention are achieved, in a preferred embodiment, by providing an education system which is operable to communicate a specific purpose to one or more students, and then enable the student to enter, via a purpose control function 12, a planning mode wherein the student is able to access information from a set of databases, preferably representing all of the traditional school subjects, reorganized under such rubrics as weighing values and ethics, understanding self and others, understanding systems, and making use of appropriate skills. The databases and the purpose control function 12 help the student to research possible socially useful actions which relate to the defined purpose and to make a plan of action for reaching the goal, while also enabling a final plan to be recorded. The student is then able to enter an implementing mode wherein the student has access to the same set of databases, which assist the student in carrying out the recorded plan. While in this mode, the student will then carry out the plan and record a log of actions taken in furtherance of the plan, revising the plan as necessary. Upon completion of the action, the student then enters an assessment mode wherein the student analyzes the action taken with respect to the defined goal, records and analyzes the results of the action, and projects next steps.

Upon completion of the necessary modes, the student is then ready to begin the system over again with a new defined purpose and updated information databases. Means are provided for enabling a system administrator, one or several teachers, or the like to then record a new purpose with its appropriate databases, and to update the databases as needed. Preferably, the information databases are constructed such that upon completion of the modes the student has learned the knowledge and skills required for a particular semester or grade level and learned to apply them in an integrated manner to achieve a real-world purpose.

Description of the Drawings:

Other objects and advantages of the subject invention will become apparent from a study of the following specification when viewed in light of the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a flow chart which defines the components of the educational system of the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a preferred embodiment of the type of information which is stored in the databases.

Fig. 3 is a diagram of the preferred system hardware configuration in which the system of Fig. 1 may be implemented.

Fig. 4 shows the curriculum planning process which is used to develop the purposes, the purpose control function, and information databases used in the system.

Detailed Description:

Referring now to Figs. 1 - 3, there are shown the components and logical flow of the purpose-oriented education system of the present invention. When the student enters the system through the purpose control function 12, a purpose 10 is communicated to the student. The purpose 10 is a major goal or objective for real world action around which all the subsequent educational material the student will study is organized. Preferably, the purpose 10 embodies one of the areas of activity involved in effective citizenship. The purpose 10 should be defined such that, as the student goes through the system, the purpose 10 calls on the student to develop the broad knowledge, the range of abilities and the commitment to ethical action that characterize the productive, socially concerned citizens the system is intended to produce. Examples of purposes 10 which could be used at the elementary, level may include working for good health, helping people through the arts, improving the environment, benefiting people through technology, working for safety, or any other suitable purpose. At the junior high or middle school level a purpose 10 may be taking charge of one's own learning, and at the senior high level the purpose 10 may be taking charge of one's life and learning, joining a helping team, or any other suitable purpose which enables the knowledge and skills required for a particular grade level to be taught and used.

After receiving the purpose 10 from the purpose control function 12, the child preferably enters a planning mode 18 in which the student is presented with information which explores possibilities for accomplishing a socially useful action related to the purpose, for deciding on a particular action and goal, and for making a plan for achieving the goal. The information presented preferably is in the form of four interactive information databases 14, 20, 30 and 38, each of which includes information such as a series of questions which stimulate the student's thinking about possible social needs which relate to the defined purpose 10, alternative strategies which the student can consider, references to sources of relevant information, bibliographies, and source documents themselves.

The purpose control function 12 acts as a central control function through which one can access the planning, implementing and assessing modes 18, 26, and 32. Through the purpose control function 12, the student is led through the system. The purpose control function 12 prompts the student to move from one mode to the next, take various steps within each mode, make various decisions, and consult the four databases for leading questions, instructions and information. The purpose control function 12 and the databases 14, 20, 30 and 38 may also direct the student to gather and evaluate relevant information from the child's own family, and from the community, business, government, non-profit organizations and individuals. In accordance with the invention, the purpose 10 gives coherence and organization to the system, serves to direct students to achieve a socially useful action, encourages teachers to plan collaboratively by producing a common focus for their work, and connects knowledge and activities to the real world.

