Abstract:
The teacher&#39;s strategies tool apron of the present invention provides easy access and organization to the tools needed to enhance any instructional segment and promote student retention in PreK to 8th grade. The “tools of the trade” are located in the appropriately matched pockets of the apron, paired with researched best practices education strategies. Together they maximize the attention and involvement of the learning audience while simultaneously giving easy access and organization to the tools themselves to the presenter. The pockets have a signifying visual cue logo identifying the purpose of the tool that goes into that pocket and create a memory map for the presenter. When worn by the presenter the aprons bring the focus of the presentation&#39;s participants to its wearer.

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
     This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/195,113, filed Oct. 4, 2008, the entirety of which is hereby incorporated by reference into this application. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates to a teacher&#39;s strategies tools apron that enhances instructional delivery and augments student performance. 
     2. Description of the Related Art 
     Aprons for use as teaching aids are known. U.S. Pat. No. 3,624,686 describes an apronlike article having removable pockets. The pockets are of various colors for the teaching of color recognition. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 4,710,979 describes a mother&#39;s bib with detachable multicolored two dimensional infant toys to aid supervised baby play. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 5,468,152 describes educational children&#39;s clothing. The article of clothing is a garment having a plurality of pockets. Each of the pockets displays at least one member of an educational concept and contains a removable object displaying the educational concept. Each of the removable objects is secured to one of the pockets to prevent disassociation of the objects from the garment. 
     It is desirable to provide a teacher&#39;s strategies tools apron including pockets having symbols on the pockets for receiving corresponding instructional tools related to instructional curriculum which tools can be used during an instructional presentation. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The teacher&#39;s strategies tool apron of the present invention provides easy access and organization to the tools needed to enhance any instructional segment and promote student retention in PreK to 8th grade. The “tools of the trade” are located in the appropriately matched pockets of the apron, paired with researched best practices education strategies. Together they maximize the attention and involvement of the learning audience while simultaneously giving easy access and organization to the tools themselves to the presenter. The pockets have a signifying visual cue logo identifying the purpose of the tool that goes into that pocket and create a memory map for the presenter. When worn by the presenter the aprons bring the focus of the presentation&#39;s participants to its wearer. During that time, the attention, participation, and involvement of the audience increases when the apron is worn and its tools employed. Through the increased attention and involvement of the participants, more of the presentation will be remembered and internalized, and the presenter&#39;s tools for stimulating their involvement will be arranged efficiently and within arm&#39;s reach in the pockets of the wearer&#39;s apron as he/she moves about the room. 
     The teacher&#39;s apron of the present invention includes two embodiments. In a first embodiment, a full version or chef-type apron includes a plurality of pockets for the tools used in an instructional presentation. A loop formed of a hook and loop material above the pocket provides a place for an attachment to the teacher&#39;s tool as a loss prevention measure and the pocket below the teacher&#39;s tool as a storage place. A window pocket can be provided. It is preferred that this embodiment has eleven pockets. In a second embodiment, a half version or contracted-type of the apron includes a plurality of pockets for the tools used in an instructional presentation. It is preferred that this embodiment has six pockets. 
     The teaching strategies tools apron of the present invention has pockets that hold eleven or six tools representing the best practices in education for increasing learner&#39;s attention and retention. Each pocket has a visual cue logo that symbolizes a tool to be used with its strategy. The aprons&#39; strategies, tools, and visual cue logos reflect cross-curricular applications. A novel approach to providing easy access to tools of the trade anywhere the wearer goes in an instructional setting. Allows the hands-free transportation of a presenter&#39;s tools eliminating the use of a cart. Pockets&#39; construction allows hands easy entry and exit for object retrieval. While in use, the full and half version add protection to the wearer&#39;s clothes. The teacher&#39;s strategies tools apron is designed for multi-tasking and is washable, durable, and wearable. One size fits most and is non-gender specific. The teacher&#39;s strategies tools apron is usable across grade levels PreK-8th. 
     The invention will be more fully described by reference to the following drawings. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is the front view of the full version chef type teacher&#39;s strategies tools apron with the eleven pockets and their signifying logos. 
