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This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. What was one bird NOT mentioned as being seen outside the school?

2. What did the students do with their cards after they were handed out?

3. For how long did Ashton-Warner experiment in developing the Maori transitional readers?

4. What was the most powerful word under the "fear" category?

5. What superhero was included in the list of student words in "Organic Reading"?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why did Ashton-Warner describe children's minds as volcanoes and how did that affect her teaching?

2. In what way does nature provide lessons that books or indoor plantings cannot?

3. Why was the class so noisy while the children studied their individual key words and what did that noise signify?

4. Why did Ashton-Warner say that the discussions of the children's stories were the "most significant" feature of the class?

5. What was the role of handwriting in the Maori students' stories?

6. How did the students perform when they did expressive dancing versus when they learned specific moves?

7. Why did Ashton-Warner find the European and American early readers two-dimensional?

8. How did Russian peasant students react to Leo Tolstoy's experimental school?

9. Why was it important for the teacher to be a good conversationalist in the classroom?

10. What was the importance of the "inner illustration" in the children's self-written stories?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Ashton-Warner criticized the use of workbooks in schools, although she said she understood why some teachers relied on them. Do workbooks provide any benefits to the students? Are they absolutely necessary for determining how well a child is learning? Would it be possible to devise other ways of measuring a child's development? Are workbooks used because the curriculum is standardized for all children? Would they be helpful if curricula were tailored to individual students?

Essay Topic 2

Ashton-Warner's students spend much time dancing in the classroom, whether as a form of exercise or in free-dance exploration. Write an essay exploring the use of dance in the classroom. What are the benefits of giving students access to this art form? Are the benefits solely physical? Does dance help center children and does it have an effect on concentration? How can free-dance periods help children express themselves and how can that impact other areas of the curriculum?

Essay Topic 3

The great Russian writer, Leo Tolstoy, developed and operated a school for peasant children that Ashton-Warner expressed admiration for. The school day was long and students were given significant freedom to choose what subjects to study and when. Is this school model possible on a larger scale or is it something that can only be done on a small scale, under unique circumstances? What are the benefits of allowing students to go at their own pace and explore the subjects most dear to them? What happens to standardized curricula and school-wide tests in such a situation?

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