WO1987006752A1

WO1987006752A1 - Language teaching apparatus

Info

Publication number: WO1987006752A1
Application number: PCT/AU1987/000127
Authority: WO
Inventors: Trevor Gwilym Lloyd; David Harold Mee; Thomas Julius Borody
Original assignee: Trevor Gwilym Lloyd
Priority date: 1986-05-01
Filing date: 1987-05-01
Publication date: 1987-11-05

Abstract

Language teaching apparatus comprising source material in the form of printed information (10) having written words associated with bar codes which are readable by a light wand (11) used to command a memory device such as a compact disk player (13) by way of an interface (12) to reproduce human voice sounds through headphones (15) corresponding to the words associated with the bar codes on the printed material (10). The bar codes may be provided at different levels in association with the written words and typically comprises: (a) A first set of bar codes with one bar code causing a sentence of the text to be reproduced; (b) a second set of bar codes for causing individual words to be reproduced; (c) a third set of bar codes causing phoneme-related structural prompts to be reproduced; and (d) a fourth set of bar codes to cause an explanatory commentary on the meaning of selected words to be reproduced.

Description

"LANGUAGE TEACHING APPARATUS" TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to the teaching of language and more particularly is concerned with the correlation between the spoken word and the written word. The invention in various embodiments may be applied to teaching persons to read and may also be used in the teaching of foreign languages. However, the invention is not limited to these applications. BACKGROUND ART

For effective learning, particularly of language, it is most helpful for a student to have the advantage of considerable attention, if not full time attention, of a teacher. For example, a young child will often learn to read by looking at a book containing pictures and corresponding words with an adult reading the words as the child follows the pictures and the words themselves. Thus, the mind of the child is focusing on an image depicting something, is being given the spoken word and is seeing the written word. Furthermore, from the context the child is absorbing the word within the scope of a grammatical structure and is gathering the meaning, either from the pictures if relevant or with the aid of explanation. At any stage the reader can discuss with the child any word or its meaning or draw to the child's attention a similar word and provide explanations and definitions of grammar and meaning, i.e. syntax and semantics.

Similarly, when a child is beginning to read, the adult can monitor the reading and provide immediate feed-back on a one-on-one basis to maximise the rate at which the child gains reading skills and remembers vocabulary. The interest and motivation of the child can be maintained at high levels. However, apart from a domestic situation, the cost of such teaching techniques make them prohibitive, yet there is a very substantial need, particularly in the areas of adult illiteracy and foreign language teaching.

Furthermore, similar needs for feed-back and flexible recapitulation of concepts, explanations and facts are needed in many other areas of education including mathematics and other science subjects. The availability to a student of a teacher who can be requested to repeat an explanation, elaborate on some point of commentary or deal with any other relevant question is an extremely valuable resource in many situations. 0^ It is known to assist students with e.g. tape recordings of explanation; when such tape recordings are applied to the process of learning to read, a simple system is one in which a tape recording of a printed work is given to the student and the student has the 5 opportunity of following the words, repeating segments of the tape recording and indeed recording his or her own attempts at reading the words and comparing with the tape recording of the tutor. However, such a system is inflexible and hard to operate. O- One published approach to the teaching of language is contained in PCT International publication number WO 83/02188 (Merit Bond Limited) wherein printed text is provided with bar codes associated with at least some of the text, a manually controlled reading device used to 5: access the bar codes as the user may require, and an electronic processing means used to cause the apparatus to synthesise voice reproduction corresponding to the text with which the selected bar code is associated.

Such a device has limitations in terms of functions 0 fulfilled.

The present invention is directed to a new combination of features which provides for a practical and useful teaching device which to a substantial extent simulates a one-on-one teacher student ratio. 5^ DISCLOSURE OF INVENTION

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided an apparatus comprising: source material for the student which is readable and has associated therewith at least two sets of machine readable labels which can be used to trigger a human voice message to the student of a different type depending upon the type of label accessed, operator controlled reading means for reading any one of the labels, message reproduction means for reproducing any chosen messages in any order from a store of messages corresponding to the labels, and control means for causing an output signal to be given suitable for actuating a sound reproduction device to produce an oral message corresponding to the selected stored message. The apparatus can be implemented in various different ways but the most preferred form is one in which the printed matter includes bar codes arranged on respective lines corresponding to lines of printed text, each bar code when accessed causing a particular storage location from the message store to be accessed and reproduced. A typical arrangement of bar codes in a preferred embodiment would be as follows:

(a) a first set of bar codes with one bar code causing a sentence of the text to be reproduced; (b) a second set of bar codes for causing individual words to be reproduced;

(c) a third set of bar codes causing phoneme-related structural prompts to be reproduced; and

(d) a fourth set of bar codes to cause an explanatory commentary on the meaning of selected words to be reproduced.

The invention extends to printed matter comprising lines of text, a first set of machine readable labels associated with separate portions of the text, each portion comprising a multiplicity of words and at least one further arrangement of the labels corresponding to selected one or ones of said words and each of the labels being machine readable in any order to permit sequential accessing of human voice recordings at respective locations on a memory corresponding to a word or words as the case may be. The invention also extends in another aspect to a method of teaching, comprising using an apparatus as described above, the student at his or her own pace reading words and selecting for reproduction the human voice representation of selected portions of the text corresponding with machine readable labels.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS The invention will be further described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, of: which: Figure 1 is a schematic view of use of the present invention in one embodiment;

Figure 2 is a view of sample piece of printed text; Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of the signal processing aspects of the apparatus; Figure 4 is a diagram illustrating the instruction of principles in an interface for the apparatus.

