Learning system

Abstract

Apparatus for learning information which is classifiable into a plurality of levels of detail comprising a first plurality of information bearing elements each bearing a first code indicium and containing information classified at a first level of detail, a second plurality of information bearing elements, each bearing a second code indicium and containing information classified at a second level of detail, and a third plurality of information bearing elements, each bearing a third code indicium and containing information classified at a third level of detail. Additional pluralities of information bearing elements each bearing a characteristic code indicium and containing information classified at a given level of detail may be provided. Also provided is an apparatus for learning information comprising a plurality of information bearing elements which also bear at least two sequence indicia enabling their ready arrangement according thereto into one of a plurality of desired outline formats which differ from one another.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to learning apparatus and techniques generally and more particularly to learning systems and techniques associated with an outline-type format.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

In the modern era, there has been an explosion of information in nearly all fields of endeavor. There has not, however, been a corresponding revolution in apparatus and techniques for teaching, learning, assimilating and organizing information.

Commonly employed techniques in education employ lectures, notes, textbooks, laboratory exercises and audio-visual aids. All of these have severe disadvantages. Textbooks are normally organized according to topics and present, in each chapter or section, a detailed body of knowledge relating to the entire topic. Normally, the amount of specific information contained in a textbook relating to a specific topic is more than can be assimilated in a given reading. The internal organization of the information contained in a given section and relating to a given topic is often far from clear. The use of a standard outline in association with a textbook aids in the organization of the material but does not eliminate the need for the student to classify the textbook material according to the outline or the monotony or dealing with pages of information which are presented in an unclassified manner. A further important difficulty is the inability of the student to define the level of detail which he can effectively assimilate in a given study situation and to limit his efforts to the given level of detail. It follows that after a given study time, the student will have mastered some topics in great depth and other topics not at all.

Lectures, notes and laboratory exercises are normally directed at particular points of interest or difficulty and do not give an overview of the entire body of information to be mastered, so as to put these points in perspective.

Audio-visual aids have been developed in recent years, typically in combination with microfilm or computer displays and terminals for enabling individualized learning. While these do represent a significant advance in the organization of information and the completeness of presentation, they suffer from the disadvantage that their use is limited to suitable facilities which are not always available to a student at all locations at which study may take place.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention seeks to provide learning apparatus which overcomes the disadvantages of the prior art learning apparatus and techniques discussed hereinabove. There is thus provided in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention apparatus for learning information which is classifiable into a plurality of levels of detail comprising a first plurality of information bearing elements each bearing a first code indicium and containing information classified at a first level of detail, a second plurality of information bearing elements, each bearing a second code indicium and containing information classified at a second level of detail, and a third plurality of information bearing elements, each bearing a third code indicium and containing information classified at a third level of detail.

Further in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, additional pluralities of information bearing elements each bearing a characteristic code indicium and containing information classified at a given level of detail may be provided.

Additionally in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, the code indicia may be visually sensible indicia.

Further in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, the code indicia may comprise a color code.

In accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the information bearing elements comprise color coded cards. Further in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the information contained on the information bearing elements may comprise written information as well as graphic information, such as diagrams or illustrations.

Additionally in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, the information bearing elements bear a sequential numerical indicia enabling their ready arrangement according thereto in a desired outline format.

Further in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, the information bearing elements bear at least two sequence indicia enabling their ready arrangement according thereto into one of a plurality of desired outline formats which differ from one another.

Additionally in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, certain information bearing elements are provided with code subindicia to permit grouping according to subject matter within a given level of detail.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE TABLES

The present invention will be understood and appreciated more fully from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the following tables:

Table 1 is an outline key to information bearing elements organized according to standard outline format; and

Table 2 is an arrangement of a plurality of information bearing elements containing the information from the outline key of Table 1.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

The following drawing is of assistance in understanding and appreciating the detailed description of the invention which follows:

FIG. 1 is a schematic drawing of the claimed learning apparatus showing the relationship between the information bearing elements.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The present invention will now be described by way of example with particular reference to anatomical information which is particularly suited to presentation in the form of a plurality of different levels of detail. It is appreciated that the usefulness of the present invention is not limited to anatomical information but rather the invention may be applied to the presentation and learning of any type of information which lends itself to organization in a plurality of levels of detail.