         FIG. 2  is the front view of the half version contracted type teacher&#39;s strategies tools apron with six pockets and their signifying logos. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     Reference will now be made in greater detail to a preferred embodiment of the invention, an example of which is illustrated in the accompanying drawings. Wherever possible, the same reference numerals will be used throughout the drawings and the description to refer to the same or like parts. 
       FIG. 1  is a schematic diagram of a full version of teacher&#39;s strategies tools apron in accordance with the teachings of the present invention. The full version of the apron is, similar to a conventional chef apron that is worn in a kitchen at a restaurant. Neck strap  27  slips over the head of a wearer. Two straps  29  and  35  tie behind the waist of the wearer to secure it to the user. 
     There are three rows of a plurality of pockets in this embodiment of the full version. The first row has two pockets  3  and  5 . The second row has five pockets  7 ,  9 ,  11 ,  13  and  15 , and the third row has four pockets  17 ,  19 ,  21  and  23 . 
     The bib part of the apron  31  that rests on the chest just below the collar bone of the wearer has the first row, two pockets  3  and  5  centered, and both placed congruent to one another. Pocket  3  is a window pocket and has a square opening that holds a photo, for example having a size of 4″×4″, that can be slid in from the top. Pocket  5  behind pocket  3  is larger, for example by 2″, than window pocket  3  opening. Indicia such as a number (#1) logo is positioned to the left of pocket  3  and a grouping of indicia of three brightly colored balloons is positioned to the left of the first logo (#1) displayed on  31 . An alternating camera logo  37  can appear on the upper left corner border of pocket  3 , the frame of the window pocket  3 , and can replace the (#1) logo on apron bib  31 . 
     The second row of pockets is formed of one length of material divided by vertical stitching  40  into four equal size pockets. A third pocket is divided in half by vertical stitching  42  to form pockets  11  and  13 . All the pockets have a ⅜″ fold  25  in their center that allows more room for a hand to reach in for an object&#39;s retrieval. Going from left to right, pocket  7  has a logo of a heart inside a heart on the lower right side of the pocket&#39;s fold. Pocket  9  is the same size and has a sixteenth note music logo on the right side of the fold. Pocket  11  has an “A” logo on the right side of the pocket&#39;s fold and just above that pocket there is a Velcro loop  33  to which a ribbon, for example having a length of about 10-12″, can be attached and then attached to the “A” tool which can be put inside pocket  11  so it is not misplaced after its use during a presentation. Pocket  13  has a question mark logo on the right side of the fold. Pocket  15  in this row is the same size as pocket  7  and  9 . A “sun” logo is on the lower right side of the fold on pocket  15 . 
     The third row of the apron has four pockets constructed from one length of material and vertically stitched by vertical stitching  40  into four equal size pockets. These pockets all have a fold  25  down the middle of each of them. Pocket  17  has a “lightning bolt” logo on the left side of the fold  25 . Pocket  19  has a “thought balloon” with three trailing circles descending in size as they move down and to the right away from the “thought balloon” yet a part of it. Pocket  21  has a “smiley face” kid with a colorful bonnet on its head. This logo is on the upper right side of fold  25  on pocket  21 . Pocket  23  has a “three arrowhead shapes with trailing ends forming a circle” logo, pointing clockwise on the left side of the fold  25  in the center of that side of pocket  23 . 
     Eleven pockets each are a place for a “tool of the trade” with a strategy to pair with it, identified by a relational logo. These together form the invention of the full version of the teacher&#39;s strategies tools apron chef-type. 
     The half version of the teacher&#39;s strategies tools apron is shown in  FIG. 2 . Two waist ties  4  and  8  attached to the waistband  6 . Waist ties  4  and  8  and waistband  6  are attached to the half version apron base  10 . The apron base  10  is double border reinforcement stitched  26  at its bottom and single border reinforcement stitched  24  on both its sides. 
     Apron base  10  includes a plurality of pockets for example six pockets,  12 ,  14 ,  16 ,  18 ,  20  and  22 . Two of the pockets  20  and  14  are positioned lower than the others, are on the outside and overlap two upper outside pockets  22  and  12 . This arrangement creates a larger-pocket  22  and  12  inside-a-smaller-pocket  20  and  14  look. 
     The first four pockets  12 ,  16 ,  18  and  22  are just below waistband  6 . These four pockets are made from a single piece of material, divided equally by vertical stitching  40 . Each pocket has a centerfold  28 . The second set of pockets is individual pockets  20  and  14  positioned as explained above. 
