STRUCTURAL SET OF RELATING INFORMATION AND/OR STIMULII

Abstract: The patent of the Structural Set of Relating Information and/or Stimulii game, presented in the form of a pedagogic game model, encompassing the fixed boards TB, the foldable boards TV, the dissassemblable boards TD, the dice D, and the decks of playing-like cards B, composed of a changeable number of cards C; all containing a series of information and elements that stimulate and capacitate the learner to establish relationships among them, and that enable the learner to express the combinations among them, creating answers to a stimulus or request by at least one of these pieces (TV, TD, D, C) that make up the set.

Description: Structural Set of Relating Information and/or S timulii The purpose of this report is to describe a structural set that relates information and/or stimulii to each other, and more particularly, to describe a cybernetic or pedagogic model which is presented in the form of a game. This game uses especially designed boards - either fixed or dissassemblable -, dice and playing-like cards that are used to enhance the 5 ability of the learner to create and to establish relationships between the different elements that make up one or more subjects or topics. Differently from all the educational games developed up to this point, the Structural Set being described herein incentivates the learner to think for himself or herself, through a process of relating information or stimulii presented to him or to her by the different 10 objects that make up the set. The Structural Set in question is suitable to a wide variety of topics and subjects, such as all spoken languages for instance, including the so-called dead languages. It can also be used to help the learner with Grammar, High-School, College and all Technical courses, such as history, geography, science, arts, math and others - in summary, any and all 15 information that can be taught. As it is well known, the most serious problems that occur during the learning and assimilating process are related to the difficulty that most learners have to build abstract relationships with a high degree of complexity. Another problem associated with the conventional learning tools is that only parts of the 20 subject matter are usually discussed. Worse than that. Usually, the interdiscipline relationships escape totally from the grasp of the learner. In order to dominate abstractions, he or she is subject to a long aprenticeship of the relationship models of the subject being studied. The process is long because the variety of the stimulii to which the learner is exposed is limited. 25 As a general rule, all the conventional teaching tools have the following features in common: 1) Excessively long time required by the learner to understand the relationships present.2) There is a dependency on teachers and on books by the learner. 3) Low cosl benefit ratio and most importantly 4) Insufficient chances for the learner to practice his or her ability to relate the information and/or stimulii presented. o The purposes of the invention being described in this document are multiple: a) To provide a structural set of relating information and/or stimulii that will guarantee efficiency and speed in the multiple stimulation of the learner's memory, forcing him or her to associate the data obtained through visual, audio, tactile and chromatic perception. b) To provide a structural set of relating information and/or stimulii in such a way to allow 5 the learner to become independent of the teacher or his/her equivalents, allowing the learner to think for himself or herself when faced with the variety of elements related by the set. c) By providing a structural set of relating information and/or stimulii, it induces the learner to acquire the habit of consulting; it induces the learner to self-correcting himself or herself, and it helps the learner to increase his or her own capacity to relate data and/or stimulii o furnished by the very structural set. d) To provide a structural set for the learner to relate abstract concepts to concrete, visible and manipulatable stimulii, eliminating the numerous possibilities of remanaging the component parts in such a way that it favors one or only a few possible outcomes. This reduces the intellectual effort on the learner's part, diminishing the number of hours required to attain a certain objective, and consequently lowers the financial cost of attaining the said objective. e) To provide a structured way of relating information and/or stimulii in such a manner that the learner is encouraged to present his or her own view of the world; that the learner is encouraged to communicate his or her own data derived from his or her own life experieences, and that the learner is incentivated to use his or her own lexicological universe. The use of this invention not only allows one to see, but it also enhances the regional, socio-economic, socio-cultural, age, and professional differences. This invention