Table 1, hereinbelow, comprises an outline key which indicates the organization of information relating to part of the human anatomy and refers it to the particular information bearing elements, identified by number, on which the information appears. The outline key is arranged in what will be defined hereinafter as a standard outline format in which each item of information has arranged immediately therebelow all of the information which is classifiable therewithin, and which includes illustrations in graphic form as part of the information. Such outline form is useful for indicating the detailed organization of information relating to a given subject covered by a portion of the outline but does not provide an easily discernable picture of all of the information to a desired selectable level of detail.

Table 2 illustrates a collection of information bearing elements constructed and operative in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention and comprising a plurality of information bearing cards which are color coded according to the level of detail of the information on the card. It can be seen that each card of a different color is provided with more detailed information about a narrower range of subject matter. This permits one to master a large amount of material completely at a desired level of detail while offering the opportunity to delve more deeply into specific areas.

FIG. 1 illustrates the interrelationship of the various color coded information bearing elements. Elements bearing information at the broadest level, 1, here Unit cards color coded blue, appear at the top of FIG. 1. These correspond to the Blue Card presented in Table 2. Elements bearing information at the next level of detail, 2, here Chapter cards color coded green, appear in the next row. These correspond to the Green Card presented in Table 2. The third row contains elements bearing information at the next level of detail, 3, here Subchapter cards color coded orange. These correspond to the Orange Cards presented in Table 2. The fourth row contains elements bearing information at a further level of detail, 4, here cards of the component parts of the subchapters, color coded white. These correspond to the White Cards presented in Table 2. The elements bearing the most detailed information appear in the bottom row, 5, on cards color coded yellow. These correspond to the Yellow Cards presented in Table 2. It is clear that the number of rows of information bearing elements is dependent only upon the number of levels of detail of the subject matter to be mastered. It is a particular feature of the present invention that information at a specific level of detail can be isolated using the code indicia on the information bearing elements. For example, if one wishes only to learn which topics fall within one particular unit without going into all the details of those topics, one can merely study the cards color coded blue, 1, green, 2, and orange, 3, and leave aside the detail cards color coded white, 4, and yellow, 5.

In addition, the information bearing elements at certain levels of detail may be provided with code subindicia to permit grouping according to subject matter within a given level of detail. This is illustrated in FIG. 1 wherein certain white cards are additionally provided with one dot or two dots in the upper right hand corner to permit quick and easy isolation and organization of cards containing related subject matter. It will be appreciated that the code subindicia can be any indicia suitable to permit the user to distinguish between the elements which belong to different groupings.

It is another particular feature of the present invention that the information bearing elements can be arranged according to a number of sequences or outlines depending upon the desired organization of the subject matter. Thus, there may be provided any number of sequencing indicia to indicate the sequence of information bearing elements according to various desired organizational formats. For example, still within the framework of the anatomy of the human body, one such outline may permit organization of the information to be learned according to a systemic approach, i.e. circulatory system, respiratory system, etc., while a second such outline may permit organization of the same information according to a regional approach, i.e. heart, upper limb, etc. Such sequencing indicia are illustrated in FIG. 1 and indicated by reference numeral 6. While numerical sequencing indicia are illustrated, it will be appreciated that any distinguishable sequencing indicia suitable to indicate the proper order may be utilized. Not all the information bearing elements need be utilized in each sequence and additional elements can be added to one sequence as desired.

It will be appreciated that the present invention is not limited to the use of cards as the information bearing elements. Any material suitable for bearing information at a specific level of detail can be utilized, such as microfiche or information organized in a computer. Likewise, any suitable code indicia may be employed, not limited to color coding.

It will further be appreciated that, for those who wish to delve even further into a particular area, reference indicia may be included on the information bearing elements directing the user to an outside source.