     Pockets  12 ,  14 ,  16 ,  18 ,  20  and  22  all have identified logos that represent their purpose/tool/strategy. From left to right pocket  22  has a heart in a heart logo to the lower right side of fold  28 . Pocket  20  is below and overlaps pocket  22  at its bottom half with a “smiley face” kid with standing dreadlocks logo to the lower left of fold  28 . Pocket  18  is to the right of pockets  20  and  22  with a “lightning bolt” logo to the right half of its fold  28 . Pocket  16  is to the right of pocket  18  with “three arrow head shapes with trailing ends forming a circle” logo in the center of the left half of this pocket to the left side of fold  28 . Pocket  12  is to the right of pocket  16  with a “sun” logo to the right side of fold  28  at its center. Pocket  14  is below pocket  12  and overlaps its bottom half with a “thought balloon” logo to the left of fold  28  and centered to that side of pocket  14 . 
     Six pockets form the basis of the half version or contracted type of the strategies tools apron and the description of its construction with the visual cue logos completes it. 
     The two versions of the instructional aprons organize, transport, and create a memory map for the presenter to employ multiple educational strategies and the tools that go with them. In a teaching/learning environment the manipulation of the appropriate tools and the employment of their paired strategies will augment the participation and involvement of an audience so more of the presentation will be remembered via the teacher&#39;s strategies tools aprons. 
     Within the teaching learning environment, infinite opportunities exist for a better presentation yet because the tool may be out of sight, out of reach, or out of mind, it may be completely out of the question for the teacher to interrupt that teachable moment to look for it. The choice to include or enhance some instructional concept with a more colorful or graphic approach may be sacrificed because it can&#39;t be located at the time it is most needed. So some students&#39; clarity on that concept may also be lost due to the non-inclusion of the very tools for which these learners&#39; cognitive learning style calls. The aprons worn by a teacher or leader make readily available those tools that by instructional design enhance teaching presentations creating a more effective and efficient delivery of information as well as support the learning audience&#39;s cognitive styles. 
     The components of the aprons have been selected because each creates a dramatic shift in the learning environment when used in an instructional segment. The research supporting the strategies derived from best practices and how they work with the aprons are under a separate cover of Copyright as “The Teacher&#39;s Apron Pocket Tool Tips”. A second description of the pockets&#39; use and logos and a brief explanation of their connection to researched teaching strategies have been included in this application. 
     In the full version apron, the first row comprise two pockets; the window pocket on a pocket. Window pocket  3  can show a picture celebrating and recognizing the Student of the Week, and pocket  5  behind pocket  3  can hold a removable quick flash camera to capture moments of exciting learning episodes for a class journal or bulletin board. 
     The next row has five pockets. From left to right pocket  7  with the hearts will hold removable “arks” acts of random kindness chips and reward stickers. These catch students being good and let them know it&#39;s valued and appreciated. The accumulated chips can be exchanged for extra privileges or treasure items. Pocket  9  with the music note is the place for a removable musical CD or tape for setting class tone, climate or transitioning. Pocket  11  is the “A” pocket for a removable signal alarm to get students&#39; attention with an attached ribbon hooked into a Velcro loop  33  for easy location. This saves a teacher&#39;s voice and establishes an alert approach to getting students&#39; attention. Pocket  13  is a teacher&#39;s choice pocket and bears a question mark for a removable instructional tool. Choice is a chance for creativity and should be afforded to everyone in a learning environment. Pocket  15  displays a sun and holds removable colored markers or colored chalk used to clarify for students or an audience, black, white, gray or fuzzy skills, concepts, and ideas by highlighting them in color. 
     Pocket  17  has a lightning bolt and is for holding a removable electronic device such as a digital timer, a laser pointer or a mouse used in a teaching session to bring in technology more often. These are purposeful for attracting learners&#39; attention as well. Pocket  19  shows a thought balloon for post-its used by the teacher for holding removable quick idea notes, private reminders and help to students, and also holds removable news worthy current event articles. Pocket  21  has a smiley face kid and hides a removable fun time item; i.e., toy squiggly or cuddly as a temporary surprise treat for an unsuspecting correct responder to a question. The temporary treat can be used three or four times in one presentation for different responders. Pocket  23  has three arrow heads with trailing ends forming a circle on it pointing in a clockwise direction. Pocket  23  represents your turn and holds all removable students&#39; name sticks to be randomly chosen without looking by the teacher to respond to a question. This grants all students equal access to respond in the learning environment, insures more attentive listening and fair opportunity during the lesson segment. 