While in the planning mode, the student is directed to decide on a plan 22 for an action which will achieve the defined purpose 10, and to enter the goals, the objectives, and the details of the steps involved in the plan 22. The plan includes one or more desired outcomes and methods for assessing their achievement, which will be saved and later retrieved in the assessment mode described hereinafter.

After a plan 22 has been defined, the student preferably enters an implementation mode 26 in which the student has access to the same four databases, and is provided with information which assists the student to monitor and manage the implementation of the plan. There is also provided means for documenting progress. An input log 28 is provided which enables the student to enter information at regular intervals on what the student has done in furtherance of the plan 22. The databases can be used to help document the progress by presenting questions to the student which relate to the plan implementation such as: what did you do? what did you hope to achieve? what was the result? what value issues did you encounter? what systems did you make use of? what skills did you use? Preferably, if the student realizes in the implementation stage 26 that the logged progress 28 does not match the plan 22, the system enables the student to return to the planning mode 18 to modify the plan 22. The student preferably remains in the implementation mode 26 for a designated period of time or until the goal 16 has been achieved.

After the implementation mode 26 the student preferably enters an assessment mode 32 wherein the student enters results 34 and analyzes information 36 on results achieved during action in the planning mode 18 and implementing mode 26. The student has access to the same four databases 14, 20, 30, and 38, which preferably include information from all subject areas organized around the purpose 10, and which assist the student in assessing the action. The databases include means for doing a statistical analysis of results and information such as a list of questions like the following: did you reach your goal? how do you know? which of your strategies was successful? what value issues did you deal with? did your knowledge of self and others help you? At this point, the system instructs the student to enter information 42 on how the plan could be projected into the future.

Once the student has completed all of the preferred modes 18, 26 and 32, the student has completed one learning level in the system. Preferably, the learning level provides the student with the knowledge and skills required for a semester or grade level. Upon completion of a learning level, the student is then ready to begin again with a new purpose 10 and its associated databases 14, 20, 30 and 38 which correspond to the knowledge and skills required in the next learning level. In order to prepare the system for the next level, system updating means 40 is provided which enables an authorized person to load a new purpose and its associated databases and enables one or more authorized persons such as teachers of different classes to update the databases 14, 20, 30 and 38 in accordance therewith.

Preferably, the system is integrated on a known type of programmable data processing device 200 which enables interaction between the system and the student. The data processing device includes a keypad 202 or other suitable input device, a display device 204, memory means 206, a central processing unit (CPU) 208, and timing and control means 210 all connected in a known manner. The system may also include a voice synthesizer (not shown) of known construction for communicating with the student. The purpose 10 and information databases 14, 20, 30 and 38 are loaded into the memory 206 which is preferably a known type of non-volatile memory. Software 212 is provided which controls the operation of the education system including retrieving information from memory 206, displaying information on display device 204, and processing input from the keypad 202. The software 212 may operate in conjunction with a known operating system 214 which controls the operation of the data processing device 200 or the software 212 may perform operating system functions.

In operation, the system initially displays on the display device 204 the purpose 10. The software 212 defines function keys 218, 220 and 222 which enable the student to enter into the planning mode 18, the implementation mode 26, and/or the assessment mode 32, respectively. The function keys also enable the student to switch back and forth between the modes as desired. Upon entering the planning mode 18 the student receives information from the purpose control function 12 on how to proceed. At various points, the student will be instructed to consult each of the other databases. Preferably, the student can access several databases at once, enter information into them, and aggregate selected information by means of the purpose control function 12. As the student enters data in response to the software prompts, the input information 230 is stored in memory 206 so that it can be accessed later. As the student continues through the modes, the system collects and stores information as to what the student has done while in the system. As described above, the system does this, for example, by prompting the user for input which documents the user's activities.