TABLE 1______________________________________ card number in FIG. 1______________________________________UNIT 1I Level 1A Level 21 Level 3a Level 4i Level 5....UNIT 7 VESSELS AND LYMPHATICS OF THE UPPER LIMB 401XIII ARTERIES OF THE SHOULDER 401,402A Thyrocervical Trunk 402,403 1 Diagram 403,404 2 Branches 403,405 a suprascapular a 405,406 i muscular to 406 supra-spinatus, infra-spinatus, etc. ii articular to acromio 406 clavicular and shoulder joints iii acromial to skin 406 over acromion b superficial (transverse) 405 cervical - deep branchB Axillary Artery 402,407 1 Diagram 407,408 2 Branches 407,409 a superior thoracic 409 (to serratus ant) b thoracoacromial 409,410 i acromial branch 410 ii deltoid to deltoid 410 and pectorals iii pectoral branch to 410 pectorals and mammary gland of female iv clavicular branch to 410 subclavius and to sternoclavicular joint c lateral thoracic 409,411 i muscular to pectorals 411 and serratus ant ii to breast of female 411 d subscapular 409,412 i circumflex scap- to 412 muscles of dorsum of scapula ii continues as 412 thoracodorsal a e anterior humeral circumflex 409,413 i muscular to 413 coracobrachialis, short head biceps ii descending branch 413 to pectoralis major iii ascending branch to 413 shoulder joint f posterior humeral 409,414 circumflex i muscular to deltoid 414 ii articular to shoulder 414 joint iii mutrient to greater 414 tuberosity iv descending to lateral 414 long heads of tricepsC Anastomoses of the Shoulder 402,415 1 Diagram 415,416 2 Anastomosing elements 415,417 a i suprascapular a with 417 ii deep branch of 417 transverse cervical a b i suprascapular a with 417 ii circumflex scapular a c i deep branch of 417 transverse cervical a with ii thoracodorsal a d i anterior humeral 417 circumflex with ii posterior humeral circumflex______________________________________ TABLE 2______________________________________BLUE CARD 401:UNIT 7 - VESSELS AND LYMPHATICS OF THEUPPER LIMBXIII ARTERIES OF THE SHOULDERXIV ARTERIES OF THE ARM AND UPPER FOREARMXV ARTERIES OF THE FOREARM AND HANDXVI VEINS OF THE UPPER LIMBXVII LYMPHATICS OF THE UPPER LIMBGREEN CARD 402:XIII ARTERIES OF THE SHOULDERA Thyrocervical TrunkB Axillary ArteryC Anastomoses of the ShoulderORANGE CARD 403:XIIIA Thyrocervical Trunk1 Diagram2 BranchesORANGE CARD 407:XIIIB Axillary Artery1 Diagram2 BranchesORANGE CARD 415:XIIIC Anastomoses of the Shoulder1 Diagram2 Anastomosing elementsWHITE CARD 404:XIIIA1 Branches of the thyrocervical trunk(Diagram)WHITE CARD 405:XIIIA2 Branches of thyrocervical trunka suprascapular arteryb superficial (transverse) cervical artery - deep branchWHITE CARD 408:XIIIB1 Axillary artery and its branches(Diagram)WHITE CARD 409:XIIIB2 Branches of axillary arterya superior thoracic (to serratus anterior)b thoracoacromialc lateral thoracicd subscapulare anterior circumflex humeralf posterior circumflex humeralWHITE CARD 416:XIIIC1 ANASTOMOSES OF THE SHOULDER(Diagram)WHITE CARD 417:XIIIC2 Anastomosing elements of the shouldera i suprascapular a with ii deep branch of transverse cervical ab i suprascapular a with ii circumflex scapular ac i deep branch of transverse cervical a ii thoracodorsal ad i anterior humeral circumflex a with ii posterior humeral circumflex aYELLOW CARD 406:XIIIA2-a Branches of suprascapular arteryi muscular to supraspinatus, infraspinatus and subscapularisii articular to acromioclavicular and shoulder jointsiii acromial to skin over acromionYELLLOW CARD 410:XIIIB2-b Branches of thoracoacromial arteryi acromial branchii deltoid branch to deltoid and pectoralis musclesiii pectoral branch to pectoral muscles and mammary gland of femaleiv clavicular branch to subclavius and to sternoclavicular jointYELLOW CARD 411:XIIIB2-c Branches of lateral thoracic arteryi muscular to pectoralis and serratus anteriorii to breast of femaleYELLOW CARD 412:XIIIB2-d Branches of subscapular artery (largest branch)i circumflex scapular to muscles of dorsum of scapula (see p 416)ii continues as thoracodorsal artery (see p 416)YELLOW CARD 413:XIIIB2-e Branches of anterior humeralcircumflex arteryi muscular to coracobrachialis, short head of bicepsii descending branch to pectoralis majoriii ascending branch to shoulder jointYELLOW CARD 414:XIIIB2-f Branches of posterior humeralcircumflex arteryi muscular to deltoidii articular to shoulder jointiii nutrient to greater tuberosityiv descending to lateral, long heads of triceps______________________________________