     In  FIG. 2 , pocket  12  can hold a similar removable item as pocket  15  described above. Pocket  14  can hold a similar removable item as pocket  19 . Pocket  16  can hold a similar removable item as pocket  23 . Pocket  18  can hold a similar removable item as pocket  17 . Pocket  20  can hold a similar removable item as pocket  21   
     The organization and easy access of these teaching tools along with the memory map of the visual cue logos on the pockets of the aprons save teachers&#39; steps, frustration, time, and teachable moments. And the inclusion of instructional strategies, based in best practices in Education, during a teaching episode increases students&#39; interest, participation, and involvement in the learning so they can remember more of it. These are often the very elements that can make or break lessons for students. The teacher&#39;s strategies tools apron maximizes these advantages in an educational setting, enhancing the instructional delivery and augmenting student performance. The reasons teachers teach. 
     It will be appreciated that the present invention includes any variation in the number of pockets or the arrangement of the visual cue logos or choice of visual cue logos still constitutes a strategies tools apron if it is organizing, transporting, and creates easy access to two and three dimensional tools of a particular trade for training or instructing an audience in a field or industry. 
     It will be appreciated that the present invention includes any variation in the garment that is positioned over external clothing and has the same use as the strategies tools aprons is relational and represents an alternative to the teaching aprons, i.e. vest, jacket, pinafore. The present invention provides a pallet of pockets specifically arranged and visually ID&#39;d to create organization for tools paired with their instructional strategies. 
     The present invention insure presenter&#39;s easy access to the tools of an industry or professional field while he/she is in motion in a teaching learning environment. 
     The present invention creates a memory map for the wearer of the apron via visual cue logos on the pockets matched to best practices in that industry. 
     The present invention as the following features: promotes the participation and involvement of an audience during an instructional segment with the employment of the tools and strategies while wearing the apron; augments and improves student retention and performance in a lesson; Pairs strategies and tools that are cross-curricular-ant not subject or theme-specific and targets grades Pre-Kindergarten to eighth with adaptable application at secondary level and adult. 
     The present invention has adaptability of the aprons&#39; tools, strategies, and logos for any instructional presentation at the secondary level, grades 9-12 th , college and adult is a variation of the products use and scope. 
     DRAWINGS—REFERENCE NUMERALS 
       FIG. 1 . Full Version and Front View of the Teacher&#39;s Strategies Tools Apron 
       3 —window pocket 
       5 —pocket behind window pocket 
       7 —heart in a heart pocket 
       9 —sixteenth-note music pocket 
       11 —“A” pocket 
       13 —question mark pocket 
       15 —sun pocket 
       17 —lightning bolt pocket 
       21 —“smiley face” kid pocket 
       23 —three arrowhead shapes with trailing ends forming a circle pocket 
       25 —⅜″ center pocket fold 
       27 —neck strap 
       29 —waist tie R 
       31 —upper apron bib 
       33 —Velcro loop 
       35 —waist tie L 
       37 —camera logo 
       40 —vertical stitching 
       42 —vertical stitching 
       FIG. 2 . Half Version (hv) Front View of the Teacher&#39;s Strategies Tools Apron 
       8 —waist tie hv R 
       6 —waistband hv 
       4 —waist tie hv L 
       10 —apron base hv 
       12 —sun pocket hv 
       14 —thought balloon pocket hv 
       16 —three arrowhead shapes with trailing ends forming a circle pocket hv 
       18 —lightning bolt pocket hv 
       20 —“smiley face” kid pocket hv 
       22 —heart in a heart pocket hv 
       24 —border reinforcement stitching hv 
       26 —double border reinforcement stitching hv 
       28 —⅜″ pocket fold hv 
     It is to be understood that the above-described embodiments are illustrative of only a few of the many possible specific embodiments, which can represent applications of the principles of the invention. Numerous and varied other arrangements can be readily devised in accordance with these principles by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.