can be used by adults and by the children from any part of any country. These objectives and the advantages just described, as well as others, may be attained through the use of this invention, which is made up of a set of fixed boards, of flexible board sets that may be folded; of dissassemblable boards; of dice and of special game-like cards that contain a set of data and other elements which stimulate and which allow the learner to relate the data and the other elements, expressing the relationships between them, and creating a series of answers to a given question or request, which in itself is also contained in the physical components of the game. The structural set being described herein allows the learner to work alone or in partnership, soliciting and/or deriving combinations that enhance, if necessary, the relationship between the elements that have been furnished. All the elements that compose the set; namely the boards, the dice and the cards have at first moment, the purpose to stimulate; to ask and/or to formulate questions or requests to the learner. In the second moment, to serve as an answer sheet so that the learner's replies may be checked and corrected. So that the current invention may be better understood, it will be also described associated to the drawings which are enclosed supplied as examples which have no limiting nature. In these drawings, Figure 1 represents schematically a view in perspective of the fixed board that is part of the set. Figure 2 represents schematically a view in perspective of the foldable board that is part of the set. Figure 3 represents schematically an expanded view of the disassemblable board that is part of the set. Figure 4 represents a view in perspective of one of the possible configurations of the dice that are part of the set. (The illustration shows one of the faces being removed). Figure 5 represents schematically a view in perspective of the card set. Figure 6 represents schematically the lay-out of the specific fields for the data on each card. Figure 7 represents schematically how a transparent mask may be placed over a given card in such a way that the viewer will not be able to see the data, also printed on the card, with the same color of the mask M. As the illustrations propose to show, the structural set to relate information and/or stimulii which is the object of the present document, is presented in the form of a pedagogic game cybernetic model made up of a base board (TB) manufactured of wood or some other rigid material; a foldable board (TV), manufacutred of some resistent material that allows itself to 5 be folded; a board that may be dissassembled (TD) which is made up of flat, rectangular pieces which when placed together make up the board itself; a die with multiple faces like for example, six, nine, twelve or more faces (D), and a glossematic set of playing-like cards (B), made up of a minimum of twenty cards (C). The base board (TB) usually presents three lines - LI, L2 and L3, of different colors, and 10 three or four columns - Cl, C2, C3 and C4. The number of columns is determined by the subject being studied. Each color for the lines LI, L2 and L3 contains one item of a given topic. For instance, for the topic Portuguese language, the item could be a verb form. Each column - Cl, C2, C3 ....Cm - contains information related to that item. The columns 5 Cl , C2, C3...Cm are mandatorily named according to the type of information being discussed and according to the relationships that are to be recreated. In the above example, the Portuguese language, the first column Cl may act as a catalyst or stimulus. Column C2 may serve as a help column; column C3 may be a difficulty; column C4 may show situations of actual usage, and so on. 0 The base board, TB, should be manufactured of rigid material with nothing written on in, but it should be able to accept the assembly of the other boards of variations (TV), that contain a wide variety of subjects. The base board, TB, should have an all-around frame. The title of each column - Cl, C2, C3,...Cn should come above the square subdivisions. The line for the title (LT) should be 5 demarcated by a white line above the said subdivisions. The board of variations (TV) is normally subdivided into twelve sections, made up of four columns and of three lines, identical to the ones described for the base board TB. The subdivisions of the variations board (TV) will contain the different items of information relating to a given topic. For instance, they may contain a verb form distributed in three 0 lines, LI, L2 and L3, with the present, the past perfect and the future tenses. The four columns, Cl, C2, C3 and C4 would contain a stimulus, the facilities, the difficulties and a situation of usage. In the example Portuguese language, verb forms would be the determined topic. The variations board (TV) may be supplied in kit form, each kit dealing with a specific 5 topic, such as geography: climate and/or fauna; history: the industrial revolution