Claims

1. Apparatus for learning information comprising:

a first plurality of selectably arrangeable, information bearing elements, each bearing a first code indicium and containing information classified at a first level of detail, the information contained by each of said first plurality of information bearing elements defining an information element in a first information unit;

a second plurality of selectably arrangeable, information bearing elements, each bearing a second code indicium and containing information classified at a second level of detail, the information contained by each of said second plurality of information bearing elements defining an information element in at least one information chapter, each such chapter containing information corresponding to an information element in said first information unit;

a third plurality of selectably arrangeable, information bearing elements, each bearing a third code indicium and containing information classified at a third level of detail, the information contained by each of said third plurality of information bearing elements defining an information element in at least one information subchapter, each such subchapter containing information corresponding to an information element in said at least one information chapter.

2. Apparatus for learning information according to claim 1 and further comprising additional pluralities of information bearing elements, each bearing a characteristic code indicium and containing information classified at a given level of detail.

3. Apparatus for learning information according to claim 1 wherein the said code indicia are visually sensible indicia.

4. Apparatus for learning information according to claim 1 wherein the said code indicia comprise a color code.

5. Apparatus for learning information according to claim 1 or claim 2 wherein certain elements from at least one such plurality of information bearing elements at a certain level of detail which contain information classifiable according to specific subject matter bear a characteristic code subindicium.

6. Apparatus for learning information according to claim 1 or claim 2 wherein the information bearing elements also bear sequential numerical indicia.

7. Apparatus for learning information according to claim 1 wherein the information contained on the information bearing elements comprises graphic information.

8. Apparatus for learning information according to claim 1 and wherein said each of said second and third pluralities of information bearing elements contains information set indicia indicating to which information element of said information unit, the information contained thereon corresponds.

9. Apparatus for learning information comprising:

a first plurality of information bearing cards each bearing a first color code and containing information classified at a first level of detail, the information contained by each of said first plurality of information bearing cards defining an information element in a first information unit;

a second plurality of information bearing cards, each bearing a second color code and containing information classified at a second level of detail, the information contained by each of said second plurality of information bearing cards defining an information element in at least one information chapter, each such chapter containing information corresponding to an information element in said first information unit; and

a third plurality of information bearing cards, each bearing a third color code containing information classified at a third level of detail, the information contained by each of said third plurality of information bearing cards defining an information element in at least one information subchapter, each such subchapter containing information corresponding to an information element in said at least one information chapter.

10. Apparatus for learning information according to claim 9 and further comprising additional pluralities of information bearing cards, each bearing a characteristic color code and containing information classified at a given level of detail.

11. Apparatus for learning information according to claims 1 or 9 wherein said information bearing elements bear:

first sequential indicia indicating the location of that element in accordance with a first predetermined sequence; and

second sequential indicia indicating the location of that element in accordance with a second predetermined sequence, which is different from said first predetermined sequence.