MODES FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Referring first to Figure 1. a book 10 is provided with individual pages of text and labels in the form of machine readable bar codes, each page being typically as shown in Figure 2. The user has a light pen 11 adapted to be passed over selected bar codes, the pen being connected to an interface 12 which interprets the bar code as a location on a compact disk recording of human voice corresponding to the words to which the selected bar code relates. The compact disk is mounted on a disk player 13 connected to the interface and adapted to be actuated by a signal from the light pen causing the selected word or words to be reproduced through headphones 15. The student has at his or her command the ability to repeat words, phrases or sentences as the case may be, and in any order. Referring now to Figure 2. the student can access a bar code 20 at the commencement of a sentence and cause reproduction of the whole sentence. Alternatively, the student can access a bar code underneath an individual word such as bar code 21 and will receive a human spoken message, a decyphering prompt, such as a suggestion to look for syllables within the word displayed; alternatively, the system can be set up to provide a real voice model for sounding out the word in question phoneme by phoneme. The third group of labels 22 will give the student a real voice replay of the particular word.

Optionally, a further label such as 23 can be provided which, when accessed by the user, will give an explanation of the word which may be in terms of its definition, mode of usage or other commentary.

When the apparatus is used for teaching a second language, the whole sentence can be reproduced in both languages in the correct idiom for each language using two bar codes at position 20. Each word can also be represented in each language, word for word, by two bar codes beneath the word. Where complex multisyllable foreign words are being taught, the word may be presented both in its normal pronunciation at normal diction speed, and also, by a further bar code, at a slowed down speed, enabling the student to disect the pronunciation of the word syllable by syllable.

Although the information received from the light pen or wand 11 can be utilised to control the information on the compact disk in any convenient manner, one preferred way of processing the information from the bar codes will now be described with reference to Figure 3 which schematically illustrates one layout of the interface 12 between the light pen 11 and the compact disk player 13. The interface 12 is primarily controlled by a microprocessor 30 which is typically a Motorola 6809 integrated circuit provided with information from the bar code chip 31 which is typically an LTS-3 or 6801 microprocessor. The bar code chip 31 converts the signals received from the light wand 11 to a read code in ASCII which is supplied to the microprocessor 30. The microprocessor is controlled by a program supplied by a ROM 32 and/or a RAM 33 to process the read code received from the bar code chip 31 and supply commands to the input output chip 6821 shown at 34. The chip 34 serves to control the compact disk player 13 to retrieve the desired information from a disk contained therein, and output that information to the headphones 15.

The control logic for the overall operation is diagramatically shown in the flow chart in Figure 4. For efficient arrangement in the apparatus, the sentences will normally be stored sequentially along a disk to minimise access time on the basis that the student is likely to progress through the text in sequence. Individual words, however, are arranged in separate index so that a particular common word appears only once instead of perhaps scores of times for word-by-word selection. It will be appreciated the invention can be implemented in other ways. For example the labels need not be bar codes but could be any other form of machine readable labels such as magnetic coded material. Furthermore, the form of storage does not need to be on a compact disk but preferably rapid access of any one of a large number of selective storage designations is required. Apart from teaching reading either in one language or in a second language, arrangements embodying the present inventive concepts can be applied to the teaching of braille, musical instruments by listening-based techniques, educational and information purposes where the user can use the label to access further information on selected points and even games.

It will be appreciated that use of the present invention obviates the disadvantages of synthesised voices which are poor in matching the cadences of the human voice.

Claims

1. Language teaching apparatus comprising source material for the student which is readable and has associated therewith at least two sets of machine readable labels which can be used to trigger a human voice message to the student of a different type depending upon the type of label accessed, operator controlled reading means for reading any one of the labels, message reproduction means for reproducing any chosen messages in any order from a store of messages corresponding to the labels, and control means for causing an output signal to be given suitable for actuating a sound reproduction device to produce an oral message corresponding to the selected stored message.

2. Language teaching apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein the readable labels comprise bar codes and the operator controlled reading means comprise a light pen adapted to read the bar codes.

3. Language teaching apparatus as claimed in either claim 1 or claim 2 wherein the sets of machine readable labels comprise at least a first set directly corresponding to the pronounciation of the word associated with that label, and a second set giving explanatory material regarding the word or phrase associated with that label.

4. Language teaching apparatus as claimed in claim 3 wherein the second set of machine readable labels comprises two sub-sets namely a first sub-set providing information containing prompts relating to the word or phrase associated with that label, and a second sub-set giving a dictionary type definition of the word and/or phrase associated with that label.

5. Apparatus as claimed in any preceding claim wherein the readable source material is associated with bar codes arranged on respective lines corresponding to lines of printed text, each bar code when accessed causing a particular storage location from the message store to be accessed and reproduced.

6. Language teaching material incorporating printed matter comprising lines of text, a first set of machine readable labels associated with separate portions of the text, each portion comprising a multiplicity of words and at least one further arrangement of the labels corresponding to selected one or ones of said words and each of the labels being machine readable in any order to permit sequential accessing of human voice recordings at respective locations on a memory corresponding to a word or. words as the case may be.

7. A method of teaching language comprising using an apparatus as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 5 wherein the student at his or her own pace reads words and selects for reproduction the human voice representation of selected portions of the text corresponding with machine readable labels.