Once the student has completed the selected modes, a system function key 224 may be provided for enabling a new purpose 10, purpose control function 12, and updated information databases to be loaded into memory 206 for future use. If sufficient memory is available on the system, a plurality of purposes and information databases could be loaded therein and the software 212 could assign a particular purpose and available information for each pass through the system, thereby eliminating the step of having to actually load a new purpose and information database from an external source. The system is designed to enable the student to interact with the system on a regular basis and move through the system at a pace which corresponds to the student's progress in a particular grade or age level. The system contemplates that the student will not necessarily obtain all of the knowledge and skills required for a particular grade level from only the stored information databases. The student will also be actively involved in a corresponding purpose-oriented curriculum in the classroom and out in the community.

In order to determine useful purposes 10 and compile the data in the information databases 14, 20, 30, and 38, teachers collaborate with each other and with other resource people to plan the purposes and determine what information will be available to the student in each mode. Individual teachers may be responsible for updating the particular database related to their teaching. In accordance with the invention, the purpose 10 gives coherence and organization to the system, serves to direct students to achieve a socially useful action, encourages teachers to plan collaboratively by producing a common focus for their work, and connects knowledge and activities to the real world.

Referring now more particularly to Fig. 2 , the information databases are compiled with information from all subject areas reorganized around purpose 10. They provide the student with the knowledge and skills necessary to complete the three modes 18, 26 and 32. Therefore, the information available to the student corresponds to the defined purpose 10. Preferably, the databases include information relating to school resources as well as to community resources outside the school, all of which relate to the defined purpose 10.

In accordance with the invention, the databases may be dedicated, respectively, to information on values and ethics 14, self and others 20, systems 30, and skills 38. The values information 14 may include information which helps the student to recognize values and ethics from literary, historical and scientific perspectives. The self and others information 20 may include information which helps the student to understand himself or herself such as literature, interpersonal skills and communication skills. The systems information 30 include information which helps the student to understand physical and social systems and research and critical thinking skills. The skills information 38 may include information which helps the student learn needed business skills, math skills, reasoning, communication and problem solving skills.

In accordance with the invention, the databases may prompt students to gather and enter information obtained from the student's parents 108, business organizations 110, government organizations 112, non-profit organizations 114, and individuals 116.

The information in the databases relates the curriculum content of knowledge and skills to the purpose 10 that the student will carry out at each learning level. Thus the knowledge and skills become resources that help the student to carry out the purpose 10. As the subject matter or curriculum requirements change, the system can be updated to accommodate them.

During the implementation mode 26 , the student may take part in an internship which makes it possible to fulfill the purpose 10 and which has positive results for people in the context of the real challenges in the community at large. The system provides a learning activity, an opportunity for real achievement, and the basis for assessing students. Students using the system do not simply propose solutions to a standardized problem but plan and take action in a situation in which they are actively involved. In a traditional education, the term "project" is sometimes used to describe activities carried out in the classroom to enable students to apply what they have learned or to learn by discovery. The system of the present invention differs from the traditional project in that it is carried out in the larger community, and requires the student to bring together knowledge from many subjects. Its intent is not simply the academic development of the student but also to engage the student in striving for a useful societal goal.

The assessment mode 32 stands in contrast to assessment in traditional subject-oriented educational systems. In place of discrete tests of isolated subject matter, there is a comprehensive assessment of each student's ability to integrate his or her knowledge and put it to work in a socially useful action. In order to facilitate assessment of the student after completing the necessary modes 18, 26 and 32, the assessment database should include a set of outcomes which the student is expected to demonstrate in the process of planning and implementing the action. Preferably, the system includes means for enabling both the student and the teacher to record assessment information, or if desired, the system may include means for enabling other people involved in the action such as parents or people in the community to take part in the assessment.

