Improved Apparatus for Facilitating the Teaching of Children.
Year: 1889

page_text: Improved Apparatus for Facilitating the Teaching of Children.
I, ISABELLA JANE BRASON of 37 Holly Street, Jarrow, in the county of Durham
Head Teacher in the Infant Department, Jarrow School Board do hereby declare the
nature of this invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be
particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement :-
This invention relates to improved apparatus for facilitating the teaching of children
and is more especially intended for use in children's schools its advantages extending
both to teachers and taught..
I will now fully describe my invention having reference to the accompanying
drawings in which Fig. 1 represents an elevation of my apparatus the right and left
hand portions of the upper or revolving portion of this figure being shown
respectively in sectional elevation and elevation. Fig. 2 is an half plan of the same
the upper part of this figure being a plan of the superstructure shown in Fig. 1 the
lower part being a plan with the superstructure removed and Fig. 3 is an enlarged
section showing in detail certain parts more particularly hereinafter again referred to
and throughout the following description similar letters of reference in the specifica-
tion and in the drawings designate corresponding parts.
Referring to the figures a a a are by preference round iron bars of about one quarter
inch diameter forming the arms or spokes of what is tantamount to a horizontal -
wheel. The inner ends of these arms are connected as shown in the drawings to the
central plate a which in turn is fitted fast to the neck a² of the socket piece a³ and in
order to stiffen the arms and make a rigid frame I supplement each arm by a light
iron strut a the inner ends of which may be turned up against the central socket a³
and bound thereto by wire or otherwise. The outer ends of arms a are all connected
to a circumferential tie wire a to which is soldered a strip of tin a bent into a
U-shape as shown most clearly in sectional elevation in Fig. 3 and opposite the
Cextremity of each arm a a small tin socket a' is soldered to the outer surface of the
U-shaped piece a as shown in the drawings.
The socket a³ of the superstructure is designed and arranged to fit and revolve upon
the pivot as which I prefer to form in a convenient manner by welding together the
four upper ends of the four legs aº of the braced standard or frame supporting the
superstructure. The legs of the frame may conveniently be made of light iron bars
braced together as shown in the drawings.
The sectors or portions between the frame rods or arms a may be conveniently
covered with a light wire gauze or other covering a so as to serve either as a table
for the articles being used in the process of teaching or as a board for exhibiting and
explaining the objects or subjects being taught. In teaching young children for
example the alphabet-or to count or a lesson in geography much trouble and confusion
are apt to arise under the present system of teaching due to the fact that only a certain
and that a very limited number of children can have their attention sufficiently con-
centrated at one time on any one particular object while the rest of the children are
left more or less to their own thoughts and ways and it is with a view to correct this
fault that I have contrived the means and apparatus hereinbefore described the
operation of which is thus as follows :-
:-
Within the circumferential or marginal groove or the equivalent thereof of the
U-shaped piece a I place cards with letters or figures thereon so that the children
can as the superstructure revolves readily see each and every letter or figure as they
in turn are submitted to their view. Similarly I fix small uprights or supports within
the sockets a' between which I can arrange a picture or a map for the purposes of
slowly revolving the same before the children the general effect of this improved
system being to concentrate the attention of the children and to relieve the work of
the person in charge of them. In the figures I show a vertical pivot and a horizontal

page_text: revolving superstructure and in the same manner in certain cases I make provision
upon any suitable point or points of the substructure or standard for a horizontal
pivot or pivots so that the superstructure can be lifted off its vertical pivot and placed
in a vertical position as an exhibiting or explaining board on a horizontal pivot. The
revolution of the superstructure is performed manually.
In like manner I sometimes construct the revolving superstructure or frame in a
spiral form and as indicated in elevation in Fig. 4 the marginal U-shaped groove or
the equivalent thereof for holding the cards or boards on which the letters or figures
are slown following the line of the spiral throughout its length. Fig. 5 shows an
enlarged section at any point of this revolving spiral frame in which the U-shaped
groove a is arranged on the side of the piece m which is formed with a groove on its
surface for the purpose hereinafter shown. The present method of teaching elementary
lessons in for example arithmetic I have found to be tedious and unattractive to the
children but by arranging a frame of the form and section shown in Figs. 4 and 5
I can greatly increase the attention of the children and in the following manner:
assume that the alphabet or counting is to be taught I then fix in the U-shaped
groove or the equivalent thereof on the side of the revolving spiral frame or railway
a card with the letter or figure thereon to which attention is desired; I then let a ball
roll down the spiral frame or railway from the top and when it arrives at the point on
the railway where the card is fixed it is stopped and held by any suitable known means
for example a stop-piece to wedge into the groove in which the ball runs.
The spiral
frame or railway above described is arranged on and around a central spindle a to
which it is firmly attached the base of the spindle being arranged with a socket to
work and revolve upon a spindle as set forth in reference to Figs. 1. 2 and 3.
The effect produced by the apparatus described on the minds of the children is
of great value in teaching.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said Inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is
-
(1) The combination with a frame such as is illustrated in Figs. 1, 2 and 3 arranged
to revolve upon a pivot of a marginal groove or U-shaped piece a or the equivalent
thereof arranged, adapted and operating substantially as and for the
purposes herein-
before set forth.
(2) In a revolving spiral frame the use of a ball, track constructed as described in
combination with the U-shaped piece as all arranged and operating substantially as
and for the purposes set forth.
Dated this 16th day of May 1889.
A. CRAWHALL CHAPMAN,
2, St. Nicholas' Buildings, Newcastle-on-Tyne, Patent Agent for Applicant.