and so on. The dissassemblable board, TD, is made up of square pieces, painted with the same color scheme used on the variations board TV. Each square piece (1) should have a frontal face containing the same items of information contained on each one of the spaces on the variations board TV. On the back, the items of o information would be expanded. In other words, the learner would be presented with new elements or new items of information. The number of square pieces on the disassemblable board TD varies according with need. It should, however, be more than twelve. The square pieces, 1, should be in such a number that they would contain enough information about a given topic to really exhaust its range of study. The number of squares (1) is subdivided into nine levels, each level corresponding to an increased degree of difficulty. As an example, the nine levels of the dissassemblable board TD of the kit being discussed, if applied to the Brazilian school system, would correspond to the first eight years of basic schooling, with an additional level for advanced students. Thus the board kit rounds itself off. The structured kit in question encompasses: a single base board TB. A variable number of foldable boards of variation TV, and a number of dissassemblable boards TD. Allowances should also be made for white TV and TD boards 0 that are furnished with the kit, so that the user may fill them with items relating to his or her own needs or interests. With the white TV and TD boards, there may be also included elements establishing relationships that were not part of the original kit, and which were developed later as the need arose. The die, D, contains multiple faces which are dissassemblable, and which may be taken out 5 of its original structural frame. These faces may contain information and/or stimulii either on the front or on the back portion of each face, as illustrated in figures 4 and 4a. The die has the purpose of incentivating the learner to relate the elements and/or informations on the die with other items on the same die. Or to relate the elements and/or informations on the die with other components of the set. Or even to sometimes identify 0 theoretical denominations. The glossematic deck of playing-like cards, B, is made up of at least twenty cards relating to the same topic. Each card contains items of information that were selected according the their degree of utility to their target public. They are, therefore, selected according the their frequency of usage. 5 As shown by figure 6, the cards C of the deck of play-like cards B, contain the spaces determining the specific fields that will contain the different items of information. The type of information that will be found on each card C is determined according to: its positioning relative to the physical space of the card C; the shading of the color in which the information was printed; and by symbols printed on the front face of the card C. o Thus, there is a symbol defined for each card C and this symbol is printed on the front face of the card. This symbol is used to define the classification type for a given expression, title or topic. The front face of the card C also contains at least one expression-title containing relatable information . On the back of the card C, there are pairs or couplets of information that are related and which are relatable to the expression 'title' which was defined on the 5 front face of the card C. The items of information on the back portion of the card C are related in some form to the items of information contained on the corresponding variations board TV. The items of information contained on the cube or die D refer to techical terms that allow one to estabish - or not as the case may be - adequate relationships with the remaining component pieces of o thee structural set; including relationships with one or more additional cubes or dice that make up the t A lay-out, G, is also an integral part of the kit The lay-out is made of a convenient transparent material, that allows easy viewing of the items of information contained on eack card. A mask, M, made of a convenient translucid material, and in different colors is also part of the kit. The mask M, when placed over the card C, hides selected items of data and/or stimulii, that have been printed on the card using the same color as that of the mask M. Because of this structured disposition given to the set, one achives a wide range of options to use the system. The latter may be used by a single person or by a group of people. The system may additionally be manipulated in parts. Meaning individually each one of its component elements TD, TV, D, B or any combination among them; two by two, three by three, or all of them simultaneously. Even though an ideal combination has been described and illustrated, it should be emphasized that modifications in the structure are possible, due to its wide range of applications. These modifications do not affect the scope of this invention in any way.