The system is particularly adapted for use in grades kindergarten through twelve (K-12). Therefore, purposes should be defined for each grade level which all the children therein should achieve. In developing these purposes the outcomes to be produced are defined by the characteristics of the person who has completed education under the system of the present invention. For example, the high school graduate should be caring and concerned, equipped to participate usefully in a high-technology global service economy, equipped with the skills of citizenship and endowed with a desire and ability to participate in bringing about social improvement.

In the K-12 system of the present invention, traditional school subjects are replaced with the purpose-oriented system that embraces all levels of knowledge and skills that the student should be exposed to in grades K-12. The system at the elementary- secondary level is designed as the focus of a comprehensive general education. The system is designed to incorporate all of the traditional school subjects. The system defines purposes which lead to acts of improvement the student must engage in to enhance their knowledge and their growth as useful citizens.

The use of the system creates outcomes that can be assessed for each student to indicate the student's mastery of the knowledge and skill required for a particular grade or age level, and the ability to use the content, subject matter and skills effectively to achieve a significant, socially useful purpose. The system of the present invention acts to transform the knowledge and skills of the curriculum into a transdisciplinary system.

The curriculum that results from organizing knowledge and skills into the system is best described as transdisciplinary. The term multidisciplinary is not appropriate because the new system is not simply a rearrangement of traditional subjects or disciplines. Rather it represents a totally new synthesis of traditional and new knowledge and skills. The system represents a comprehensive educational system wherein all the knowledge and skills required at a particular grade level complement each other. A traditional curriculum composed of an arrangement of traditional subjects can seldom be called comprehensive, because it is planned in a piecemeal way, certain important kinds of skills ( problem solving and interpersonal, for example) are usually not included in any systematic way, and there is no focus on a selected purpose, so that the subjects are not designed to complement each other.

In accordance with the present invention, this new system makes the child the center of a new and productive relationship between the family, the school, and the community. At the beginning of the educational process, the student moves beyond the orbit of the home into the orbit of the school. As part of the curriculum planning process, teachers build linkages between home and school. Family is encouraged to take part in their children's education, and the children help to plan events which will draw family into the school. In the early months of kindergarten, the children begin to move into the orbit of the community, beginning with, for example, a few community service organizations such as the police, a dental clinic, etc. The community provides resources to promote the child's learning, and it provides opportunities for social improvement which the children use while going through the system. Preferably, the students' educational and service relationships are mediated by the teachers. However, as the students progress, they take on more and more of the management of these relationships. From the start, the present system enables the student to be the center of a productive new relationship between the school, family, and the community.

It is important to note that the particular curriculum which includes the purpose 10, the purpose control function 12, and the information databases 14, 20, 30 and 38 at each learning level may be varied to meet the particular education requirements of the school district in which the system is employed. The system is designed to be flexible enough to be employed in practically any school district, and can be modified, if necessary, to correspond to any change in the requirements or the preferences of particular teachers. Therefore, it is not possible to describe exactly what the purpose and information databases will be in every school in which it may be employed. However, by following the general guidelines presented herein, the teachers and other involved members will easily be able to integrate their specific curriculum requirements into the system by modifying the four subject databases. While the databases 14, 20, 30, and 38 are shown to be separate databases, they may be a single comprehensive database which is indexed appropriately for each knowledge area 14, 20, 30, and 38, in order to provide the student with useful information in each mode.

In order to further illustrate how the system curriculum can be established. Fig. 4 shows six phases of curriculum planning. During phases 1-3, the planning team gathers and studies information. During phases 4-6, they use their findings to incorporate their required curriculum into the system of the present invention.

Table 1

These are examples of the kinds of outcomes that are used for assessment in the new system of education.

In order to further illustrate how a particular curriculum can be implemented into the system of the present invention, examples of curriculum implementations are provided hereinafter. These examples illustrate possible purposes and the types of information including possible actions which can be used in the systems as purpose control function and databases. In the examples, a semester's content and knowledge is shown on the left most vertical guide for each grade. The examples are laid out horizontally in weeks which represent the desired progress through the system of the present invention.

The purpose designated from each semester may be varied from time to time so as to refresh and revitalize the system. Purposes may be interchanged as necessary. Thus in the example for grade 10-A, the curriculum was designed for students who are just entering the system in their second year of high school, and the curriculum therefore borrows its purpose from the first year of high school, grade 9B, designating it "Purpose 2".

It can be seen that the subject matter embraced by the databases may vary. Thus in Table 4 (grade 6A), the curriculum is related to traditional subject areas such as English, Social Studies, Science, mathematics, and Spanish. In the curriculum shown in Table 2 (grade 4A) which is a more refined or developed curriculum than that shown in Table 4, it will be seen that the traditional subjects have been totally integrated and transformed into broad knowledge areas titled purpose, values, self and others, systems, and skills, corresponding to the purpose control function and the four databases of the system.

If certain curriculum content and/or outcomes are designated or mandated by the community such as city or state, the official guidelines can be reflected in the system. Thus the example for grade 5A was designed for a New York City school, while 6A and 6B were designed for schools in two different communities in Florida. In setting up the system, teachers preferably work together as a team. They decide what information will be used in the system to meet desired subject matter. Any area of knowledge can be integrated into the system. Sixth graders might be directed to prepare an oral history relating to their community with elderly blind people at the Helen Keller Institute. Older students may be directed to begin an internship at such places as businesses, political offices, hospitals, museums, and day care centers.

Seventh graders who have as their purpose "I help others by teaching and communicating" might be assigned to day care centers. They could use English and the art skills to assemble books for the children at day care centers. American history from the industrial revolution to the present helps them understand the economic and social significance of day care centers, and their study of human biology helps them to understand the needs of children. They may have each preschooler dictate a story and make illustrations to include in a book. Children at a natural history museum can study the exhibits, prepare a talk for young visitors, and see how they can improve their talk to hold their listener's attention. Thus by using the system they will develop and use essential interpersonal and communications skills, strengthen their commitment to service, and be motivated to increase their knowledge and skills.

In a semester whose purpose is "We bring our community together", eighth graders may use the system to plan, implement, and assess an action that involves working together in teams to collect money and food for the homeless through a carnival or the like. They can call on math skills to make scale drawings of the site, access writing aids to write short articles on the carnival for the local press, and access ecological information and resources to plan booths which will educate visitors on basic ecological issues. They may research community agencies and prepare a pamphlet on community resources to pass out to visitors. As internship experiences are brought back and entered into the system, they can be added into the information databases for future use. Thus the system can build on itself.

The following examples are presented to illustrate, not to limit, the invention. They illustrate how various subject curriculums can be integrated in order to provide the necessary stored information to use the system effectively. The system requires this kind of integration. Other embodiments within the spirit and scope of the invention will suggest themselves to those skilled in the art.

Example 1

Table 2 is an example of the purpose-oriented information divided into a purpose control function and four databases which are organized around the purpose for use in the system to meet the requirements of a 16 week semester based on New York City curriculum guidelines for the first semester of Grade 4.

Example 2

Table 3 is an example of the purpose-oriented information which can be used in the system to meet requirements of a 19-week semester and based on New York City curriculum guidelines for the first semester of Grade 5.

I

Example 3

Table 4 is an example of the purpose-oriented information which can be used in the system to meet the requirements of a 19-week semester and based on the curriculum guidelines of a Florida school district for the first semester of Grade 6.

Example 4

Table 5 is an example of the purpose-oriented information which can be used in the system to meet the requirements of a 19-week semester and based on the curriculum guidelines of a Florida school district for the second semester of Grade 6.

Example 5

Table 6 is an example of the purpose-oriented information which can be used in the system to meet the requirements of a 19-week semester and based on new York City curriculum guidelines for the first semester of

Grade 7.