Claims: Claims 1. The Structural Set of Relating Information and/or Stimulii game, presented in the form of a pedagogic model, is characterized by a fixed board, TB; a foldable board (TV); a dissassemblable board (TD), several dice (D), and by multiple playing-like cards (C) which make up the deck (B). All of the above items contain a series of data and other - elements that stimulate and enable the learner to relate these data and other related elements, expressing combinations between them, and formulating answers to the stimulii or requests formulated by the data and the elements on at least one the component parts (TV, TD, D, C) that make up the set. 2. The Structural Set of Relating Information and/or Stimulii game, according to Claim 1, 10 is characterized by the fact that its component parts (TV, TD, D, C) are used either separately or in combination (two by two; three by three or four by four), formulating answers of either the closed or the open types, where the stimulus towards criativity is enhanced. 3. The Structural Set of Relating Information and/or Stimulii game, according to Claim 2, 15 is characterized by the fact that the base (or fixed board) TB is manufactured of a rigid material, and that it contains at least three lines (LI, L2, L3) of different colors and that it contains at least four columns (Cl, C2, C3...Cm), distributed in such a way that each line (LI, L2, L3) is assigned a given topic and that each column (Cl, C2, C3...Cm) is assigned data and/or relationships of the stimulus type, related to the topic presented by the line (LI, 20 L2, L3). Initially, the lines (LI, L2, L3) are bare of relatable data and/or stimulii. The lines may, however, receive such information from the variations board (TV) or from the dissassemblable board (TD). 4. The Structural Set of Relating Information and/or Stimulii game, according to Claim 3, is characterized by the fact that the variations board (TV) may be folded. It is also 25 characterized by the fact that it shows twelve squares with four columns and three lines, identical to the ones on the base board TB. Different relatable data are printed on each one of these squares. These data are relatable to each other and to any given topic, expression or title. 5. The Structural Set of Relating Information and/or Stimulii game, according to any of the 30 previous claims, is characterized by the fact that the dissassemblable board TD is composed of square pieces (1) of different colors, which are, however, compatible with the colors defined on the spaces on the variations board TV. Each one of these square pieces (1) shows on its front face the same items of information contained on the corresponding spaces on the variations board TV. On the back face it contains relatable data which expand 35 the knowledge obtained from the fron part of the piece. 6. The Structural Set of Relating Information and/or Stimulii game, according to claim 5, is characterized by the fact that the number of rectangular pieces (1) of the dissassemblable board (TD) may be signifficantly larger than the number of spaces provided on the variations board TV. 4o 7. The Structural Set of Relating Information and/or Stimulii game, according to either Claim 1 or Claim 2 is characterized by the fact that the die D is dissassemblable, presenting data and/or stimulii on the front and on the back of each one of its sides. These sides are painted with different colors which are compatible with the colors used on the spaces of the variations board TV. 8. The Structural Set of Relating Information and/or Stimulii game, according to Claim 7, is characterized by the fact that the die D has six faces. 9. The Structural Set of Relating Information and/or Stimulii game, according to Claim 7, is characterized by the fact that the die D has nine faces. 10. The Structural Set of Relating Information and/or Stimulii game, according to either Claim 8 or Claim 9 is characterized by the fact that the die D has N faces. 11. The Structural Set of Relating Information and/or Stimulii game, according to either Claims 1 or 2, is characterized by the fact that the deck of playing-like cards B is made up by at least twenty cards C for each topic. Each card C contains specified fields showing different items of information. The type of information is defined by the way this information is positioned within the physical area of the card C; by the color in which the information was printed and by a previously defined symbology, which is printed on the front face of the card C. 12. The Structural Set of Relating Information and/or Stimulii game, according to Claim 11 is characterized by the fact that each card C contains on its front face a criteria for the classification for each title expression or topic. It also contains at least one title expression with relatable data. The back portion of the card C contains specific pairs of information about relatable data. This data is also relatable to the title expression which was defined on the front face of the card C. 13. The Structural Set of Relating Information and/or Stimulii game, according to any of the Claims 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 8„ 9 or 12, is characterized by the fact that the data contained on each of the cards C are, in some form, relatable to the information and/or stimulii contained on the other pieces TV, TD, D. 14. The Structural Set of Relating Information and/or Stimulii game, according to Claim 13 is characterized by the fact that the data contained on the back portion of each card C is relatable to the data contained on a corresponding variations board TV. 15. The Structural Set of Relating Information and/or Stimulii game, according to Claim 1, is characterized by the fact that it includes a lay-out (G), designed on a transparent material, which, when overlaid over a card C, facilitates the visual orientation in regards to the information positioned on the front face of the said card. 16. The Structural Set of Relating Information and/or Stimulii game, according to Claim 1, is characterized by the fact that it includes a mask M, of a translucid material, shaded with pre-defined and pre-determined colors, which will be overlaid on the cards C, thus hiding all the data that has also been printed with the same color.

Inventors: FAIRBANKS DE SA MARIA BEATRIZ, FAIRBANKS DE SA, MARIA, BEATRIZ
Applicants: FAIRBANKS DE SA MARIA BEATRIZ, FAIRBANKS DE SA, MARIA, BEATRIZ
Application year: 1991
Main classification: A63F1
IPC codes: A63F1