Example 6

Table 7 is an example of the purpose-oriented information which can be used in the system to meet the requirements of a 19-week semester and based on New York City curriculum guidelines for the first semester of

Grade 8.

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Example 7

Table 8 is an example of the purpose-oriented information which can be used in the system to meet the requirements of a 16-week semester and based on New York City curriculum guidelines for the first semester of

Grade 9.

Example 8

Table 9 is an example of the purpose-oriented information which can be used in the system to meet the requirements of a 16-week semester and based on New York City curriculum guidelines for students studying business in the first semester of Grade 10. The curriculum was planned for students just embarking on the new system in their sophomore year of high school, and it makes use of the purpose from the second semester of freshman year (Grade 9).

Claims

1. A method of operating a computer as a problem analysis teaching device, said computer having a central processor, a display, a keyboard, a printer and a memory, said memory having a first portion containing purpose data, a second portion containing a plurality data bases related to said first portion, a third portion for storing user input, a fourth portion containing operating system data for said computer, and a fifth portion containing operating data for said learning method, said method comprising the steps of:

(a) generating a first purpose from said first memory portion;

(b) accessing each data base in said second memory portion to derive a list of possible activities relating to said purpose;

(c) inputting a plan derived from said list of possible activities into said third memory portion;

(d) accessing each data base in said second memory portion according to said plan and storing data relating to said purpose from said second memory portion in said third memory portion; and

(e) deriving a result from said data input to said third memory portion and entering said result into said third memory portion.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of :

(f) comparing said result and said plan with a predetermined result and plan for said purpose stored in said fifth memory portion, and displaying said comparison to a user.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein step (d) further comprises the sub-steps of : (i) modifying said plan based upon said data from said second memory portion,

(ii) accessing additional data from each data base in said second memory portion in accordance with said modified plan, and

(iii) storing said modified plan and at least part of said additional data from said second memory portion obtained in sub-step (ii) in said third memory portion.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein sub-steps (i) and (ii) are repeated.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein data manipulated in each said step is displayed.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein said data to be displayed is stored in a' random access memory (RAM) associated with said central processing unit.

7. The method of claim 3, wherein said plan constitutes a plurality of activities related to said purpose and each of said activities related to said purpose is compared to a predetermined activities related to said purpose stored in said fifth memory portion.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein a comparison of said activities and said predetermined activities is displayed.

9. The method of claim 2 further comprising the step of :

(g) generating a second purpose in said fifth memory portion and transferring said second purpose to said first memory portion.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising the step of :

(h) modifying each said data base in said second memory portion to correspond to said second purpose.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein steps (a)-(e) are repeated.

12. A system for teaching the user of a computer problem solution analysis, said system including a computer comprising:

(a) a keyboard;

(b) a display;

(c) means for generating a purpose;

(d) means for generating a list of possible activities relating to said purpose;

(e) means for storing data input by a user; and (f) means for comparing selected data corresponding to said purpose stored by said user with predetermined data relating to said purpose and stored in said system, wherein said means for generating a list comprise a plurality of data bases, said data bases containing data pertaining to said purpose, and arranged so that said data is comprehensive for said purpose and arranged throughout said data bases in a complementary manner.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein said data comprises subject matter required to satisfy scholastic requirements for a predetermined portion of a school year.

14. The system of claim 12, further comprising means for accessing said plan related to said purpose by comparison with a predetermined plan for said purpose.

15. The system of claim 12, wherein said means for generating a list comprise four data bases.

16. The system of claim 12, further comprising means for prompting a user to enter data or access said data bases.

17. The system of claim 12, further comprising means for generating a second purpose; and

means for altering data in said data bases in accordance with said second purpose.

18. The system of claim 12, wherein said keyboard comprises means for switching between a mode for entering data and a mode for accessing data from said data bases.

19. The system of claim 12, wherein said means for storing are separate from said data bases.